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The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has announced the start of layoffs of some of its probationary employees. According to DefenseOne, the layoffs affect mainly those who were hired one or two years ago, during the term of former President Joe Biden.
According to sources, the cuts are being made in accordance with the instructions of current CIA Director John Ratcliffe and include, in particular, employees hired under the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, which Biden has been actively promoting.
Who is under threat of dismissal
– employees on probation in the first or second year of service;
– professionals recruited through DEI programmes, including transgender employees;
– those who do not meet the department’s high requirements for working in high-risk environments.
“Our employees have to withstand extreme stress in an environment of high stakes and instability. This is not a job for everyone. For some, this process will end in dismissal,” said the CIA representative.
Risks to national security
Separately, the US intelligence community is concerned that employees dissatisfied with the dismissals may become targets for recruitment by foreign intelligence services interested in accessing US classified data.
These cuts come amid a general tightening of control and reorganisation in the national security sector, in line with the Donald Trump administration’s policy of reviewing personnel policies in key government agencies.
Earlier, similar processes were announced in other defence and intelligence agencies.
