Hiring & Workforce — 2026-03-21
Defense Civilians Report 'Degraded Performance' and Low Morale One Year Into Hegseth's Workforce Cuts
A year into Defense Secretary Hegseth's workforce reductions, defense civilian employees report degraded mission performance and historically low morale. The cuts have hit intelligence support billets alongside broader DOD civilian positions. IC-adjacent defense civilians -- including DIA analysts and service intelligence center staff -- face the same attrition pressures as the core IC workforce, compounding the talent gap across the national security enterprise.
Analysis
The defense civilian workforce crisis operates in parallel with the FBI's 300-agent departure and ODNI's 40% restructuring. Taken together, these three trends suggest the national security workforce is contracting simultaneously across intelligence, law enforcement, and defense support -- a convergence not seen in the post-9/11 era.
The defense civilian workforce crisis operates in parallel with the FBI's 300-agent departure and ODNI's 40% restructuring. Taken together, these three trends suggest the national security workforce is contracting simultaneously across intelligence, law enforcement, and defense support -- a convergence not seen in the post-9/11 era.