Almost all of the Pentagon’s elite technical forces will step down by the end of April after being sidelined by the Elon Musk-led Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sources told Politico on Tuesday.
Mass resignation will effectively shut down 14 Defense Digital Services (DDS), created in 2015 to inject Silicon Valley-style speed and innovation into national security projects. DDS staff told Politico that Doge was excluded from major reform efforts, urging the Book of Exodus. (Related: “Completely fake”: Trump administrator shoots down NYT reports that Musk gets an explanation for the Chinese war)
“The reason we stick out as much as we have is because we thought we were called,” DDS director Jennifer Hay told the outlet.
I look forward to being welcomed @elonmusk Tomorrow it will be pentagonal.
But the fake news comes back. This is not a meeting on the “top secret Chinese war plan.” This is an informal meeting on innovation, efficiency and smarter production. It must be amazing! https://t.co/sihsujqbg9
– Pete Hegseth (@petehegseth) March 21, 2025
DDS, sometimes called the Pentagon’s “SWAT team nerd team,” was involved in the deployment of real-time tools, building drone detection systems, and managing data transfers in Ukraine during its failed Afghan retreat. It also served as an unusual magnet for first-class private sector engineers who are trying to provide short stints in the government.
However, last year, the unit’s impact declined. Current and former staff members said DDS was on the sidelines as DDS pushed for cleaning reforms focused on streamlining procurement and automating bureaucracy through AI.
The reported exodus continues on Thursday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegses Note Announces cancellations for several private sector technology contractors. Although Doge has not publicly commented on the staff’s Exodus, the Musk-led initiative has repeatedly defended active restructuring efforts across the agency as needed to eradicate the inefficiency and duplication of federal bureaucracy as a whole.
“I think the best way to put it down is for us to die quickly or slowly,” Hay said.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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