Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has "significantly impacted" a key Pentagon unit, disrupting its operations and leaving it unable to obtain necessary software. According to a contracting memo from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), DOGE's aggressive efforts to downsize the government have caused major problems at the IT office, which is critical to the US military's operation.
The memo states that the DISA/J6 program office was "unexpectedly and significantly impacted" by programs that incentivized personnel separation or extended periods of leave. This resulted in a staffing shortage, which in turn led to a situation where DISA's systems faced an "extreme risk for loss of service." The contract for an important Pentagon cloud-computing contract expired due to the departure of an officer responsible for it.
The impact on the military's ability to communicate with itself is severe. Sharon Woods, then-director of DISA J6, said that if this unit couldn't operate, "it would cripple the Department [of Defense]. This is really a mission where failure is not an option."
DOGE has been using the Office of Personnel Management's Deferred Resignation Program to push out personnel and terminate contracts. This program, which offered nearly 2 million federal employees the option of entering administrative leave rather than working under the second Trump administration, resulted in about 6.7% of the government's civilian workforce leaving.
The Pentagon is not the only arm of the government affected by DOGE's cuts. Fort Greely, an intercontinental ballistic missile interception facility in Alaska, was struggling to feed its personnel due to the loss of essential civilian positions caused by the program. The US military academy at West Point, New York, also faced a potential disruption in food service operations due to the loss of 26 positions.
A recent procurement memo from the U.S. military academy at West Point, New York, stated that the school was facing a "potential disruption in food service operations resulting from the Government's loss of 26 positions due to the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), retirements, and the hiring freeze."
The impact of DOGE's cuts is not limited to these examples. In May 2025, an official at a U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command conference acknowledged that "We have been cut significantly" due to the Deferred Resignation Program.
The Intercept has exposed the true extent of DOGE's efforts to dismantle the government and undermine the free press. As we move forward into 2026, we need your support to grow our reporting capacity and continue to hold those in power accountable.
The memo states that the DISA/J6 program office was "unexpectedly and significantly impacted" by programs that incentivized personnel separation or extended periods of leave. This resulted in a staffing shortage, which in turn led to a situation where DISA's systems faced an "extreme risk for loss of service." The contract for an important Pentagon cloud-computing contract expired due to the departure of an officer responsible for it.
The impact on the military's ability to communicate with itself is severe. Sharon Woods, then-director of DISA J6, said that if this unit couldn't operate, "it would cripple the Department [of Defense]. This is really a mission where failure is not an option."
DOGE has been using the Office of Personnel Management's Deferred Resignation Program to push out personnel and terminate contracts. This program, which offered nearly 2 million federal employees the option of entering administrative leave rather than working under the second Trump administration, resulted in about 6.7% of the government's civilian workforce leaving.
The Pentagon is not the only arm of the government affected by DOGE's cuts. Fort Greely, an intercontinental ballistic missile interception facility in Alaska, was struggling to feed its personnel due to the loss of essential civilian positions caused by the program. The US military academy at West Point, New York, also faced a potential disruption in food service operations due to the loss of 26 positions.
A recent procurement memo from the U.S. military academy at West Point, New York, stated that the school was facing a "potential disruption in food service operations resulting from the Government's loss of 26 positions due to the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), retirements, and the hiring freeze."
The impact of DOGE's cuts is not limited to these examples. In May 2025, an official at a U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command conference acknowledged that "We have been cut significantly" due to the Deferred Resignation Program.
The Intercept has exposed the true extent of DOGE's efforts to dismantle the government and undermine the free press. As we move forward into 2026, we need your support to grow our reporting capacity and continue to hold those in power accountable.
just heard about Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) causing a huge mess at the Pentagon 
they're trying to downsize the government and it's having serious consequences, like staffing shortages and disruptions to critical systems 
2 million federal employees left the workforce, now who's gonna pay for all those benefits? 
let's hope the military doesn't get crippled in the process 
just thinking about all these layoffs at the Pentagon is really concerning... like, the whole point of having a Department of Government Efficiency is supposed to be to make things more efficient, but it sounds like they're actually causing chaos 
and what about all the other programs that are getting affected by DOGE's cuts? It sounds like this is going to be a real mess in 2026 
I had a friend who works at the Pentagon and she told me that Elon's team has been super aggressive about cutting back on staffing and it's caused so many problems 
it's like they didn't think this would happen, you know? I mean, if the military can't even communicate with itself, that's a big deal 
... it seems like they're making some pretty big changes that are affecting a lot of different parts of the government, including the Pentagon and even food service at West Point 
. I mean, it's one thing to cut costs, but 6.7% of the civilian workforce leaving? That's a big deal 
... I'm just not sure what the ultimate goal is here or how it's all going to play out in the long run 
. It's easy to blame Elon and his team for being harsh on certain departments, but what about the people who are happy with the status quo? We should be having this conversation, not just criticizing DOGE without considering alternative perspectives 
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The Pentagon is already struggling to communicate with itself, and if this unit can't operate, it'll be a disaster. We need to watch out for these types of cuts and make sure they don't have unintended consequences. 
these cuts are like a domino effect, affecting not just the Pentagon but also other government agencies and even private contractors... this is a major disaster waiting to happen. and what's with the Deferred Resignation Program, it sounds like some shady stuff going on 
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. It's time to take a step back and reassess DOGE's role and impact 
he thinks he can just swoop in and start making major changes to the government without considering the consequences? This whole Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) thing sounds like a total mess, especially when it comes to the Pentagon unit that's responsible for keeping the military's systems running smoothly.
. It's like, super critical for the military to communicate with itself, you know? 
. Like, what even is that supposed to accomplish? 
. It's like, can't they see how this is all gonna blow up in their faces? 
The Pentagon's IT office can't even get its systems to work properly because of this program... that's some serious stuff. And it's not just the Pentagon, either - other parts of the government are getting hit hard too. It's like, what kind of efficiency is this again? 
the whole thing is kinda fishy. i mean, who benefits from all these layoffs & contract terminations? it feels like a huge mess. and what's up w/ this deferred resignation program? it sounds like some kind of backdoor way to get rid of employees without even having to fire them 
anyway, i'm definitely keeping an eye on this story...