DOGE Kills Key Energy Officials Warns US Missing Key Insights Amid Iran War

About six months before the first US-Israeli attack on Iran, the Trump administration tasked the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), an 80-person team within the State Department with leading international energy diplomacy. The cuts were part of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative led by then-Elon Musk to reduce the federal workforce with the goal of reducing the federal budget.

More than a month into the conflict – with President Donald Trump signaling renewed attacks on Iran in the coming weeks – former ENR officials are warning that DOGE has been stripped of key roles that helped the administration navigate and defuse the conflict’s energy chaos and forecast its impact on global oil markets, as well as the potential consequences of ongoing actions.

fate spoke with two former ENR officials — who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from the department — who are sounding the alarm over the insight and knowledge the federal government is losing as a result of the cuts, especially during a period of widespread oil and energy disruptions.

“It’s amazing how poorly prepared the administration is,” said one former employee. fate. “You’ve eliminated people with expertise and contacts who would be extremely helpful in this regard.”

Created in 2011 by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton under the Obama administration, ENR was intended to navigate the geopolitical complexities of the global energy industry. Composed of diplomats and policy experts, the bureau has developed close relationships with embassies, foreign energy ministries and private sector energy companies. Officials gathered relevant information to brief the Secretary of State and other department officials, as well as engaged with stakeholders such as private energy companies.

In July 2025, ENR effectively ceased to exist, with media outlets reporting the remnants of the bureau being merged into the Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB) Bureau. About 1,300 employees were cut from the State Department by summer 2025. The only ENR employees were those working in critical minerals and renewable energy.

Former officials were particularly perplexed by the cuts given earlier comments by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about wanting to play an important role in global energy.

“We need to be at the table to talk about not just what our role is in energy, but how we help invest or partner with countries that have energy supplies,” Rubio said at a budget hearing last May.

“Nobody knows why they cut us,” said one former ENR employee. “In particular, a key part of the office’s mission was to monitor and engage with major fossil fuel companies and ministries.”

A State Department spokesman confirmed fate That ENR’s capabilities are included in EEB.

“Following this comprehensive restructuring, the department’s energy policy team is performing better than ever,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “EEB is coordinating the release of strategic reserves with allies and partners in response to Iran’s attacks, increasing exploration and production with U.S. companies globally, particularly in Central Asia, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere, including Venezuela, and hosting the Secretary’s historic critical minerals ministerial.

Effects of war

As a result of the US and Israeli attacks and the subsequent Iranian counter-attacks, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which about 20% of the world’s oil flows, has been effectively closed, roiling energy supply chains and driving crude oil prices above $100 per barrel. Gas prices have climbed above $4 a gallon on average, the highest since 2022. The ongoing attacks have shocked global markets, fueling fears of a global oil shock.

Former ENR officials said the bureau’s existence today would not prevent a war, but could provide the private sector and Rubio with key data to inform decisions on energy supply and distribution.

“So many current and former federal government experts have ignored the guidance of this particular administration that waging this war would be unwise and impossible to advance American security and economic interests,” another former staffer said. “But there is a zero percent chance that Secretary Rubio, especially in his very powerful dual role, has not been made aware of these particular events or predictions.”

One former official said one ENR role during a conflict might be to work with the State Department and US embassies to identify vulnerable critical infrastructure in the Gulf region, such as Iran’s South Pars or Qatar’s northern sector, and strategize a way forward if that infrastructure is attacked. Those analyzes revolved around how oil and gas production would be affected, and how supply could be diverted into alternative pipelines to get energy out to global markets.

ENR also entered into contractual agreements with specialized private firms that track shipment data of major oil tankers. Both are ex-employees fate It has close ties to oil companies such as Chevron, BP, and ExxonMobil and, in times of conflict, can help those channels obtain shipping data and determine the amount of oil and natural gas already in tankers on their way to market. During the non-conflict, ENR was one of these companies’ first calls for non-US investment, an official said.

These communications could have reduced the element of surprise for US government officials about energy disruptions and vulnerabilities to Iranian attacks, as well as the consequences of attacks on global oil supplies.

“If nothing else, our energy sector and foreign private sector companies could be better informed [the U.S. government] is considering,” said one official. “And our government could get a lot of information about the concerns of other countries and other companies.”

Long-term effects

These deep institutional connections were broken along with the staff who maintained the relationships, representing what one official called a “continuity of experts,” a loss of access to the State Department. Functional bureaus, such as ENR, became subject-matter experts in long-term government roles that once trained foreign service officers, many of whom are still employed by the agency.

“DOGE cuts have created structural gaps in the state department’s knowledge of all forms of energy and certainly oil and gas,” said a former official.

Top ENR officials had close ties with ministries and private companies who could pick up the phone and call these stakeholders directly. Many existing energy experts stationed in the Gulf had to vacate their embassies, and it was not possible to communicate easily and quickly with decision makers. Many ENR officials were based in Washington, DC, and if the bureau were still around today, could fill some of the gaps in instant communications.

“We could have easily picked up a portion of their work while they were in transit back to the United States as part of a full or partial draw-down of the embassy,” an expert said.

The concerns of former ENR officials go beyond the immediate impact of the conflict in Iran.

In addition to extensive market knowledge of energy in the Middle East, Gulf and North African regions, ENR also worked closely with East Asian counterparts. Without key State Department staff, the picture of how China is making decisions on energy investments is not as complete or accessible as it used to be, a former official said. Low coverage may affect U.S. awareness of Gulf energy flows to China. China imports about 1.3 million barrels per day from Iran, which is 13 percent of total oil imports. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, China could double down on coal investment, or reduce energy consumption due to a shift towards renewable energy.

“There was expertise and institutional capacity that was thrown away,” said one former employee.

If you are a current or former federal employee with a tip, or if you would like to share your experience, please contact Sasha Roselberg at Signal @sashrogel.13.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com