In a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. foreign policy apparatus, the State Department has begun terminating over 1,300 employees as part of a massive restructuring effort aligned with former President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

The move, described by officials as part of a broader reduction in force (RIF) strategy, affects approximately 15% of the department’s domestic workforce. According to sources cited by the Associated Press, the department has issued layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers assigned within the United States.

In addition to the layoffs, the plan includes merging or eliminating several hundred bureaus, drastically altering the structure of one of the nation’s most influential federal agencies, which is responsible for shaping and executing U.S. foreign policy.

Foreign service officers impacted by the cutbacks have been placed on 120-day administrative leave, after which they will be officially dismissed, according to an internal memo reviewed by AP.

While some staff are being offered voluntary exit packages, many are reportedly blindsided by the scale and speed of the cuts. Trump-aligned officials argue the reorganization is necessary to make the department more “streamlined” and better aligned with the administration’s nationalist and cost-cutting priorities.

Critics warn the layoffs could severely weaken the U.S.’s diplomatic reach and institutional knowledge, particularly at a time of heightened global instability.