|
|
|
|
|
|
Last week, the Defense Department announced the Department of Government Efficiency found additional savings, helping the department identify and eliminate waste.
"On [May 28, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] highlighted DOGE's continued work at the Pentagon," said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell during the Weekly Sitrep video. "Together with DOGE, the DOD found another $5 billion in savings, bringing our total savings to over $10 billion. All this money will be reinvested in readiness, capability, training and the troops."
The biggest area of waste, Hegseth said, was found in places where the department is spending billions of dollars on contractors and consultants.
"Part of what we've uncovered is that the Defense Department has become very much overreliant on management consultants and contractors," he said. "We found that we likely have more contractors than we have civilian employees."
Hegseth said the Air Force, working alongside the DOGE team, cut the service's largest management consulting program.
"This joint team conducted a line-by-line audit of over 50 contract vehicles, saving a billion dollars on the current program ... and canceling its $3.8 billion extension," Hegseth said.
Those savings, along with others found over the last two weeks, amount to $5 billion in cost savings for the department.
"We need to replace wasteful spending in favor of a culture focused on ... actual financial responsibility and stewardship so that our limited funds are spent better on ... things like health care and mission-related programs for our warfighters and their families," he explained.
Hegseth signed three new memorandums directing changes within the department related to reducing the number of management consultants and contractors, reforming the department's use of executive assistants and restricting the department's Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.
Last week, Hegseth met with Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins to strengthen the relationship between the two departments as they work to improve services for military members and retirees.
"Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Collins announced a joint effort to improve the transition process for separating service members and to increase collaboration between the DOD and the VA," Parnell said. "Our men and women in uniform are the best of us, and they deserve the best possible health care."
The secretaries signed a memorandum of understanding between the two agencies that builds a stronger working relationship related to the sharing of health care resources, facilities and workforce. It also provides early health care enrollment prior to a service member's separation and increases the availability of mental health treatment.
The agencies have not always worked together smoothly, Hegseth said, and that has made it challenging for some veterans to access the benefits they have earned.
"We serve the same constituency of great Americans along the entire continuum," he added. "And it's a shame that ... for far too many years [in] that pipeline, there's been a disconnect, and there hasn't been full cooperation. So, we're changing that right here."
Now, when a service member's time in uniform concludes, DOD will work hand in hand with the VA to ensure their transition to civilian life "happens properly, carefully, thoughtfully — so that we follow through on the promise of what they deserve," Hegseth said.
Also last week, the department signaled it recognizes the importance of homeschooling for military families.
"The department ... announced that we are directing a comprehensive review of our current support for homeschooling among military-connected families," Parnell said. "We are absolutely committed to providing military families with the flexibility they need with regard to their schooling."
In a memorandum published May 27, 2025, Hegseth directed the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness to begin a departmentwide review of how the U.S. military supports families who homeschool. The review will also look at best practices, including the ability of DOD to provide facilities or access to other resources for military-connected homeschooled students.
"Through these efforts, the department will uphold the directive to improve the education, well-being and future success of military-connected students, supporting parents in choosing the best educational options for their children," Hegseth wrote.
"Ensuring that military-connected families receive strong educational support maintains morale and readiness, reinforcing the overall stability and effectiveness of our military communities. This is vital to the department and the quality of life of our service members, who deserve no less."
Closing out last week, Hegseth traveled to Singapore, May 29, 2025, where he participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue.
"[He] delivered an historic weekend address clearly outlining ... President [Donald J.] Trump's common sense, 'peace through strength' approach for the U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific [region]," Parnell said.
At the event, Hegseth told gathered defense leaders that the Indo-Pacific is America's priority theater and that the U.S. remains loyal to its allies and partners.
"We will continue to wrap our arms around our friends and find new ways to work together — not only our treaty allies here but also our key defense partners in [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] and across the Indo-Pacific," he said.
The secretary added that partnerships in the Pacific mean every nation contributes toward maintaining security against growing threats in the region.
"We ask — and indeed, we insist — that our allies and partners do their part on defense," he said. "Sometimes, that means having uncomfortable and tough conversations. Partners owe it to each other to be honest and to be realistic — as many of you have been with me in the past few days, and I with you. This is the essence of a pragmatic, common sense defense policy."
The secretary left regional partners with a commitment to continued partnership.
"You will also see that we are — and will remain — loyal to our allies and partners," Hegseth said. "The military-to-military relationship between many of our countries goes back decades and, in some cases, centuries. In fact, the only way to ensure lasting alliances and partnerships is to make sure that each side does its part and sees the benefit."
