The chain resignation at the Pentagon because of Elon Musk: “Either we die quickly or die slowly”
Almost all the staff of the Digital Defense Service – the accelerated technological development arm of the Pentagon – resigns in the next month, under the pressure of the government efficiency department led by Elon Musk, according to Politico.
Pentagon. Photo shutterstock
The information was provided to the source quoted by the director of the Digital Defense Service of the Pentagon and three other current members of the office – the last discussing with the policy under the protection of anonymity – and is confirmed by the internal emails.
The resignations will close, by the end of April, the one -decade old program
The Digital Defense Service was created in 2015 to help the Pentagon adopt fast technological solutions during national security seizures and promote Silicon Valley innovation inside the Pentagon.
The program has performed quick response tools for the army during withdrawal from Afghanistan, databases to transfer Ukrainian military and humanitarian aid, drone detection technologies and more.
In the absence of this program, some key efforts to make the DOD technological talents more efficient and the dronele counteract will be canceled, said one of the employees who will leave.
Once upon a time the “Swat Tocillari team” of the Pentagon, DDS was one of the first efforts of the department to implement the Silicon Valley style in its massive bureaucracy.
Jennifer Hay, the director of the Digital Defense Service, which counts 14 people, would leave until May 1st. Until then, other eleven employees intend to accept the package proposed for resignation by President Donald Trump. And the other two staff members will leave.
“The best way to say it, I think, it is either dying quickly or we die slowly.” said Hay.
The functions of the office will be absorbed by the head of the head of digital and artificial intelligence, of which DDS is a part, said the spokesman of the Pentagon, without commenting on the resignations.
“I thought we would be called”
Jennifer Hay said that her staff was initially expected to be part of Musk's efforts to automate Pentagon's operations and adopt AI.
“The reason why we resisted so much is that we thought we would be called”said the director Digital Defense Service.
This did not happen, the staff of this service being marginalized by Doge, according to the confessions inside.
However, the digital defense service is not the only one who had this fate.
And the US digital service, which helped the government modernize its technology and attract technological talents, has been affected by Doge decisions.
A program called 18F, a technological unit within the GSA, was eliminated by Doge.
In recent years, digital defense service has endeavored to operate at maximum capacity, although it was hit by what employees said they are internal political struggles, freezing, travel restrictions and increasing bureaucracy. A surveillance audit published in May 2024 also found that former DDS directors have granted unauthorized derogations for certain technological tools. But every interviewed employee said he wouldn't have left if he hadn't been Doge, according to Politico.
“I don't really use you”
A former high -ranking official of the Pentagon described, under the protection of anonymity, the Doge intervention in the functioning of the Defense Department as harmful and unproductive.
“I do not really use you, I do not truly lead the efficiency. What they do is destroy everything“, said the former official.
