Pentagon Shake-Up: Mass Firings Loom Amid Legal and Military Readiness Concerns

Senior defense officials are raising alarms over a controversial wave of impending Pentagon firings, warning that the move could violate federal law and compromise U.S. military readiness. With civilian employees potentially facing termination as soon as this week, internal concerns are mounting over the legality and national security implications of the decision.

At the heart of the controversy is Title 10, Section 129a of the U.S. Code, which explicitly bars the Secretary of Defense from reducing the civilian workforce without conducting an appropriate analysis of how such cuts would affect military lethality and readiness. The law prioritizes risk mitigation over cost-cutting, emphasizing that the size and composition of the Department of Defense workforce must be determined based on mission-critical needs, not budgetary constraints.

"The Secretary may not reduce the civilian workforce... unless an appropriate analysis of the impacts on workload, military force structure, lethality, readiness, operational effectiveness, and stress on the military force has been conducted," the law states unequivocally.

Yet, according to a senior defense official, no such analysis has taken place. This raises serious concerns that the sweeping terminations may be not just reckless but outright unlawful. Pentagon civilian employees covered under Title 10 typically serve in highly specialized roles, such as cyber operations and intelligence—areas essential to national security.

Meanwhile, active-duty military personnel will remain exempt from the firings.

Adding to the growing unease, employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a little-known federal agency—have recently been embedded within the Pentagon, reportedly assisting in drafting lists of employees marked for termination. These firings, set to begin as early as this week, are part of a broader effort to purge probationary employees across federal agencies.

Sources confirm that combatant commands worldwide were ordered to submit lists of probationary employees by Tuesday afternoon. These lists will determine who stays and who goes in a process that, critics say, lacks transparency and due diligence.

With tens of thousands of civilian Pentagon employees classified as probationary, the scope of these firings could be enormous. Defense officials are now scrambling to identify which personnel should be exempted—particularly those working in cybersecurity, intelligence, operations, and foreign military sales. Veterans and military spouses may also receive exemptions, though no clear criteria have been established yet.

Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is pushing an eyebrow-raising justification for these mass terminations. While probationary employees traditionally require an individual performance-based reason for termination, OPM is now arguing that these employees no longer contribute positively to the Pentagon’s overall performance—essentially treating them as expendable.

This sweeping and abrupt purge raises critical questions about the administration's priorities. Is this really about efficiency, or is it a reckless attempt at slashing government payrolls at the expense of national security? One thing is certain—if Pentagon leadership proceeds with these firings without the legally required analysis, they could be facing a legal and operational disaster.