Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered senior military officials to draft a five-year budget plan cutting defense spending by 8% annually, according to an unreleased memo, calling for proposals by Feb. 24.
Hegseth directed officials to assess needs based on a “wartime tempo” and eliminate spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as well as climate change studies.
Overall, an 8% annual cut over the next five years could reduce military spending by nearly $300 billion.
The memo also outlined 17 categories that the Trump administration classified as exempt. Those categories included operations at the southern U.S. border, modernization of nuclear weapons and missile defense, and acquisition of submarines, one-way attack drones, and other munitions.
