Within the first one hundred days of his second term, President Donald Trump has made it clear that he plans to increase government efficiency through DOGE. Yet, this involves making cuts to the Pentagon’s budget, specifically regarding personnel, which has raised many questions over the potential ramifications of these policy actions. In fact, his Pentagon purge will likely place U.S. national security at risk by causing an increase in substandard leadership and creating dysfunction that reduces efficiency.
For starters, President Trump’s immense cuts include unprecedented firings at the highest levels of the Pentagon, and this abrupt shift in leadership could have devastating consequences. For instance, President Trump fired Lisa Franchetti, the head of the U.S. Navy, who led roughly 334,000 men and women over the course of two years. Additionally, President Trump fired the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and the head of the U.S. Air Force, Charles Q. Brown, who was also a four-star general. Yet, Trump plans to nominate retired three-star general Lt. Gen. Dan Caine of the Air Force to replace C.Q. Brown despite clearly being less qualified. In response to criticism, President Trump and Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, simply claimed that these new officers are steeped in “warrior culture”. Naveed Shah, a political director for the Common Defense, said bluntly that these abrupt shifts in leadership at the highest level in the Pentagon make it harder for senior leaders to do their jobs, as their military advice may be tainted with bias. Ms. Shah’s comments were centered on the premise that some of the leaders President Trump wants to put in office are his friends, which may create a situation where officials are more inclined to tell the President what he wants to hear, rather than providing sound analysis for more informed decision-making.
President Trump has also initiated mass firings at the lowest level of the Pentagon, and the Pentagon reported that they intend to lay off 5,400 civilian workers, many of whom are veterans who (one may think) supported Trump in the recent election. These workers may not be senior leaders in the Pentagon but they are still the glue of the Pentagon and contribute to its overall efficiency and effectiveness. Consequently, the massive cuts at this level may cause significant inefficiency, which is the opposite of what the Pentagon needs right now as President Trump continues to make enemies of foreign nations.
However, some sources argue that Pentagon budget cuts of 8% could have positive effects, as it could allow for the prioritization of military assistance for the southern border, as well as increased funding for U.S. command that focuses on China, a topic that could be critical as China becomes a growing economic and military threat to the U.S. The Pentagon has also stated its plans to utilize the budget cut in order to move forward with constructing an “Iron Dome” defense system that would resemble the missile defense system in Israel.
All in all, there are some positive intentions, especially the focus on addressing the growing threat from China and the intent to advance in critical areas of national defense. However, the drastic cuts to personnel and the replacement of seasoned leaders with inexperienced “yes” men will likely heighten dysfunctionality in the Pentagon.
