That's insane. Much of DoD has been stuffing buildings to overflowing with people. Many buildings were consolidated during COVID with the expectation the future would always be hybrid in office/telework, never full time in office again. So, the capacity of DoD went down overall, leaving many today unable to return because there's no desk to return to. Until available space is negotiated for leases outside of military bases, many have no choice but continue to telework. However, those numbers are magnitudes lower than they were and traffic patters around bases prove that there has been an exponential rise in the number of people heading to work every day.

For those departments ignoring the president's orders, good luck. You're paid to do what is expected and to serve the public interest. That interest has shifted and now requires in person attendance. If a department has space, it's expected to be filled to capacity with people. Refusing is like resigning.