U.S. Army reduces civilian workforce

In February 2025, President Donald Trump declared that current federal employees were neither wanted nor needed. He then directed two million federal employees to either take a deferred resignation or face possible termination. They had one week to decide this fork in the road. Some also left via Voluntary Early Retirement Authority. About 10% of the federal workforce left public service.

The Army recently notified thousands of its civilian employees that their jobs were surplus. The Army wishes to rebalance its 250,000 civilian employees with its changing priorities. The Army expects 5,000 to 6,000 employees to either (1) take a up to $25,000 lump-sum Voluntary Separation Incentive Resignation, or (2) Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, or (3) face involuntary reassignments to new jobs in possibly new locations.

These new assignments may be either near or far of their present job, and may include foreign locations. Employees unwilling to take “management directed” assignments will be terminated. It is one more technique of the President and his underlings to coerce federal employees from public service. Other federal agencies may follow this model of reducing their workforce numbers.

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