- Elon Musk’s DOGE has pressured a key Pentagon program to close
- The Defense Digital Service will cease operating by May 2025
- Staff have said the only reason they are leaving is DOGE
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sent a key US government program focused on efficiency, innovation, and Silicon Valley-style quick tech fixes packing.
Almost all of the staff for the Defense Digital Service (DSS) have confirmed they are resigning as a result of DOGE pressure, with many of the DSS’ responsibilities to be taken over by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office.
The DSS has been a key source of innovation and new tech adoption at the Pentagon for the past decade, introducing numerous tech remedies during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and Ukrainian aid transferal programs.
DOGE ditches DSS
Of the 14 employees that make up the DSS office, 11 are planning to take Trump’s deferred resignation package by the end of April. DSS Director Jennifer Hay is planning on leaving by May 1, with the two remaining employees planning to resign also.
One of the DSS’ main responsibilities was to introduce fast track technology during national security incidents to help the Pentagon to quickly react to developing situations.
While DSS responsibilities will be passed on to another department, it is unclear how long it will take for the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office to assume DSS responsibilities – potentially putting the security of the Pentagon at risk.
Many within the DSS office were expecting to be a part of DOGE’s efforts to enhance the efficiency of the Pentagon and introduce new AI technologies, however they were passed over by Musk, with Hay stating “The reason we stuck it out as long as we have is that we thought we were going to be called in.”
According to Politico, there were existing issues within the program ranging from political infighting to hiring freezes, but every employee at the DSS said that they wouldn’t be leaving if not for DOGE. “The best way to put it, I think, is either we die quickly or we die slowly,” Hay added.
This isn’t the first modernization and innovation program to face the axe under DOGE, with the US Digital Service and the 18F program both being subject to firings and layoffs under pressure from DOGE.
A former Pentagon official who spoke to Politico under subject of anonymity commented on DOGE’s foray into improving the efficiency of the Defense Department, stating, “They’re not really using AI, they’re not really driving efficiency. What they’re doing is smashing everything.”
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