The department has more than 945,000 civilian employees. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said 17 specific missions, such as military operations at the southwestern border, would be exempt from the 8 percent cuts in the defense budget he has ordered for each of the next five years.

The Defense Department says it’s cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place.

The Pentagon said on Friday it would start firing about 5,400 civilian employees who were on probation, the first moves by President Donald Trump's administration at the department to make good on its promise to reduce the federal workforce.