The Department of Defense (DOD) has begun firing civilian employees, starting with probationary workers at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
On Monday, the DLA, which manages military supply chains, reportedly dismissed less than 100 employees.
“DLA released probationary employees, consistent with the Department of Defense’s broader efforts to ensure resources are aligned with the department’s strategic objectives,” a DLA spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.
According to a DLA employee cited by Defense One in its report, they were fired just after 1 p.m. on Monday. “I was told to report to the building and had 15 minutes to gather my things and turn in my computer/cell phone,” the employee was quoted as saying.
The DLA employs around 25,000 staff members at its Virginia headquarters and worldwide.
A Pentagon memo issued on Monday warned of upcoming cuts to civilian personnel. The memo, directed to “Senior Pentagon Leadership,” states that the purpose of the reduction is to “streamline operations and prioritize critical missions in order to redirect scarce and limited resources towards enhancing the lethality of war fighting capacity.”
Signed by Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the memo states that probationary employees whose “continued employment at the Department would not be in the public interest,” would be terminated as early as March 3.
Additional firings in DOD are expected in the coming days. A previous statement from Selnick stated that the department plans to terminate 5,400 probationary employees as the initial phase of a broader effort to reduce the Pentagon’s civilian workforce by 5 to 8 percent.
