It’s no secret that the United States needs a strong Defense Department to protect its freedoms. With a world that’s becoming more dangerous by the day, this seems like common sense. But unfortunately, under past presidential administrations, the Department of Defense (DoD) has been involved in wasteful spending.

This wasteful spending does nothing to strengthen the U.S. military. In fact, it weakens it. Instead of spending taxpayer funds on something useful, this money often times goes to waste. The only people that are happy from that outcome are bureaucrats and America’s enemies. But under the Trump administration, there have been major efforts to cut down on this wasteful spending.

Thanks to the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), waste and fraud are being rooted out of the federal government daily. That means government agencies like the DoD are able to strengthen and fully accomplish their missions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced just how much DOGE has been able to assist the DoD.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Slashes Over $580 Million in DoD Contracts, Signals More Cuts to Come

In a decisive move to tackle inefficiencies, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put pen to paper on a memo Thursday, axing more than $580 million in DoD contracts and grants. The announcement marks a fresh chapter in the Pentagon’s push to eliminate wasteful spending, with Hegseth vowing to prioritize taxpayer dollars and align resources with the administration’s goals.

“We’re back with another quick update on our efforts to cut wasteful spending and cut it quickly at the Department of Defense,” Hegseth shared in a spirited post on X. “Today, I’m signing a memo directing the termination of over $580 million in DoD contracts, in grants that do not match the priorities of this president or this department. In other words, they are not a good use of taxpayer dollars.”

Hegseth didn’t shy away from specifics, pulling back the curtain on some of the canceled projects to highlight what he sees as a long-overdue reckoning. Among the casualties is an HR software initiative that ballooned out of control. “There’s an HR software effort that was supposed to take a year and cost $36 million, but instead it’s taken eight years and is currently $280 million over budget, not delivering what it was supposed to. So that’s 780% over budget. We’re not doing that anymore,” he declared with conviction.

The cuts didn’t stop there. Hegseth revealed another $360 million in DoD grants tied to the Obama-Biden Green agenda, including efforts to decarbonize Navy ship emissions. He didn’t mince words about other spending he deemed frivolous: “That’s 6 million bucks, $5.2 million on something that would diversify and engage the Navy by engaging underrepresented Bipoc students and scholars. Another $9 million at a university to approach equitable AI and machine learning models. I need lethal machine learning models, not equitable machine learning models.”

Consulting contracts also took a hit, with $30 million in deals with firms like Gartner and McKinsey getting the axe. “That’s IT purchasing unused licenses,” Hegseth explained, tying it all together. “So when you add it all up, $580 million in DoD contracts and grants DOGE is helping us cut today.”

This latest purge brings the total savings to over $800 million in recent weeks, thanks to a partnership with DOGE—a team Hegseth praised for rooting out “waste, fraud, and abuse.” “They’re working hard. We’re working hard with them. We appreciate the work that they’re doing, and we have a lot more coming. So stay tuned,” he said, signaling that the chopping block is far from empty.

With a flourish, Hegseth signed the memo on the spot. “So, might as well not waste any more time right now, just sign this thing. How about that? So this makes it official. We’re going to keep going for you guys,” he said, sealing the deal with a promise of more action to come. The move earned quick praise from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who chimed in on X: “Have we ever seen this level of transparency? Amazing, thank you @SecDef.”

Hegseth’s commitment to fiscal discipline isn’t new. Back in February, he pledged to team up with DOGE to streamline the DoD’s massive budget. “We will partner with them. It’s long overdue. The Defense Department’s got a huge budget, but it needs to be responsible,” he told Fox News at the time. Thursday’s announcement builds on that promise, with DOGE reporting that 239 “wasteful” contracts, valued at a staggering $1.7 billion, have been scrapped over just two days.

As Hegseth and his team dig deeper, the message is clear: inefficiency is on notice, and the DoD is ready to refocus on what matters most—equipping warfighters, not padding bloated projects. With more cuts on the horizon, the Pentagon’s transformation is just getting started.

Do you support these cuts by the Department of Defense? As always, let us know what you think in the comments below!