The Defense Digital Service (DDS), one of the Pentagon's most innovative tech teams, is on the brink of dissolution with the entire team tendering resignations en masse, leading to the imminent shutdown of the unit by the end of April. This decision comes in the wake of increasing pressure from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a newly established federal agency that began operations in 2025.
The DDS, a brainchild of 2015, was conceived with the primary objective of providing swift technological solutions during national security crises. The unit has been instrumental in developing tools for the military during the Afghanistan exit, assisting with aid efforts in Ukraine, and contributing to the development of drone detection systems.
DOGE was initially proposed as an executive initiative aimed at eliminating government waste, under Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, as its Key Advisor. But Musk has been pushing for AI-powered decision-making and the eradication of traditional bureaucratic layers.
Future of DDS
Since February, DOGE has been systematically dismantling and restructuring numerous federal agencies, with DDS being the latest casualty. Jennifer Hay, the leader of the 14-person DDS team, along with eleven other members, will be leaving by May 1 under a deferred-resignation program from the Trump era. The remaining two members of the team will also be departing.
The Pentagon has refrained from commenting on these resignations. However, a spokesperson has confirmed that the responsibilities of the DDS will be transferred to the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, which oversees the unit. Hay and her team had hoped to be included in DOGE's future tech projects. We believed we were going to be called, she said. That's why we stuck around. However, interviews reveal that they were largely sidelined.
The DDS, once hailed as the Pentagon's SWAT team of nerds, was tasked with translating Silicon Valley-style innovation into military operations. With its dissolution, initiatives to bolster the tech talent pipeline and combat drone threats are likely to be abandoned.
Criticism
The U.S. Digital Service has been absorbed into DOGE, and another tech unit, 18F, which is part of the General Services Administration, has also been declared defunct.
An audit in 2024 revealed that former DDS leaders had granted unearned tech waivers. Some have told media outlets that they would not have left if DOGE had not taken over. Hay encapsulated the sentiment of the office: "The best way to describe it, I think, is we die fast or we die slow."
A former senior Pentagon official, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, criticized DOGE's actions. "They're not really using AI. They're not driving efficiency," the person said. "They're breaking everything."
