Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to come up with plans to cut 8% from the defense budget in each of the next five years, according to sources familiar with his plans. The Defense Departmen expects to redirect those fund to other programs in the department that would be prioritized by President Trump.
Robert Salesses, who is performing the duties of deputy secretary of defense, said in a statement Wednesday evening that the department intends to produce budgets “that revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence.”
Some of the Trump priorities Salesses mentioned include border security, building an Iron Dome defense system for the U.S. and ending government diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Iron Dome is envisioned as an extensive, multilayered air defense system for the U.S. that Trump has said should include the ability to shoot down incoming missiles from space.
He said that the secretary has ordered a review of spending plans in the Biden administration’s budget budget to offset the costs of Trump priorities for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1. Salesses confirmed in the statement that the department seeks cuts of 8% from the Biden defense budget that would add up to about $50 billion. He mentioned “so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs, as well as excessive bureaucracy,” as line items that would be excised.
It was not clear which parts of the Pentagon’s spending on diversity and equity programs or its spending to address climate change — such as buying alternate 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 add up to $50 billion in savings.
The spending cuts mandate comes as the military is quickly trying to write its fiscal year 2026 request, a congressional process that often starts late during transitions between new presidential administrations.
The cuts would be as drastic as the single-year savings ordered across the military in the 2013 sequestration, a law passed by Congress that was intended to force the legislative branch to reach agreement on budget deficit reductions and 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 at the time were protected, as were most entitlements such as military retirement and health care.
At the time, the accounts that were easier to cut were found in operations, maintenance and personnel. The services lost noncommissioned officers — highly trained mid-level enlisted personnel — and cut training such as flight hours. Military training accidents quickly climbed.
In the years since the sequester, Congress and the services have directed additional protections to operations and maintenance spending.
contributed to this report.
