The Pentagon is telling staffers to disregard an order instigated by DOGE chief Elon Musk to document their accomplishments for the week or face termination.

On Sunday, Acting Undersecretary of Defense Darin S. Selnick posted a message on the Pentagon’s X page addressed to workers who may have received the directive from the Office of Personnel Management.

“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,” Mr. Selnick wrote. “When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from O.P.M.”

The statement from the Defense Department is similar to the one new FBI Director Kash Patel issued to his own personnel.

“The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” Mr. Patel wrote. “When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any response.”

President Trump assigned Mr. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency the task of slashing the size of what he calls a bloated federal government filled with unnecessary bureaucrats.

On Saturday, Mr. Musk posted an X message telling federal employees that they would soon receive an email requesting to know what they had accomplished over the past week. He said the order was consistent with Mr. Trump’s instructions.

“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Mr. Musk wrote.

With the latest statement from the Pentagon, it appears some departments in the Trump administration are now telling Mr. Musk to stay in his own lane.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.