Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a "comprehensive transformation" of the U.S. Army, calling on Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll to "rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence."
He also ordered the consolidations of several "redundant" headquarters operations.
In his memo, dated Wednesday and released publicly Thursday, Hegseth ordered Driscoll to implement a comprehensive strategy to "streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform the acquisition process, and modernize inefficient defense contracts."
In announcing the changes, Hegseth said that achieving peace through strength requires that the Army be able to "rapidly adapt to diverse and emerging global threats" and to be "prepared for the complex and evolving battlefield of the future."
"As the Army prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, our Nation requires her Army to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other force on Earth," Hegseth said in his memo to Driscoll. "President Trump and I will not let this Nation down."
But Hegseth said that the Army must accelerate the move to build a "leaner, more lethal force" by divesting itself of redundant, outdated, and inefficient programs, while restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems.
It also called for the Army to ensure that existing resources are prioritized to improve long-range precision fires and air and missile defense, including through President Donald Trump's planned Golden Dome, a multimillion-dollar missile defense system eyed for the United States.
The Army must also prioritize investments in "cyber, electronic warfare, and counter-space capabilities," said Hegseth.
Several cuts and consolidations are also necessary, said Hegseth, who also called for the merger of "redundant" headquarters:
- Merge the Army Futures Command (AFC) and the Training and Doctrine Command
- (TRADOC).
- Merge Forces Command, U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South into a single headquarters focused on homeland defense and partnership with Western Hemisphere allies of the U.S.
- Restructure the sustainment enterprises through consolidating and realigning the Army Materiel Command, which would include the headquarters and units within Army Materiel Command, including the integration of the Joint Munitions Command and Army Sustainment Command.
Hegseth further addressed the hiring and firing procedures for the Army, mandating a revision of the service's firing policies and calling for a reduction in general officer roles to emphasize merit-based priorities and streamline operations.
Hegseth further called for reducing spending on climate-related initiatives, travel, wasteful contracts, and legacy sustainment systems.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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