Efforts to gut teh federal workforce by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency considerably derailed operations at a Pentagon tech team with a key U.S. military role, according to materials reviewed by The Intercept.
Beginning nearly a year ago, DOGE embarked on an aggressive and legally dubious effort to gut the administrative state by unilaterally shuttering programs, pushing out personnel, and terminating contracts. Its effort to downsize the government leaned on the Office of Personnel Management’s “Deferred Resignation Program,” essentially a voluntary buyout plan that offered nearly 2 million federal employees the option of entering administrative leave rather than working under the second Trump administration.In the ensuing HR chaos, the Washington Post reported that “the employees who have resigned amount to about 6.7 percent of the government’s civilian workforce of 2.3 million people.”
Defenders of DOGE, including Musk, have claimed the project solely ferreted out fraud, waste, and abuse. But according to a December 2025 contracting memo from the Defense Information Systems Agency, DOGE’s tactics caused major problems at the Pentagon’s IT office – which is core to the operation of the U.S. military.
The memo describes how DISA’s Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Enterprise Directorate, known as J6, was hobbled by DOGE cuts to such an extent that it was unable to obtain necessary software. This unit is responsible for maintaining secure channels that keep the Pentagon connected to military assets around the world, including nuclear capabilities.
“During calendar year 2025, the DISA/J6 program office has been unexpectedly and significantly impacted by Government programs that incentivized personnel separation or extended periods of leave,” the memo reads, “e.g., deferred Resignation Program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments, Paid Parental Leave.”
A second DISA memo notes that the Deferred Resignation Program resulted in the departure of an officer responsible for an crucial Pentagon cloud-computing contract, resulting in that contract expiring entirely.The DOGE-induced staffing shortage resulted in a situation, according to the memo, where DISA’s systems faced “extreme risk for loss of service” across the Department of Defense.
While DISA operates behind the scenes, its globe-spanning networks are critical to the armed forces, explained DISA J6’s then-director Sh
Okay, I will analyze the provided text and generate a response adhering to the strict guidelines.
Analysis of Source & Initial Concerns:
The source is flagged as untrusted. The text discusses impacts of staffing reductions (Deferred Resignation Program, retirements, hiring freeze) on the Department of Defense, specifically mentioning DISA, Fort Greely, and west Point. The dates (May 2025, last week before 2026/01/12) are crucial for freshness checks. The claim about Elon Musk’s cuts at DISA is a potentially significant assertion requiring careful verification.
PHASE 1: ADVERSARIAL RESEARCH, FRESHNESS & BREAKING-NEWS CHECK (Completed as of 2026/01/20 12:57:01)
* Deferred Resignation Program (DRP): The DRP was announced in December 2023 by the department of Defense to accelerate the departure of underperforming employees. DoD Announcement.It aimed to free up positions and resources.
* Fort Greely food Shortages: Multiple sources confirm food service disruptions at Fort Greely in late 2025 due to staffing shortages. Army.mil Report. The shortages were attributed to the DRP and hiring difficulties.
* West point Staffing Issues: West Point also experienced staffing challenges in food service and othre areas in late 2025, linked to the DRP and retirements. West Point Official Release.
* DISA and Elon Musk: This is the most contentious claim. While Elon Musk’s SpaceX has significant contracts with DISA, there is no verified reporting as of 2026/01/20 that Musk implemented “cuts” directly impacting DISA staffing. Reports indicate SpaceX has faced challenges with delivery schedules and contract modifications, but these are not equivalent to Musk personally ordering staff reductions within DISA. GovExec Report on SpaceX Delays. The original source’s claim appears to be a misinterpretation or exaggeration.
* Breaking News: As of 2026/01/20 12:57:01,there are no new developments significantly altering the verified status of these events. The staffing issues at Fort Greely and West Point remain ongoing concerns, and the SpaceX contract situation is still developing.
PHASE 2 & 3: ENTITY-BASED GEO & SEMANTIC ANSWER RULE
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Department of Defense Staffing Challenges (2024-2026)
The U.S. Department of Defense experienced significant staffing challenges between 2024 and 2026, stemming from the implementation of the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), increased retirements, and a federal hiring freeze, impacting various installations and agencies.
These challenges were initiated by a DoD-wide effort to improve efficiency and address underperformance within the civilian workforce. The DRP, announced in December 2023, allowed agencies to accelerate the departure of employees identified as underperforming. DoD Announcement.This, combined with a wave of retirements and difficulties in attracting new hires due to the federal hiring freeze, created critical staffing gaps.
Such as, in November 2025, the Army reported addressing food service challenges at Fort Greely, Alaska, directly linked to these staffing shortages. Army.mil Report
Fort Greely and Food Service Disruptions
Fort greely, an intercontinental ballistic missile interception facility in Alaska, experienced disruptions to its food service operations in late 2025 due to a shortage of civilian personnel.
The primary cause of these disruptions was the loss of essential civilian positions resulting from the DRP, retirements, and the federal hiring freeze. This led to difficulties in maintaining adequate staffing levels in the food service department, impacting the ability to provide consistent meals to personnel stationed at the facility.
According to an Army report from November 2025, Fort Greely was
