'We either die fast or die slowly': Reports that the Defense Digital Service of the Pentagon will effectively shut down and all employees will resign under DOGE pressure
Under pressure from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), almost all staff at the Department of Defense's technology development arm, the
Pentagon's 'SWAT team of nerds' resigns en masse - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/15/pentagons-digital-resignations-00290930
Entire Pentagon defense tech unit to leave by May
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5250654-pentagon-defense-tech-unit-resigns/
Pentagon Geek Squad Resigns En Masse After Rival DOGE Nerds Streamline Them Into Obsolescence |
https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2025/04/15/pentagon-geek-squad-resigns-en-masse-after-rival-doge-nerds-streamline-them-into-obsolescence/
According to the Defense Digital Service's official website, the division is part of the Department of Defense's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Directorate and works to address the department's top digital challenges. It has worked to partner on counter-unmanned aerial systems development and improve security through a bug bounty program.
Founded in 2015, the department, once known as the 'nerd SWAT team,' has 12 of its 14 current employees, including Director Jennifer Hay, who plans to retire by May 1, 2025. The remaining two are also expected to leave their jobs in the near future.
American news media Politico reported this move as 'pressure from DOGE.' Politico heard from Hay that staff initially expected to be part of Musk's efforts to 'automate work and introduce AI,' but were ultimately excluded from the effort, which led to mass exodus.
'Without this division, the Pentagon's tech pipeline would be crippled and some important counter-drone efforts would be stalled,' one employee told Politico.
Musk has set a goal of eliminating waste in the U.S. government and is working to streamline and eliminate government-related organizations.
In line with this trend, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced that the Department of Defense will terminate contracts with several private technology contractors, citing a 'result in reducing wasteful spending and freeing up resources spent on outside consultants for highly skilled Department of Defense personnel.'
Politico reported that 'The Defense Digital Service has struggled to stay operational in recent years amid political infighting, hiring freezes and travel restrictions, and a watchdog audit released in May 2024 found that the department's former director had granted unauthorized exemptions for certain technology tools,' suggesting that the Defense Digital Service was anything but clean.
'The best way to describe this DOGE reform situation is that we're either dying fast or dying slowly,' Hay told Politico.
A Pentagon spokesman would not comment on the departures but said the department's functions would be absorbed into the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office.
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