Two DOGE employees received accounts on classified networks holding US nuclear secrets

Two members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team have gained access to closed networks containing top-secret information about the US nuclear arsenal, NPR reports, citing anonymous sources.

The team members are Luke Farriot, a 23-year-old former SpaceX intern, and Adam Ramada, a venture capitalist from Miami. They had accounts on the computer systems for at least two weeks. However, they had no prior experience working with nuclear weapons or classified information.

A representative of the US Department of Energy denied that Farriot or Ramada had access to classified networks. According to an official statement, no DOGE employee received access to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) systems. The ministry clarified that members of Elon Musk's team only worked with the agency for a short time and returned to work at DOGE in February 2025.

A little later, in a second statement, the representative clarified that both members of the DOGE team did have accounts, but never used them. The ministry representative says that they were able to confirm internally that these accounts were never activated.

Two anonymous sources claim to have personally seen Ramada and Farriot's accounts in directories of closed networks, which are accessible to thousands of workers involved in the development of nuclear weapons at facilities and laboratories throughout the United States. It is noted that access to these networks is possible only through a special terminal in a protected room designated for working with classified information.

At the same time, the mere presence of DOGE employees on secure networks does not guarantee access to classified data, as such information is strictly controlled. These networks are used by the National Nuclear Security Administration under the Department of Energy, which is responsible for the US nuclear arsenal, as well as the Department of Defense.

The first network is the "NNSA Secure Corporate Network," used to transmit detailed "restricted data" about U.S. nuclear weapons design and special nuclear materials. The second network, the "Secret Internet Protocol Router Network" (SIPRNet), is used by the Department of Defense to communicate with the Department of Energy regarding nuclear weapons.

Incidentally, there have been previous reports that DOGE employees, including Farriot, attempted to access classified computer systems. However, Energy Secretary Chris Wright denied that they were given access to any networks, stressing that they did not have access to classified information.