Hegset cancels "wasteful spending" of the Pentagon: we are talking about contracts and grants worth more than $580 million
Kyiv • UNN
The head of the Pentagon canceled more than $580 million in grants and contracts that are considered wasteful spending. Among the cancellations is the development of personnel software.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that the Pentagon is canceling more than $580 million in grants and contracts deemed "wasteful spending." In particular, the cancellations include "the development of personnel software," known as the Department of Defense Civilian Human Resources Management System (DCHRMS). This is reported by UNN with reference to The Hill.
Details
In a new memorandum, Hegseth argues that the programs "do not align with the priorities" of the department and do not coincide with President Trump's priorities. These cuts are part of the Trump administration's collaboration with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is currently auditing federal departments.
"Today I am signing a memorandum to terminate more than $580 million in Department of Defense contracts and grants that do not meet the priorities of this president or this department. In other words, they are not the best use of taxpayer dollars," Hegseth said in a video posted on social platform X.
The list of cancellations included, in particular, "the development of personnel software", known as the Ministry of Defense's Civilian Human Resources Management System (DCHRMS), which was originally supposed to last one year and cost $36 million, but instead ended up with eight years of contract and exceeded the planned budget by $280 million, Hegseth said in his address.
According to the memorandum, DCHRMS was intended to optimize a significant portion of the Pentagon's outdated human resources information technology, but, according to the memorandum, it still requires at least two years of development and testing before it can be used.
"Further investment in the DCHRMS project would mean throwing more taxpayer money away," writes Hegseth, noting that he has been overseeing the development of a new plan for two months.
Other cut grants totaling $360 million include those funding research efforts and other activities in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and related social programs, climate change, social sciences, responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, and other areas that "do not meet" the priorities of the Department of Defense.
Addition
Elon Musk warned about the responsibility of Pentagon employees who may have leaked information about the technological billionaire's access to classified information. It is about the US preparing for a possible conflict with China.
According to the NYT, allegedly on Friday, the Pentagon plans to brief billionaire Elon Musk, one of US President Donald Trump's closest advisers, on US military plans in the event of a conflict with China.
US President Trump and the Pentagon leadership denied this information, calling it fake.
