DOGE's Real Challenge in the Pentagon Isn't Slashing the Workforce, It's Boosting Productivity : War on the Rocks , March 25 , 2025
March 25, 2025
War on the Rocks
DOGE's Real Challenge in the Pentagon Isn't Slashing the Workforce, It's Boosting Productivity : War on the Rocks , March 25 , 2025
March 25, 2025
War on the Rocks
From the document: "When I served at U.S. Air Forces Europe, a daily 15-minute briefing took 43 hours of staff work. This wasn’t an outlier — it was the norm. With the largest discretionary spending item in the federal budget and massive inefficiencies, the Defense Department might seem an obvious target for the Department of Government Efficiency — known as DOGE. With roughly 2.8 million personnel, the Department of Defense spends $299 billion on personnel costs, with billions more allocated towards contractors performing similar jobs. Manpower alone accounts for one-third of the defense budget.
Although DOGE has focused largely on sweeping budget cuts, its core purpose is to modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. Despite the Department of Defense’s focus on combat efficiency, rarely is there a meaningful push to improve productivity. DOGE could address this gap and strengthen military readiness by automating administrative tasks, streamlining bureaucratic processes, and modernizing information technology systems."
Authors - Schuh, ErikSubjects
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