Washington: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed top Pentagon and US military officials to prepare plans to reduce the defense budget by 8 per cent annually over the next five years, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. This proposal, which is expected to encounter significant opposition within the military and Congress, would also involve substantial budget cuts.
Hegseth's directive requires the proposed reductions to be submitted by February 24. The memo outlines 17 categories that the Trump administration wants to exclude from the cuts, including operations at the US-Mexico border, the modernization of nuclear weapons and missile defense, and the purchase of one-way attack drones and other munitions.
The Pentagon's 2025 budget is approximately $850 billion, with widespread agreement in Congress that this level of spending is crucial to counter the growing threats from China and Russia. If fully implemented, the proposed cuts could total tens of billions of dollars each year over the next five years. Also, it would represent the most significant attempt to reduce Pentagon spending since 2013.
