Hegseth Puts DOD Workers on Notice, Show Your Work Or Face Further Review [WATCH]

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has instructed the Department of Defense’s (DOD) civilian workforce to comply with the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) request for productivity reports, reversing an earlier directive that told employees to ignore the email.

The directive, initiated under Elon Musk’s leadership at DOGE, requires civilian employees to list five accomplishments from the previous week.

On Sunday, Hegseth released a video explaining the change in policy.

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“Our civilian patriots who dedicate themselves to defending this nation working for the Department of Defense are critical to our national security,” Hegseth stated.

“As we work to restore focus on DOD’s core warfighting mission under President Trump’s leadership, we recognize that we cannot accomplish that mission without the strong and important contributions of our civilian workforce.”

Elon Musk, who was appointed to oversee DOGE’s efficiency initiatives, acknowledged Hegseth’s video by sharing it on X.

He responded with “Much appreciated @SecDef Hegseth!” followed by a saluting emoji and an American flag emoji.

Much appreciated @SecDef Hegseth!

pic.twitter.com/Ll3ctnoLlx

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2025

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Hegseth formalized the directive in a memorandum issued on Friday, instructing all DOD civilian employees to respond to an upcoming email expected on Monday.

The email, sent from the DOD, will request employees to submit five bullet points detailing their achievements.

Employees have been directed to reply within 48 hours, including their supervisors in the response.

Hegseth clarified that these responses will be collected within the department to meet the requirements issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

This comes after OPM sent a similar request last weekend, which was initially met with resistance. The DOD’s Office of Personnel and Readiness had previously advised civilian employees to disregard the email.

However, after further coordination with OPM, the DOD is now requiring compliance with the directive.

“The Department of Defense initially paused this directive … but now requires all DOD civilian employees to submit five bullets on their previous week’s achievements,” Hegseth wrote in his memorandum.

Hegseth assured employees that the directive applies to all civilian personnel but emphasized that responses should not contain any sensitive or classified information.

He also noted that failure to comply may result in further review.

Monday’s email will serve as the official notification for employees to submit their reports, marking a shift in DOD’s approach to the productivity review process under DOGE’s oversight.

The initiative aligns with broader efforts by the Trump administration to streamline government operations and improve efficiency within federal agencies.

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