The U.S. Space Force (USSF) is cutting nearly 14% of its civilian workforce—approximately 780 positions—in response to federal downsizing orders issued during the Trump administration.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman confirmed the reductions during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday.

The civilian workforce in the USSF consists of approximately 5,600 non-military personnel who support the service’s missions. They make up more than one-third of the USSF’s total 17,000 personnel.

According to Saltzman, the civilian workforce is projected to fall nearly 1,000 short of its target by the end of 2025, due to hiring freezes and voluntary resignation incentives.

The loss of civilian personnel is a “large hit,” Saltzman said, noting that the service depends heavily on civilian expertise within the acquisition community to procure new systems and platforms.

“I’m worried about replacing that level of expertise in the near term as we try to resolve it and make sure we have a good workforce doing that acquisition,” Saltzman said.

“We understand the desire to reduce the civilian workforce,” he further added. “It’s just having a little bit of an outsized impact on the Space Force.”

Politicians pointed out that the timing of the cuts is particularly challenging as the USSF takes on additional missions, such as new space defense roles and the development of the Golden Dome satellite architecture.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) cautioned that without its civilian talent, the Space Force will struggle to execute those plans.

“We’re not going to do all these great scientific and developmental and modernization issues without these critical workers,” Reed said.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) criticized the cuts, accusing billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency of drawing talent away from public service.

“This careless decimation of the Space Force civilian workforce is unacceptable,” Moulton said.