Defense Department halts Musk-backed weekly productivity reports, shifting focus to innovation ideas.

Defense Department Withdraws from DOGE Reporting Mandate

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that civilian employees will no longer be required to submit weekly bulleted summaries of their work, ending a short-lived initiative aimed at monitoring productivity through a program promoted by DOGE and its former leader Elon Musk.

In a department-wide email, Jay Hurst, currently serving as acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, informed Pentagon staff that the “five bullet exercise” would be discontinued. In its place, employees are now expected to submit at least one actionable idea per week aimed at increasing efficiency or identifying waste within the department. Submissions are due each Wednesday.

The weekly reporting initiative was originally launched in February under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which had required federal workers to provide weekly updates justifying their roles through a concise list of completed tasks. The policy was intended to root out redundancy and improve performance across government agencies.

Elon Musk, who previously spearheaded DOGE, announced on February 22 that all federal employees would be expected to submit these reports both to their direct supervisors and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on the social platform X. He added, “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Mixed Reactions and Policy Reversal

Initially, several major agencies — including the Defense Department, the State Department, and the FBI — instructed their employees to hold off on sending the reports. Days later, OPM clarified in a communication to HR officials across federal departments that the reports were voluntary and that no formal action would be taken based on submissions or lack thereof.

However, on February 28, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum requiring all Pentagon civilian personnel to comply with DOGE’s weekly email mandate. The decision aligned the Defense Department with DOGE’s original expectations, despite OPM’s clarification that the practice was not enforceable.

Since then, attitudes toward the initiative have continued to shift. Other agencies have followed the Defense Department’s lead in discontinuing the weekly reporting requirement. Notably, the National Institutes of Health ceased the practice last month. The transition reflects growing concerns about the program’s effectiveness, logistical burden, and unclear impact on actual performance.

Elon Musk has since stepped back from his role at DOGE, redirecting his attention to his business ventures including Tesla, SpaceX, and platform X. His departure from direct involvement has further diminished institutional momentum behind the weekly reporting model.

Going forward, the Defense Department’s emphasis will be on proactive problem-solving and internal innovation. The agency’s shift away from weekly task reporting toward strategic idea submission suggests a broader trend among federal institutions: seeking reform through engagement rather than compliance.