CNN —
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the military to get ready for significant budget cuts over the next five years, with the exception being border security. This request was detailed in a memo that was recently acquired by CNN.
The memo, sent out on Tuesday, asks military leaders to come up with a plan for an eight percent budget cut each year for the next five years. These proposals relate to a Pentagon budget of about $850 billion, and they are due by February 24, just a week after Hegseth’s memo.
This memo was released right before President Donald Trump backed a budget plan from the House that actually calls for a $100 billion increase in defense spending. This situation highlights a disconnect within the administration, especially since Hegseth had just argued for more defense funding a week prior. While visiting Stuttgart, Germany, he stated that he believed the U.S. should invest more in the military than the Biden administration did.
In his memo, Hegseth urged the military departments to prioritize wartime readiness while looking for low-impact areas for cuts, such as programs focused on diversity and climate change. He clearly instructed senior Pentagon leaders and combat commanders to keep efficiency in mind.
Meanwhile, former President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are driving efforts to shrink the federal government, which includes cutting spending and laying off many workers.
The Washington Post first reported on this memo. Pentagon spokesman Robert Salesses remarked that the Department of Defense is reviewing its budget to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively align with Trump’s defense priorities.
However, some defense officials are worried about potential layoffs of Pentagon employees. They fear these summary firings might break the law and hurt military readiness.
If implemented, the proposed cuts would mean tens of billions in reductions in the first year, marking the largest budget cut for the Defense Department since the 2013 sequestration.
These cuts are likely to face backlash from Congressional Republicans, many of whom want to increase defense spending. Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has suggested that defense spending should gradually rise to over $1 trillion a year.
Additionally, Trump is urging NATO allies to ramp up their defense spending to five percent of their GDP, which would lead to a substantial increase in spending for nearly all NATO countries. For context, if the U.S. spent five percent of its budget on defense, it would bring the military budget to over $1.2 trillion.
