Federal Managers Association

In the News

• A year into Hegseth’s cuts, Defense civilians report ‘degraded performance’ and low morale - March 11, 2026

• Meghann Myers, Government Executive

  A year after Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a hasty effort to reduce the Defense Department’s civilian workforce by up to 61,000 people, employees are reporting gutted offices, lower productivity, and pervasive uncertainty.

  “The climate, at least in my immediate organization, has shifted from fear to stress,” said an Air Force civilian who spoke with Defense One. “The fear of imminent [reductions-in-force] is not something we talk about much anymore because, while the threat of it persistently looms in the air, it is not in our best interest to constantly worry about it. Frankly, I'm too exhausted to keep thinking about it.”

  All of the DoD civilians who shared their thoughts for this story requested anonymity to prevent retaliation by their employer.

  To read the full article, click here.

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