Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday the most recent batch of wasteful Pentagon contracts and services gutted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Hegseth announced in a memo released Thursday that the DOD would cut over $580 million dollars worth of contracts on the grounds that they “do not match the priorities of this president and this department,” as he said in an announcement on X.
DOGE has paved its way through every federal agency, cutting millions in waste under the stewardship of billionaire and President Donald Trump confidant Elon Musk.
“I commend Department leadership for identifying these opportunities to cut wasteful spending, and I encourage other leaders across the enterprise to follow this example and identify more opportunities for savings which we can re-invest in critical mission needs,” Hegseth said in the memo.
Another round of @DOGE findings here at the Department of Defense. pic.twitter.com/PSrHn8Zjlq
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 20, 2025
Among the cut programs includes the Defense Civilian Human Resources Management System, which was intended to last only one year and cost $36 million, but has instead lasted eight years and is $280 million over-budget, Hegseth said in his announcement.
Hegseth also cancelled a “batch” of DOD contracts worth $360 million. Among those contracts included an initiative focused on “decarbonizing” navy ships with $6 million, a $5.2 million project focused on diversity, equity and inclusions “engaging BIPOC students and scholars,” and a $9 million contract focused on making “equitable” AI, Hegseth said.
“I need lethal machine learning models, not equitable machine learning models,” Hegseth added.
Hegseth also announced the termination of $30 million worth of consulting services for IT from Gartner and McKinsey consulting firms.
The Pentagon is required to pass a financial audit by 2028 under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2025. The DOD has so far failed seven consecutive audits, including 2024.
The Pentagon also plans to reduce the civilian workforce by 5-8%. The DOD announced Tuesday that 21,000 employees already took the voluntary Deferred Resignation Program.
The Pentagon deferred to the memo when the Daily Caller News Foundation requested comment.
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