Pentagon Ordered to Brace for Deep Budget Cuts Despite Push for Increased Spending

[Social Media]

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the military to prepare for substantial budget reductions over the next five years, exempting only border security from the cuts, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

 

Dated Tuesday, the memo instructs military leaders to draft proposals for an eight percent reduction in budgetary allocations annually for the next five years. The directive targets the Pentagon’s nearly $850 billion budget, with detailed proposals due by February 24—less than a week after the memo’s issuance.

 

This order was given just a day before President Donald Trump endorsed the House’s budget plan, which includes a $100 billion increase in defense spending, highlighting a potential divide within the administration. Only a week earlier, Hegseth himself advocated for boosting the defense budget. Speaking in Stuttgart, Germany, he remarked, “I think the US needs to spend more than the Biden administration was willing to, who historically underinvested in the capabilities of our military.”

 

“I ask that the Military Departments and DoD Components resource the capabilities and readiness necessary for a wartime tempo and offset those requirements with low-impact items, such as wasteful DEI and climate change programs,” Hegseth stated in the memo. Labeled as CUI—controlled unclassified information—the memo was sent to senior Pentagon officials, combatant command leaders, and defense agencies.

 

The timing of the memo coincides with a broader initiative led by Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at reducing federal expenditures and significantly downsizing the government workforce.

 

“The Department of Defense is conducting this review to ensure we are making the best use of the taxpayers’ dollars in a way that delivers on President Trump’s defense priorities efficiently and effectively,” said Pentagon spokesman Robert Salesses.

 

However, concerns are mounting within the defense community. Some officials involved in drafting lists of civilian Pentagon employees slated for termination as early as this week worry that mass firings could violate legal protections and undermine military readiness.

 

The proposed reductions, which would slash tens of billions from the Pentagon’s budget in the first year alone, represent the most significant cut to the Defense Department since the 2013 sequestration. The plan is likely to face strong opposition from Congressional Republicans, many of whom have criticized the Biden administration for insufficient increases in defense spending. Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has pushed for a gradual increase in defense spending beyond $1 trillion annually.

 

These cuts also come at a time when Trump is urging NATO allies to boost their defense spending to five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), a dramatic increase for nearly all NATO member states. If the United States were to follow suit, its military budget would surpass $1.2 trillion.

 

Based on a report by CNNN  2025-02-21

 

 

 

[andersonat]

9 hours ago, Social Media said:

The plan is likely to face strong opposition from Congressional Republicans, many of whom have criticized the Biden administration for insufficient increases in defense spending. Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has pushed for a gradual increase in defense spending beyond $1 trillion annually.

 

The Congressional Republicans aren't going to say/oppose anything, and Senator Roger Wicker isn't going to say anything. 

  --  They *know* that they're working for DTrump nowadays. 

 

[Watawattana]

This isn't a big surprise.  No way I can balance these figures as I have no access to facts (obviously), but if the military is spending a lot on DEI, over-priced contracts and supporting Europe then cutting this may go some way to meeting Hegseth's target.  There might also be too many Generals, layers of bureaucracy, bases in countries/regions that no longer need them and many other places other than Europe where the US is spending military money when they maybe shouldn't be.