The US War Department will still operate during the government shutdown.

At 0:00 on October 1, US time (11:00 on the same day, Vietnam time), the US Government began to stop most of its activities. In preparation for this situation, the Pentagon - US Department of War previously issued contingency instructions to the forces outlining six priorities and plans to deal with this situation.

"Workgroups identified as not exempt and requiring civilian staff will be suspended until new funding is approved," the Pentagon statement said.

According to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, during the government shutdown, Pentagon leaders will reassess which jobs or activities are exempt (can still operate without new budget).

US-Mexico border security is a top priority in the event of a US government shutdown. Photo: Reuters

The United States has entered a new period of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach a budget deal before the October 1 deadline, causing the government to shut down and a series of programs and services to be suspended. This is the 15th shutdown of the US government since 1981 and the first since the longest shutdown in history - lasting 35 days - 6 years ago.

For the Department of War, a government shutdown means that active-duty military personnel — including reservists on active federal duty — will continue to report for duty and may be asked to perform non-exempt activities typically performed by furloughed civilians.

According to the guidance, the Pentagon's "highest priorities" will revolve around securing the southern border, operations in the Middle East, deploying the Golden Dome defense system, and maintaining and sustaining weapons systems.

The budget for the Golden Dome air defense system is still being paid. Photo: Reuters

The War Department employees are just a small fraction of the roughly 750,000 federal employees who will be furloughed, and some may even be fired, by the Trump administration. Many agencies are at risk of being shut down, possibly permanently, as Trump vows to “do irreversible, devastating things” to retaliate against the opposition.

Meanwhile, the program of deporting illegal immigrants is expected to continue, while areas such as education, the environment and many other public services will be disrupted. The economic consequences could be widespread across the country.

Experience from the record-breaking shutdown of 2018-2019 shows the severe impact on social life. At that time, about 800,000 federal employees were directly affected. Of those, 300,000 were forced to temporarily leave their jobs, without pay and not allowed to come to work. The rest continued to work but without pay until the budget was re-approved. Only when Congress reached an agreement were they reimbursed for their unpaid wages.