The government's Ministry of Efficiency has been between $1 trillion and $2 trillion; Pledge Made by Elon Musk himself. Now, Musk is turning his attention to the Pentagon, an agency known for government waste.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses recently partnered with Doge to cut 8% from the Pentagon budget (approximately $50 billion a year) over the next five years.
Reducing military spending is not just about reducing obvious waste, fraud and abuse.
The Department of Defense has been postponed due to a Doge-style overhaul. Defense contractors will “inflate costs” by profiting from non-bid contracts.Gold platedA weapon system with unnecessary features. The procurement system is so outdated that it is still dependent Fax machine.
Reducing military spending is not just about reducing obvious waste, fraud and abuse. Hegseth should work with Doge to eliminate inefficiencies as much as possible, but he must also be prepared to undertake more controversial reforms.
One big step is cancelling Constellation Class Frigate. The Pentagon placed its first order for these warships in 2020, aiming to be a quick and cost-effective solution to fill the gaps in Navy's capabilities. The ship is expected to be a lightly modified version of the European Fregata European Multi-Mission and is scheduled to enroll in the service in 2026.
Excessive changes to European design have significantly increased the weight and cost of the constellations, but erased the efficiency gains that justified the project. The Wisconsin Shipyard, which is responsible for production, estimates that the first frigate will not be ready until at least 2029.
The Navy is planning to buy it At least 20 constellations frigateseach exceeds $1 billion. Cancelling the order and relying on the Navy's existing, competent destroyer fleet will quickly save more than $20 billion.
The F-35 is another major target for budget cuts. Lockheed Martin's $1.7 trillion fighter jet is the most expensive defense program in world history, but every half of the F-35 is either combat ready or mission-capable. After 20 years of development, the aircraft remained troubled and was forced to stop deliveries to the Air Force by Lockheed for a year in 2023.
The design itself is flawed. The F-35 cannot “supercruise” (maintain supersonic speeds without an afterburner), has limited range, has a small payload, and lacks the maneuverability of many peer aircraft in dogfights. This month, the US cancelled its F-35 demo in Aero India Airlines After the Russian SU-57 impresses the crowd. I was sent an embarrassing message when I discarded the demonstration at the last minute. No matter how much money is poured into the F-35, it is still lacking.
If the US military is serious about maintaining aviation advantage, it should abandon the F-35 and focus on next-generation aviation domination and joint fighter programs.
President Trump has criticised the USS Gerald R. Ford airlines, making him a major target for the Hawks on the Doge budget. In the oath of Director of National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard, Trump noted that the airline, which was originally projected to have cost $3 billion, has now swelled to $17 billion. Technical obstacles, including unreliable electromagnetic catapults and malfunctioning weapon elevators, have slowed down full deployment over the years.
Some defense analysts argue that these airlines are strong, but outdated to modern warfare. New threats like drones and high-sonic missiles have raised questions about whether these funds are suitable for more relevant defensive capabilities. In an age of unmanned systems, satellite-guided ballistic missiles and polar weapons, continuing to pour money into this project is difficult to justify, even if it is still on budget.
Reducing unnecessary programs like USS Gerald R. Ford does not undermine American military power or global presence. As Hegseth said when he announced the Doge partnership, “What I care about is to do the right thing by our service members, our soldiers, our sailors, our Marines, our air forces and our guardians.” The best way for the United States to maintain “the largest and worst army on the planet” in Hegses' words is to eliminate wasted spending.
As he said, “With Doge, we're focused as much as we can on the headquarters and fat and top line things that can be reinvested elsewhere.” There's nothing to controversial about that.
