WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the military services to identify $50 billion in programs that could be reduced next year in order to redirect the savings to President Donald Trump’s priorities.
Hegseth has pledged to redirect Pentagon funds to more directly support warfighters. In a statement issued late Wednesday, Robert Salesses, the deputy secretary of defense, stated that “the time for preparation is over” and that “excessive bureaucracy” and programs addressing climate change, as well as “other woke programs” such as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, will be targeted.
“To achieve our mandate from President Trump, we are guided by his priorities including securing our borders, building the Iron Dome for America, and ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing,” Mr. Salesses said.
Iron Dome is envisioned as a comprehensive, multilayered air defense system for the United States, which Trump has stated should include the ability to shoot down incoming missiles from space.
The roughly $50 billion would account for about 8% of the military’s budget. It was unclear which aspects of the Pentagon’s spending on diversity and equity programs, as well as its spending on climate change — such as purchasing alternative fuels for aircraft or making bases more resistant to the effects of extreme weather, such as the 2018 hurricane that caused significant damage to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida — would be targeted or could result in savings of up to $50 billion.
The spending cuts mandate comes as the military works quickly to develop its fiscal year 2026 request, a congressional process that frequently begins late during transitions between new presidential administrations.
Hegseth has asked the Pentagon to find offsets — programs that can be cut to increase spending elsewhere — for fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1.
The cuts would be as severe as the single-year ordered savings across the military in the 2013 sequestration, a law passed by Congress that was supposed to force the legislative branch to agree on budget deficit reductions but instead forced the services to cut $56 billion in a matter of months.
Because of the way the military budget is structured, long-term, high-dollar procurement programs were safeguarded, as were most entitlements such as military retirement and health care.
At the time, the easiest accounts to cut were those in operations, maintenance, and personnel. The services lost noncommissioned officers, or highly trained mid-level enlisted personnel, and reduced training, such as flight hours. Military training accidents quickly increased.
In the years since the sequester, Congress and the services have directed additional safeguards for operations and maintenance spending.
