Defense Department Discontinues Mandatory Submission of DOGE's Weekly Production Reports
Defense Department civilian employees are now exempt from submitting weekly accomplishment summaries previously mandated by DOGE.
The Defense Department has announced it will no longer require its civilian staff to submit a weekly bullet-point list of their accomplishments, ending a policy that had drawn criticism from federal workers and unions. The directive, known as the “five bullet exercise,” was first implemented in February under an initiative from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency focused on eliminating waste across the federal government.
Jay Hurst, who is currently fulfilling the duties of Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, communicated the change in an email to the Pentagon’s civilian workforce. Instead of weekly accomplishment lists, employees are now being asked to submit at least one suggestion for improving efficiency or reducing waste by Wednesday each week.
Other federal agencies have begun rolling back similar reporting requirements. The National Institutes of Health abandoned its weekly reporting system last month, following mounting concerns over employee morale and the practical use of the submitted information.
The original policy had directed federal workers to justify their employment by emailing five specific items they had completed each week. This measure was part of a broader effort led by billionaire Elon Musk and DOGE, which Musk has chaired, to streamline government operations and cut unnecessary spending. Musk, who announced plans to reduce his involvement with DOGE and refocus on his private ventures such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X, stated in February that all federal employees would be required to contribute weekly reports to the Office of Personnel Management and their direct managers.
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X. He also warned, “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Some federal entities, including the Defense Department, State Department, and FBI, initially delayed or halted implementation of the exercise, pending further clarification. Soon after, the Office of Personnel Management clarified that submitting the weekly reports was voluntary, not mandatory—a stance confirmed in internal communications reported by The Washington Post. Officials also noted that there were no immediate plans to act on the emails or their contents.
Despite this, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum on February 28 directing Pentagon civilian employees to participate in the weekly reporting process as originally requested by DOGE.
The latest changes signal a shift in the federal approach to employee oversight and efficiency, raising questions about the balance between accountability and workplace trust. Federal workers and their representatives have welcomed the move, arguing that it allows for more meaningful contributions to government operations beyond rote reporting.
