The Department of Defense (DOD) instructed its civilian employees to ignore a request from Elon Musk, head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to report their productivity.

Musk, a key advisor to President Donald Trump, had demanded that federal employees submit a brief summary of their accomplishments from the previous week, with a warning that failure to comply would be treated as a resignation.

Multiple mainstream outlets reported the Pentagon’s pushback, which underscores growing tensions between Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda and established government protocols.

According to Fox News, the DOD explicitly told its civilian workforce to “pause responses” to an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) titled “What did you do last week?”

In a letter to employees, Darin S. Selnick, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, emphasized that the DOD would handle performance reviews internally, stating,

“The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures.”

This directive came after Musk posted on X that federal employees had until 11:59 p.m. on Monday to respond or face dismissal.

Newsweek reported that the Pentagon’s instruction was formalized in a statement shared on X, where Selnick reiterated that any coordinated response to Musk’s request would be managed by the department if deemed necessary.

The outlet highlighted Musk’s role in DOGE, noting his recent efforts to slash federal jobs, including plans to fire thousands of workers across various agencies.

The Pentagon’s decision to intervene reflects a broader resistance to what some see as an overreach by Musk, who lacks an official government position beyond his advisory capacity.

The Washington Post provided additional context, noting that the OPM email, sent on Saturday evening, sparked confusion among federal workers, including those at the DOD.

One defense official, speaking anonymously, told the outlet that managers were still “considering guidance” in response to Musk’s directive, with some employees reacting with exasperation.

The article cited Musk’s follow-up post on X, where he downplayed the task’s difficulty, saying, “An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write.”

Reuters framed the incident within the larger scope of Musk and Trump’s rapid workforce reduction efforts, which have already led to over 20,000 federal layoffs.

The outlet reported that the DOD’s civilian workforce, numbering approximately 950,000, could face a 5% to 8% reduction under a proposed hiring freeze and planned cuts.

Critics, including labor unions, have called Musk’s approach “chaotic and haphazard,” with the productivity email seen as the latest example of his blunt-force tactics.

CNN also covered the story, quoting a Pentagon official who dismissed Musk’s request as “the silliest thing I’ve seen in 40 years.”

The network noted that other agencies, such as the FBI under Director Kash Patel, similarly instructed employees to disregard the OPM email, signaling a broader pushback within the federal government.

This resistance comes amid legal and ethical questions about Musk’s authority, with The Independent reporting that a White House filing claims he has no formal governmental role.

The episode highlights a clash between Musk’s private-sector mindset and the entrenched procedures of federal agencies.

As The Guardian reported, Musk’s DOGE team met with Pentagon staff earlier in February to discuss efficiency measures, but the latest directive suggests limits to his influence over the DOD.

Meanwhile, Trump has publicly backed Musk, telling Fox News that he expects the billionaire to uncover “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse” at the Pentagon.

As of now, the DOD’s civilian employees are instructed to hold off on responding to Musk’s request, leaving the next steps uncertain.

The incident, widely covered by outlets like Fox News, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Reuters, CNN, The Independent, and The Guardian, illustrates the challenges of implementing Musk’s vision within the complex bureaucracy of the U.S. government.

Whether this standoff will escalate or resolve remains to be seen as Trump’s administration navigates its ambitious downsizing goals.