Hegseth hints at program cuts during talk with troops
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth suggested to service members on Friday that he’s prepared to slash capabilities that haven’t fared well in war games.
The new Pentagon chief, in a town hall with troops at the Pentagon, noted the threat posed by advanced adversaries such as China.
“President Trump asked me to not maintain the status quo. We’re going to take unconventional approaches. We’re going to move fast, think outside the box, be disruptive on purpose, to create a sense of urgency that I want to make sure exists inside this department. And that’s not to impugn anybody who’s been here, or anybody who’s sitting here, or anybody who’s watching. I don’t have to tell you all that we live in very dangerous times in a world with ascendant powers who, if they had their way, would love to be on the rise and reject the forces and capabilities and beliefs of the West. America is at the forefront of that, and wearing the uniform here at the department, it’s our job to ensure we create the deterrent effect that maintains American dominance in the world,” he said.
One of the main pillars of his approach will be to “rebuild our military.”
That includes a focus on America’s “defense industrial base, our acquisitions process, how we rapidly field new technologies, how we learn from conflicts around the globe, how we match what we fund to capabilities and effects. There’s a lot of programs around here that we spend a lot of money on that, when you actually war game it, don’t have the impact you want them to. One of the benefits I have is … I don’t have any special interests. I don’t have a background invested in any systems or services. I’m agnostic to that,” Hegseth said.
Historically, efforts to cut programs, especially high-dollar ones that involve major contractors and lots of jobs, have often faced opposition in Congress, at the Pentagon, and from industry.
The SecDef said he’s prepared to “take a lot of arrows” when he tries to shake things up.
“That’s fine. We need the best systems in the hands of warfighters, where they need it, to the [combatant commanders] to deter [and] send the signals that when that fight comes, we’re ready to win and win decisively,” he told service members.
Hegseth narrowly won confirmation two weeks ago to lead the Pentagon.
In his first message to the force that he released after he was sworn in, he highlighted the need to rapidly field emerging tech.
During his confirmation process, Hegseth pledged that as leader of the Pentagon he would prioritize investments in AI, drones and counter-drone systems, among other technologies that he considers key to military modernization.
Hegseth’s opening remarks at Friday’s town hall were publicly livestreamed but the video feed was turned off when he started to take questions from troops in attendance.
