Continued
"...Hegseth, in his Tuesday memo, sought to cast the proposed cuts as an extension of Trump’s “peace through strength” policies, despite a reversal from the president’s past practice of expanding military spending and touting those efforts.
Republicans, including Hegseth, have spent years criticizing Democrats for not spending enough on national defense.
“The time for preparation is over — we must act urgently to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence,” Hegseth wrote in the memo. “Our budget will resource the fighting force we need, cease unnecessary defense spending, reject excessive bureaucracy, and drive actionable reform including progress on the audit.”
...The proposed cuts, if adopted, would mark the largest effort to rein in Pentagon spending since 2013, when congressionally mandated budget reductions known as sequestration took effect. Those cuts were perceived as a crisis in the Pentagon at the time, and grew increasingly unpopular with Republicans and Democrats alike as their effects on the military’s ability to train and be ready for war became clear.
The memo, first reported on by The Washington Post, was labeled “CUI” — controlled unclassified information. It was sent to senior Pentagon officials, top military commanders, and the directors of numerous defense agencies. Bloomberg
reported Friday about Hegseth’s intended cuts, before the memo was distributed to Pentagon officials. ..."
