WASHINGTON —
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked some parts of the military to propose what could be cut as part of a potential 8% spending reduction for them over each of the next five years, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, although it was unclear if the total defense budget would shrink.
In a memo described to Reuters by U.S. officials, Hegseth called for the proposals by Feb. 24.
Officials said it did not appear that Hegseth wanted a major budget cut but was looking to reprioritize funding to better align with President Donald Trump’s national security priorities.
There was a long list of exemptions, including U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, funding for the military’s mission along the U.S. border with Mexico, as well as missile defense and autonomous weapons, one of the officials said.
The military’s commands that oversee operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were not exempt.
The Pentagon’s budget is approaching $1 trillion per year. In December, former P