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Elon Musk’s DOGE Could Be on a Path to Failure

Elon Musk interviewed by Chris Anderson at TED2017 - The Future You, April 24-28, 2017, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Photo: Marla Aufmuth / TED
Elon Musk interviewed by Chris Anderson at TED2017 - The Future You, April 24-28, 2017, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Photo: Marla Aufmuth / TED

When given an order in the Navy, I demonstrated my understanding by repeating it back to my superior. This fundamental command-and-control principle ensures that directives are correctly understood and executed as intended.

Over the past two weeks, it has become evident that Elon Musk and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have failed this basic test. A clear misalignment exists between the department’s official mandate and Musk’s publicly stated objectives and statements highlighting DOGE’s activities.

This disconnect not only suggests a misunderstanding of DOGE’s mission but also casts doubt on the feasibility of his ambitious fiscal goals.

The Executive Order vs. Musk’s Fiscal Goals

President Trump’s Executive Order establishing DOGE explicitly defines its purpose:

“To implement the President’s DOGE Agenda by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

Nowhere in the order is there a directive to cut federal spending. Yet, Musk has publicly declared a goal of cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget, a figure he later halved after admitting such savings were unlikely.

Even at $1 trillion, this objective remains unrealistic and beyond the scope of DOGE’s intended function. 

DOGE’s Public Messaging: A Lack of Clarity and Direction

Seeking clarity on DOGE’s official website (www.doge.gov) proves futile, as the site remains essentially blank as of January 31, 2025, providing no substantive information to the public. Meanwhile, a review of statements from Musk and the official DOGE account on X suggests a focus on aggressive budget cuts and broad governmental reforms rather than technological modernization.

Musk has proposed eliminating the penny and reducing the federal workforce, while the DOGE account has promoted initiatives such as canceling DEIA contracts and terminating federal office leases. While these actions may align with President Trump’s broader fiscal agenda, they fall outside DOGE’s actual mandate. Rather than focusing on modernizing federal IT and software, DOGE appears preoccupied with political and budgetary objectives unrelated to its core mission.

Recent reports that the Treasury Department granted DOGE direct access to its payment systems further reinforce concerns that the department is exceeding its intended scope, prioritizing fiscal interventions over technology modernization.

The $2 Trillion Savings Target: Mathematically Impossible

The math behind Musk’s proposed cuts exposes the impossibility of achieving his savings target. In FY2024, the federal government allocated $95 billion for 6,700 IT investments across 26 agencies. The Department of Defense planned an additional $37 billion for unclassified national security systems, classified IT, and cyberspace operations. Even factoring in the DoD’s $64 billion request for FY2025, total federal IT expenditures—classified and unclassified—remain only a fraction of Musk’s proposed budget reductions.

Still, if all IT spending were eliminated, it wouldn’t come close to his $1 trillion goal, let alone $2 trillion. These unrealistic targets reinforce the misalignment between Musk’s objectives and DOGE’s actual mandate.

A Path Forward: Structured Process Improvement & Goal Setting

As reflected in its recent X posts, DOGE’s current efforts appear unfocused, politically motivated, and lacking a structured plan. Without concrete strategies for modernizing federal technology and software, Musk risks leading DOGE into inefficiency and ineffectiveness—ironically, the very problems it was created to fix.

Musk should apply proven process improvement methodologies used in private and government sectors, such as Lean, Six Sigma, or Agile, to deliver real improvements. Rather than blindly pursuing arbitrary budget cuts, these structured frameworks would allow DOGE to systematically identify inefficiencies, streamline operations, and enhance government productivity.

Additionally, DOGE’s objectives should be clearly defined using structured goal-setting methodologies. Frameworks such as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) or FAST (Frequently discussed, Ambitious, Specific, Transparent) would prevent the department from setting unrealistic or vague targets.

Regardless of the chosen framework, the country would be best served if DOGE establishes measurable and achievable goals for public accountability and continuous progress tracking.

Elon Musk enters Twitter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Elon Musk enters Twitter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Musk’s Leadership: The Risk of Failure

Elon Musk’s leadership of DOGE reflects a profound misinterpretation of his assigned task. Before making further public proclamations of success, he should take the time to read the Executive Order, understand its actual mandate, and develop a clearly defined strategic plan.

In theory, his experience leading technology companies makes his appointment logical. However, without a structured process, a focused mission, and achievable objectives, he risks turning DOGE into an ineffective political sideshow rather than a functional government initiative.

If Musk fails to provide a plan and continues prioritizing objectives beyond DOGE’s scope, he will not reduce inefficiencies—he will perpetuate them.

About the Author: Dave Petri

Dave Petri is a retired Navy Commander and Business Consultant from Mount Airy, NC. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and two master’s degrees in management.

Written By

Dave Petri is a retired Navy Commander and Business Consultant from Mount Airy, NC. He has a bachelor's degree in engineering and two master's degrees in management.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. GN0515

    February 3, 2025 at 8:59 pm

    The MAGA majority will never be able to dictate terms to the Swamp – and thus make America great again – unless it first disarms the Army of bureaucrats and the donors who defend and profit from the Swamp.

    Take their shields. Take their swords. Take their gold. And by exposing the truth of their self-dealing, take away their inflated status, their aristocratic spirit, and the psychological hold they have over millions of Americans who naively believe that Washington is looking out for them rather than for itself.

    Only then can you impose terms on the Swamp, terms that the MAGA majority voted for.

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