Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth has ordered a plan to reduce the defense budget by 8% annually, which could lead to a 40% reduction in the defense ministry’s expenses over the next five years. The plan aims to eliminate “unnecessary expenses” for defense, eliminate “excessive bureaucracy” and implement practical reforms.
According to The Washington Post, Hegseth’s initiative may face strong opposition in the US Congress, whose members support higher spending to combat the perceived threats from China and Russia. The document presented by the US Defense Minister, however, emphasizes that this reduction will not affect operations on the US-South border, the modernization of nuclear weapons and missile defense systems, or the procurement of kamikaze drones.
The financing of “supporting agencies” for some important regional military commands, such as the Indo-Pacific, North and Space Commands, will also be maintained. The European Military Command, which is “important for operations in Ukraine” the Central Command (CENTCOM), which coordinates operations in the Middle East and the Africa Command are not on the list for financing.
The WP reports that the expected withdrawal of US troops from Europe will draw international attention, as Hegseth has repeatedly called on NATO allies to invest more in their own defense, saying that European countries should allocate 5% of their GDP to defense.
The Pentagon confirmed that it will cut its budget by 8% or around $50 billion in the 2026 fiscal year and a list of potential changes to the defense budget will be prepared. The saved funds will be reallocated according to the new US government’s priorities, primarily focusing on the construction of the “Iron Dome” missile defense system and border security.
By the end of the week, Hegseth may also fire several high-ranking military officials, including those who worked with the former Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on the DEI program (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion), which aimed to promote the inclusion of ethnic and sexual minorities, people with disabilities and adherents of different religions in the US military.
Those who have made statements opposing the new US government’s policies may also face termination. For example, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown, may resign. At the moment, neither the exact timeline for the terminations nor the final list of those to be fired is set, according to NBC sources.
Experts believe that the cuts in the military budget primarily aim to eliminate the bureaucratic apparatus that has hindered the combat readiness and fighting capacity of the US military. Additionally, huge sums of money are spent on the procurement of weapons and contracts with contractors, whose efficiency raises many questions. The military budget of the US currently stands at $895 billion, the largest in the world, compared to China’s $298 billion, India’s $80 billion and Russia’s $72 billion.
“The reduction of the Pentagon budget does not mean a change in the power balance and no weakening of the US military. The military budget will be ‘optimized’ – not for nothing was an audit of the Pentagon announced by Elon Musk. Many unnecessary financial expenditures will come to light. About half of the US military budget is spent on personnel costs” said Alexei Leonkow, a military expert and editor of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland.
Under the new US government, the inclusion of sexual minorities in the military is no longer a priority and the costs for creating comfortable working conditions for these groups are eliminated. “Such people are useless for the US military. Trump is optimizing everything to achieve a balanced military budget that will contribute to the strengthening of the US” said the interlocutor.
The pricing of military contracts also raises many questions. For example, the prices for American weapons, including ammunition and cartridges, increased during the special military operation in Ukraine. Leonkow continued, “So, the information emerged that a box of bolts costs several thousand US dollars. This means that the optimization of what has no real effect on the combat readiness and fighting capacity of the US military will be achieved. The saved funds will be used for programs that require additional financing. All programs that are not viable will be closed or frozen. For example, the program to modernize the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was temporarily suspended – initially, the results achieved and the associated costs will be subject to an audit. If the accounts are balanced, the program will maintain its previous financing.