Pentagon's Hegseth bold budget slash faces congressional storm
Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth has ordered the preparation of plans to cut the defense budget by 8% annually over five years, reports "The Washington Post."
The newspaper notes that the cuts will affect, among others, troops stationed in Europe. The document includes a list of 17 categories exempt from the cuts, including nuclear weapons modernization.
Pentagon priorities
Hegseth's memorandum suggests prioritizing Indo-Pacific, Northern, and Space Commands, while overlooking the European and Central ones. "The time for preparation is over – we must act urgently to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and re-establish deterrence. Our budget will resource the fighting force we need, cease unnecessary defense spending, reject excessive bureaucracy, and drive actionable reform including progress on the audit," Hegseth wrote.
The plan will face opposition in Congress, where both parties advocate for increasing defense spending. Republicans have prepared two budget resolutions. The first proposes increasing defense and border protection spending by $345 billion, while the second proposes a $100 billion increase in the defense budget. The current Pentagon budget is $850 billion, but when combined with other security-related expenses, total defense spending rises to nearly $900 billion.
The proposed cuts contradict Republican resolutions that call for increased defense spending. The current Pentagon budget is $850 billion, and with other security-related expenses, it reaches nearly $900 billion. Hegseth, during a visit to Europe, called for increasing allies' defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Donald Trump mentioned wanting to convene a conference with the participation of the USA, China, and Russia to agree on reducing defense budgets by up to half. "The Washington Post" emphasizes that the decision on defense spending belongs to the president.
