The National Security Agency (NSA), the U.S. government’s electronic spy agency, is looking at cutting up to 2,000 civilian jobs as part of the Trump administration’s effort to greatly reduce the federal workforce.
The NSA, which is within the Defense Department, must eliminate 8 percent of its civilian roles, or between 1,500 and 2,000 positions, by the end of the year, three people familiar with the plan told the Recorded Future News.
Reached by The Hill, NSA officials declined to comment and referred additional questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond.
The NSA is primarily responsible for gathering and analyzing signals intelligence and conducting defense and offensive cybersecurity operations for the federal government. It also plays a critical role in supporting military operations.
One person told the outlet that the slashed jobs go hand in hand with the Defense Department’s goal of reducing its budget by 8 percent annually over the next five years, with cuts likely across every “combat support agency” — those that provide the Pentagon tactical-level expertise.
Those agencies include the NSA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is planning to axe the Central Intelligence Agency workforce by an estimated 1,200 positions, along with cuts at other major U.S. spy units in an effort to shrink the intelligence community.
The NSA is already dealing with the fallout from a purge of national security agencies in early April, with firings of at least a half-dozen officials in both the agency and the White House’s National Security Council.
Among those sacked were Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, who led both the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, and his deputy, Wendy Noble.
The new cuts are part of a broader effort by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to greatly reduce the federal workforce and shutter an unknown number of agencies.
Defense leaders are looking to axe tens of thousands of jobs from the Pentagon’s 900,000-person civilian workforce via voluntary resignations and early retirements.
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