The Air Force Academy dean of faculty warned staff Thursday of potential layoffs among civilians coming Friday.

“There is a possibility that tomorrow (Friday 28 February) some, if not all, of our probationary employees will be placed on administrative leave for three weeks and then no longer be employed at USAFA,” wrote Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre. She went on to say that the final outcome remains uncertain and the email did not list a possible number of lost positions. 

The layoffs have been expected at military bases nationally following an announcement from the Department of Defense saying 5,400 probationary workers would be laid off this week. Federal employees are considered probationary after they start a new position, including after they receive a promotion. So some probationary employees serve in senior roles. 

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Late Wednesday, the academy received a list of probationary employees from Air Force headquarters that contained errors. The school submitted corrections and requests to save positions “to the maximum extent possible,” the email said. The academy has not yet received a final decision. 

But employees likely received notice from their supervisors about the possibility of losing their job, the note implied. 

“If you were not contacted by your supervisor today but received a notification tomorrow instructing you to stop working at USAFA, please reach out to your Department Head immediately,” she said in the note. “That would indicate that we were not tracking you on our initial list.”

Those who are getting laid off might receive an email saying they are getting terminated for performance, Letendre wrote. But she wanted staff to know she values their work in the classrooms, labs, library, research centers, registrar’s office, academic success center, human capital management office, finance, IT and facilities. 

“I deeply value the dedication and expertise” of all, she said.

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She said she expected that those who elected to resign after receiving the “Fork in the Road” email from the Office of Personnel Management can expect to start their leave on Saturday, March 1. 

Letendre said she expected there would be a consolidated mass out-processing center at the Community Center. Helping agencies will be present. She also encouraged colleagues to support each other. 

“We are in this together,” she wrote. 

The other military installations in the region, such as Fort Carson, also employ numerous probationary civilian employees that could face layoffs if they happen at all military installations at the same time. Civilians fill support roles in a range of areas, such as child care, law enforcement, firefighting, maintenance and groundskeeping.

After cutting probationary civilian roles, additional layoffs are likely as the Defense Department looks to cut the civilians workforce by 5%-8%, according to an announcement from the Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

The White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was created by President Trump on Jan. 20 with a mission to slash federal spending.

Supporters of DOGE see its efforts as a way to rein in federal spending at a time when the nation’s outlays are outpacing its tax revenue, causing the federal debt to spiral to an all-time high of $36 trillion. Trump has said he wants to cut programs that don’t align with his policies and to slash the federal workforce.

Since 1980, defense spending has risen by 60 percent, climbing from $506 billion to $895 billion for fiscal 2025, after adjusting for inflation.

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