Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been accused of significantly impairing a key Pentagon tech unit responsible for maintaining secure communication channels with US military assets worldwide, due to its efforts to downsize the federal workforce.
According to a December 2025 contracting memo from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), DOGE's tactics have caused major problems at the IT office. The memo states that the agency was unable to obtain necessary software due to staff cuts and personnel separation plans. This has resulted in an "extreme risk for loss of service" across the Department of Defense.
The unit, known as J6, is crucial to maintaining secure communication channels with US military assets worldwide, including nuclear capabilities. Sharon Woods, then-director of DISA's Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Enterprise Directorate (J6), stated that this was a "mission where failure is not an option." If the system fails, it would cripple the Department of Defense.
DOGE's efforts to downsize the federal workforce have been largely criticized as legally dubious. The agency has used programs such as the Deferred Resignation Program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and Paid Parental Leave to incentivize personnel separation. These measures have resulted in significant staffing shortages at various Pentagon agencies, including DISA.
The impact of DOGE's actions extends beyond the IT office. Stars and Stripes reported that Fort Greely, an intercontinental ballistic missile interception facility in Alaska, was struggling to feed its personnel due to the government's loss of essential civilian positions. Similarly, a recent procurement memo from the US military academy at West Point, New York, stated that the school was facing a potential disruption in food service operations resulting from staff cuts.
At a May 2025 conference hosted by U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command, an official acknowledged that the agency had been cut significantly due to DOGE's efforts. DISA did not respond to a request for comment on this matter.
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy. However, to continue our critical reporting effectively, we need your support.
According to a December 2025 contracting memo from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), DOGE's tactics have caused major problems at the IT office. The memo states that the agency was unable to obtain necessary software due to staff cuts and personnel separation plans. This has resulted in an "extreme risk for loss of service" across the Department of Defense.
The unit, known as J6, is crucial to maintaining secure communication channels with US military assets worldwide, including nuclear capabilities. Sharon Woods, then-director of DISA's Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Enterprise Directorate (J6), stated that this was a "mission where failure is not an option." If the system fails, it would cripple the Department of Defense.
DOGE's efforts to downsize the federal workforce have been largely criticized as legally dubious. The agency has used programs such as the Deferred Resignation Program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and Paid Parental Leave to incentivize personnel separation. These measures have resulted in significant staffing shortages at various Pentagon agencies, including DISA.
The impact of DOGE's actions extends beyond the IT office. Stars and Stripes reported that Fort Greely, an intercontinental ballistic missile interception facility in Alaska, was struggling to feed its personnel due to the government's loss of essential civilian positions. Similarly, a recent procurement memo from the US military academy at West Point, New York, stated that the school was facing a potential disruption in food service operations resulting from staff cuts.
At a May 2025 conference hosted by U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command, an official acknowledged that the agency had been cut significantly due to DOGE's efforts. DISA did not respond to a request for comment on this matter.
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy. However, to continue our critical reporting effectively, we need your support.
Elon Musk's DOGE is messing with the Pentagon's communication systems and it's a huge deal! If they can't get the software they need, it's gonna be a disaster for US military assets worldwide. I mean, nuclear capabilities are not something you wanna mess around with. It's like, Sharon Woods said it herself - "mission where failure is not an option". You gotta have secure communication channels to keep everyone safe.
We need to make sure our government agencies are running smoothly, not struggling because of some cost-cutting measures.
I'm freaking out over this one, guys! Did you know that the US government has already lost 20% of its IT workforce since 2020? 
The Pentagon is already struggling to maintain basic services, let alone nuclear capabilities. We need to pay attention and ask some tough questions about how our government is being run. 
That's just crazy talk! We need to hold our government accountable for making sure these critical systems are in place. It's not too much to ask for a little bit of transparency and fiscal responsibility, right? 
. And it's not just the IT office that's affected, I've heard stories about other places struggling to feed their people and stuff because of these layoffs 
... I don't know what kind of math Elon Musk is using, but from where I'm sitting, this doesn't seem like a good idea at all 
.
and what kinda genius comes up with a plan to downsize a critical tech unit during wartime? 
i'm all for streamlining government services, but do it in a way that doesn't put people at risk, you know? 
. And what's with all these "programs" that are supposed to encourage people to leave their jobs? It sounds like they're basically bribing people away from important work 
.
! Like, the US military can't even get the necessary software for their tech unit J6 due to staff cuts... it's like a recipe for disaster 
. And now they're downplaying it by saying it's just an "extreme risk"... no way, this is a national security issue 
It's one thing to downsize the workforce, but you can't just cut away vital support systems like that. 
I'm all for making efficiency gains, but this feels like a whole different story... have we considered the ripple effects of these cuts? 
And what's with all these fancy programs to get people to quit? 
It sounds like a bunch of bureaucratic red tape 
the fact that staff cuts are affecting food service at military bases in alaska is just crazy, like what kind of budgeting is that? 
. And now people are struggling to even get food at Fort Greely? That's just crazy 
. At the same time, I get why DOGE is trying to downsize - it's all about saving a buck and all that jazz 
.
. Sharon Woods seems a bit dramatic about it all, maybe she's just trying to save her job 
. Anyway, I'm not going to jump to conclusions here...
. without them, the department of defense is gonna be crippled 
. but at the same time, i get why there needs to be cost-cutting measures and all that 
. The Intercept is right, though - we need press freedom to stay vigilant about these kinds of power grabs 
.