Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talks to the media during his visit to the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command at the Africa Command at Kelly Barracks in Stuttgart Germany, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Hegseth accused the Biden administration of having "historically underinvested in the capabilities of our military," adding that Trump is committed to "rebuilding America's military by investing."
Asked if he expects Elon Musk to start unilaterally slashing defense programs, Hegseth described the DOGE leader as a "great patriot interested in advancing the America First agenda" who knows "Trump got 77 million votes in a mandate from the American people, and part of that is bringing actual businesslike efficiency to government." Hegseth spoke of a "partnership" with DOGE to reduce Pentagon waste, agreeing with Musk's assessment that it could be to the tune of "billions" of dollars.
But the secretary stressed that spending at the Pentagon did not equate to the "globalist agendas" pursued by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
"As I said on social media, we welcome Doge to the Pentagon," Hegseth said. "And I hope to welcome Elon to the Pentagon very soon. And his team working in collaboration with us."
Hegseth said, "There are waste redundancies and headcounts in headquarters that need to be addressed. There's just no doubt. Look at a lot of the climate programs that have been pursued at the Defense Department. The Defense Department is not in the business of climate change, solving the global thermostat. We're in the business of deterring and winning wars. So things like that."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participates in PT with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a US Army Special Forces battalion based in Stuttgart, Germany. (DefSec Hegseth on X)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participates in PT with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a US Army Special Forces battalion based in Stuttgart, Germany. (DefSec Hegseth on X)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth poses with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a US Army Special Forces battalion based in Stuttgart, Germany. (DefSec Hegseth on X)
Hegseth was also asked if there were plans to shift U.S. forces from Europe to the Indo-Pacific to focus on the Chinese threat.
"There are no plans right now in the making to cut anything," Hegseth said. "There is an understanding that we're going to review force posture across the world."
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"President Trump's planning assumptions are different in many ways, or at least strategic assumptions, than Joe Biden's," he said. "We certainly don't want a plan on the back of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. And what happened on October 7th and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine. You have to manage and mitigate those things by coming alongside your friends in Israel and sharing their defense, and peacefully resolving the conflict in Ukraine. But those shouldn't define how we orient."
On his decision to reverse Biden's 2023 renaming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, Hegseth said, "It means Bragg is back. It means the legacy of an institution that generations of Americans have mobilized through and served at is back."
"I never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn't Fort Liberty. It's Fort Bragg. And so I was honored to be able to put my signature on that," Hegseth said. The North Carolina base’s original namesake was Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general, but Hegseth said it would now be named after Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his courage during the Battle of the Bulge.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-says-doge-welcome-pentagon-defense-reviews-military-posture-globally