Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has instructed military branches to identify $50 billion in programs that might be eliminated in the following year to reallocate those resources to support President Donald Trump’s priorities. Hegseth is committed to redirecting Pentagon expenditures to more directly aid warfighters. Robert Salesses, acting as deputy secretary of defense, stated on Wednesday that the proposal would target “excessive bureaucracy” and programs addressing climate change or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Salesses affirmed, “To meet President Trump’s mandate, guidance will be taken from his priorities, which include border security, developing an Iron Dome defense for America, and ending radical and wasteful government DEI initiatives and preferences.”
The Iron Dome is conceived as a comprehensive, multilayered air defense system for the United States, which Trump has suggested should have space-based missile interception capabilities. The $50 billion constitutes around 8% of the overall military budget. Details remain unclear about which specific parts of the Pentagon’s spending on DEI initiatives or climate change—such as alternative fuels for aircraft or efforts to enhance base resilience against extreme weather conditions like those experienced at Tyndall Air Force Base in 2018—would be targeted to achieve the required budget reduction.
This directive for budget cuts emerges as the military swiftly attempts to prepare its fiscal year 2026 request, a process typically delayed during transitions to new presidential administrations. Hegseth has tasked the Pentagon with identifying programs to cut to allow for reallocation in fiscal year 2026, beginning October 1.
The proposed budget reductions are comparable to the sequestration of 2013, which compelled the military to trim $56 billion during a short span, due to legislative intentions to prompt budget deficit agreements. At that time, large-scale procurement projects were safeguarded, as were entitlements like military retirement and healthcare.
Operation, maintenance, and personnel budgets were among the more easily reducible accounts, resulting in the loss of experienced noncommissioned officers and reduced training activities, such as flight hours. Subsequently, training-related accidents rose. In response, Congress and military services have since enhanced protections for operational and maintenance budgets.