War Department Cuts Civilian Workforce by 10% in 2025

Reductions aimed at eliminating redundancies and refocusing resources on military readiness

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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The U.S. Department of War reduced its civilian workforce by 10% in 2025, decreasing from 794,538 to 712,677 employees. The reduction was part of War Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to rebuild the military and revive the "warrior ethos" under the Trump administration. The department hired 29,347 new employees while processing 109,441 departures, with 14,606 involuntary and 94,835 voluntary departures.

Why it matters

The workforce reduction is part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to restructure the Department of War and refocus resources on military readiness and lethality. This aligns with the administration's priorities of restoring the "warrior ethos" and minimizing "wokeness and weakness" in the military.

The details

The Department of War's civilian workforce decreased by 10.3% last year, resulting in a net reduction of 81,861 employees. This was achieved through a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures. The department offered a Voluntary Deferred Resignation Program that received 70,481 applications and resulted in 49,991 signed separation agreements. An additional 6,600 employees left through the Voluntary Retirement Authority program.

  • The workforce reduction was announced by War Secretary Pete Hegseth in March 2025.
  • The Voluntary Deferred Resignation Program had an effective date of September 30, 2025.
  • Hegseth addressed top military leaders at Quantico in April 2025 about the workforce optimization efforts.

The players

Pete Hegseth

The Secretary of War under the Trump administration, who led the effort to reduce the civilian workforce and refocus the department on military readiness and the "warrior ethos".

Donald Trump

The President of the United States during the time of the workforce reduction at the Department of War.

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What they’re saying

“The goal was straightforward: eliminate redundancies and ensure the Department operates as a well-oiled machine for our warfighters.”

— War Department official (The Daily Wire)

“To deliver on my commitment to urgently rebuild our military, revive the warrior ethos and deliver maximum deterrence, we must aggressively refocus every available resource towards our core mission.”

— Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War (The Daily Wire)

“Everything starts and ends with warriors in training and on the battlefield. We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. And refocusing on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.”

— Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War (The Daily Wire)

What’s next

The Department of War plans to continue optimizing its civilian workforce to further support military readiness and the "warrior ethos" under the Trump administration.

The takeaway

The workforce reduction at the Department of War is a significant step in the Trump administration's efforts to restructure the military and refocus resources on core combat capabilities, while minimizing perceived "wokeness" and "weakness" in the department.