ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sandia National Labs announced a plan to reduce its workforce Thursday. 

A spokesperson for the labs say the goal is to reduce the workforce by 1-3%. There are 17,000 employees, so that’s anywhere from 170 to 500 positions.

Lab officials say this is necessary for long term sustainability and continuing the mission to deliver on critical national security.

The reduction plan includes limiting new, outside hiring, relying on current employees to handle other projects based on skills and needs. Finally, they’ll look for workers to voluntarily leave or retire.