The termination orders came from the Department of the Navy, not the shipyard itself, labor leaders said. The terminations could save the yard less than $300,000 annually.

Six civilian workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were laid off on Tuesday, according to local labor leaders. According to the Maine AFL-CIO, the employees were part of the administration staff, tasked with secretarial duties for department heads at the shipyard.

Six probationary civilian employees at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were laid off Tuesday morning, according to a local union leader.

The union that represents workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery says Elon Musk and DOGE have laid off six people. The union says the six civilian employees were laid off Tuesday morning by the Navy in an in an effort to cut the workforce at the Department of Defense.

On Monday morning, the Department of Defense set a 48-hour deadline for workers to respond to the email by detailing their work.