John Fairlamb, Ph.D.
The proposed 2025 Department of Defense budget is $850 billion, and when Department of Energy funding for military nuclear programs is factored in, the total tops $895 billion. Yet, the Joint Chiefs of Staff say they can’t meet assigned missions without more money.
Despite this appetite for even greater defense spending, President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are doing the right thing as they seek to cut billions from budgets.
Here are five areas they should focus on that can help guide cuts and reshape the military into a more cohesive fighting force with national treasure spent on the capabilities and force structure we need, rather than on what we don’t.
Conduct a comprehensive review of military strategy
Every four years the Department of Defense does a review of the National Defense Strategy (NDS), which is billed as a fresh look at current threats and the capabilities needed to defeat them. The last NDS was done in 2022, before Russia invaded Ukraine, demonstrating that the Russian military threat was severely overestimated.
A new NDS is not due until 2026, but the new administration should consider doing one sooner to account for changes in the military postures of both Russia and China, as well as the new administration’s foreign policy changes.
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