Elon Musk’s team is expected to target the Pentagon soon, pledging cost cuts
Members of Elon Musk’s government efficiency team are poised to arrive at the Defense Department in the coming days. Officials tell NPR that DOGE has a target of cutting 8% from next year’s budget. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and provided details on condition of anonymity.
Targets will likely include the workforce, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already said has grown too much. The unit called the Department of Government Efficiency has been rapidly moving throughout the federal workforce, restructuring and cutting personnel across multiple agencies.
The Pentagon employs 3 million troops and civilians, with a budget well over $800 billion.
“We won World War II with seven four-star generals,” Hegseth said during his confirmation hearing. “Today we have 44. … There is an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield. We do not need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom. So, it is going to be my job … to identify those places where fat can be cut, so it can go toward lethality.”
Dov Zakheim, who served as Pentagon comptroller during the administration of George W. Bush, agreed that there has been a steep increase in personnel over the last two decades, since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he also urged caution.
“We have nowhere near the same level of military operation,” Zakheim told NPR. “Bottom line, there certainly can be budget cuts. The issue is how the cuts are made. Too often ‘cut drills’ involve cutting the most promising new developments while protecting legacy systems.”
It appears, however, some legacy systems could be on the chopping block, like F-35 aircraft and armored vehicles. Trump officials are expected to push for more cutting-edge technology that could include drones, hypersonic missiles and cyber equipment. There is also expected to be an increase in shipbuilding to keep pace with China.
Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation after sexual assault allegations
Motown legend Smokey Robinson is being criminally investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department following allegations accusing him of a series of sexual assaults.
Hospital tells family brain-dead Georgia woman must carry fetus due to abortion ban
Georgia's law that restricts abortion once cardiac activity is detected doesn't allow relatives to have a say in whether a pregnant woman is kept on life support.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ attorney cross-examines Cassie Ventura for the first time
An attorney asked Ventura a series of questions about Ventura admittedly feeling jealous during her relationship with Combs and Ventura begrudgingly planning parts of their sex life.
Charles Strouse, Broadway composer of ‘Annie’ and ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ dies at 96
The Broadway composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie died Thursday at 96.
Who is Cassie? The stalled music career of the Sean Combs trial’s star witness
The mogul's former protégé and girlfriend emerged as a promising pop artist in 2006. On the stand this week, she said her relationship with Combs and his label quickly became more about control.
The 10 best songs of Eurovision 2025 — and their chances to win
The grand final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest takes place on Saturday, May 17, in Basel, Switzerland. It's an annual celebration of melody, rhythm, fabulousness and glitter.
