Pentagon Under Pressure: Hegset Calls for Unprecedented Defense Spending Cuts.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset is urging Pentagon leadership and all U.S. military officials to develop plans to reduce the defense budget by 8% over five years. This was reported by The Washington Post, citing official sources.

According to the report, this proposal is facing opposition in Congress.

The budget reduction plan includes 17 categories, including operations on the U.S. southern border, modernization of nuclear weapons and air defense, as well as the acquisition of submarines, one-time strike drones, and other armaments.

Robert Salesss, a senior Pentagon official, stated that the saved funds could be used to finance new administration priorities, including the air defense system 'Iron Dome for America.' He also noted that this amount could reach 50 billion dollars in next year's budget.

According to WP, if the proposed cuts are accepted, it would be the largest attempt to curb Pentagon spending since 2013.