The Pentagon will trim its civilian workforce by 5% to 8%, starting with next week’s release of about 5,400 probationary employees, Defense Department officials announced Friday.

The job eliminations are being done across the administration as part of President Trump’s initiative to “reform the federal workforce to maximize efficiency and productivity,” officials said. Other Cabinet departments have already begun the personnel cuts, but the Defense Department is the government’s biggest employer by far.

“We believe in the goals of the program and our leaders are carrying out that review carefully and smartly,” said acting Under Secretary of Defense Darin Selnick.

A civilian hiring freeze throughout the Defense Department will be implemented afterward so officials can analyze the military’s personnel needs, Mr. Selnick said. Officials say the job cuts at first will focus on programs not essential to the department’s core warfighting mandate, such as initiatives on diversity and addressing climate change.

“As [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] made clear, it is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission-critical,” Mr. Selnick said. “Taxpayers deserve to have us take a thorough look at our workforce, top to bottom, to see where we can eliminate redundancies.”

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.