Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said he would welcome the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon said on Friday that it would fire 5,400 civilian probationary workers starting next week, in the first of what officials say will likely be a wave of much larger layoffs at the Defense Department,

The Defense Department, which is the largest government agency, says it's reducing its civilian workforce by 5% to 8%.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the Chair of the Department of Government Efficiency and also someone the White House describes as a senior adviser to the president, praised

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged billionaire Elon Musk to be more aggressive in his efforts to shrink the federal government despite uproar over layoffs and deep spending cuts. "Elon is doing a great job,

Donald Trump appealed to Elon Musk for more intensive implementation of reforms in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump emphasized that he would like Musk to act "more aggressively" in implementing reforms and cutting spending.

Elon Musk's instructions came after President Trump praised the head of DOGE but would like to see him get more aggressive in reducing the federal government.