It’s official. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is setting its sights on the Pentagon for its next wave of massive layoffs. This follows a trend of cutting thousands of probationary employees across various federal departments, and now it’s the Department of Defense’s turn.
On Tuesday, DOGE staff were seen at the Pentagon, handing out lists of probationary employees with a strict end-of-business-day deadline. These employees are generally in the first one or two years of their positions and have fewer protections, meaning they can be let go without appeal. Expect big cuts to be announced this week.
But while the workforce faces a crackdown, the DOD is up to something more sinister: creating fake social media profiles to manipulate the public.
The Defense Department has been funneling millions into a project designed for large-scale “social deception,” according to government documents. The initiative has raised serious concerns about violating Americans’ rights. The Department of Defense awarded over $9 million to Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS) for creating fraudulent social media accounts. This operation, which began in 2018, could be a massive government overreach into online privacy and free speech.
The $9.1 million contract was funneled through the Air Force and funded by DARPA (the military’s secretive research arm). The goal? Develop networks of fake online profiles that could serve to manipulate the public and conduct psychological operations. You’ve got to ask: who’s the real target here?
What’s even more concerning is that TRSS, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters (a company with known liberal media ties), is running the show. The Air Force’s Human Performance Wing and DARPA are bankrolling these projects, further blurring the line between defense efforts and domestic propaganda.
With so many contracts linked to this social engineering program, the potential for misuse is alarming. If the government can create fake social media accounts to defend against online attacks, how long until they’re using these tools to silence dissent and push their agenda?
The layoffs at the Pentagon might seem like just another round of cost-cutting, but it’s the government’s growing influence over our online lives that should have us all on edge. It’s time to ask: are we really the ones being protected? Or is the government just building a bigger, more powerful machine to control us all?
Sources:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/incoming-doge-poised-strike-defense-department-mass-layoffs