Instructed by DOGE, US Department of Defense to Cut $580 Million
On the 20 March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo for the termination of multiple programs, contracts and grants amounting to $580 Million.
The latest in a chain of cuts to the Department of Defense and the Executive Branch at large, this $580 cut comes just days after up to 60,000 civilian positions were cut from the Pentagon. Though Secretary Hegseth insists that the cuts would not affect national security.
The biggest single item cut is the development program of the The Defense Civilian Human Resources Management System (DCHRMS), intended to replace legacy Human Resources management systems. The memo states that the system is “6 years behind schedule and more than $280 million (780%) over budget.” But also added that the continued streamlining of the Human Resources Management process is still of importance to the Department, and that a new plan for improvement will be developed within 60 days of the DCHRMS development’s complete shutdown. An additional $30 million contract “allotted to one company that purchased several unused licenses” has also been cut.
Various grants, funding efforts “in areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and related social programs, climate change, social science, Covid-19 pandemic response, and other areas”, amounting to $360 million together have also been slashed. The Department of Defense details:
“Included are a $6 million grant to decarbonize emissions from Navy ships, a $5.2 million grant to diversify the Navy and a $9 million university grant for developing “equitable AI and machine learning” models. I need lethal machine learning models, not equitable machine learning models.”
Secretary Hegseth has long denied climate change, and said that such research efforts are “not aligned with DoD priorities”. Running counter to insights by previous administrations and subject matter experts. Covid-19 response cuts mentioned in the memo especially indicates a massive departure from Biden-era DoD policies amid the very worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Today’s cuts are consistent with cuts in other departments under the Trump administration, particularly with 1,000 positions cut in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and millions of dollars of funding to affordable housing groups cut because of association with DEI efforts.