White House Plans to ‘Shaken Up’ the Pentagon
The Pentagon is poised for significant changes as President Donald Trump has directed a reshuffling of its leadership, as reported by Karoline Leavitt. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Public trust in the U.S. military is at a low point following seven unsuccessful audits, according to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
In response to years of financial mismanagement, the Pentagon is poised for a significant overhaul, with President Donald Trump initiating a leadership change. Since Congress mandated independent financial audits for the Department of Defense in 2018, it has never successfully passed one. The latest audit, conducted in November 2024, revealed that only 7 out of 30 sub-agencies could accurately account for their expenditures. Pentagon officials have indicated that a clean audit is unlikely to be accomplished before 2028.
“They failed seven audits in a row; the trust in our United States military, amongst the warfighters, is low,” Leavitt stated during a press briefing. “The president is shaking up the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, of course, with Secretary [Pete] Hegseth leading, and he has the right to do such a thing.”
This announcement follows last week’s termination of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Q. Brown Jr. and several other senior Pentagon officials, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who made history as the first woman to command the U.S. Navy. The administration characterizes these firings as part of a broader initiative to enhance accountability and efficiency in the military.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has expressed support for reform, criticizing previous policies for prioritizing diversity initiatives over military effectiveness. “In this department, we will treat everyone equally,” Hegseth remarked earlier this month. “We will judge you as an individual by your merit.”
The administration's reform agenda encompasses a thorough financial audit of the Pentagon, overseen by the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk. Trump has assigned DOGE the task of reviewing federal expenditures with the aim of trimming up to $2 trillion in government spending by mid-2026. With a budget of $886 billion, the Pentagon is a significant focus for these cost-cutting measures.
“I’ve instructed him to go check out education, to check out the Pentagon, which is the military, and sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad,” Trump said earlier this month. “We need to get rid of waste and make sure taxpayer money is spent correctly.”
While the White House has yet to outline specific changes regarding military budgeting, it has indicated that further personnel adjustments and restructuring efforts are forthcoming. The administration argues that these reforms are vital to rebuilding public confidence in the military and ensuring that defense funding is utilized effectively.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
In response to years of financial mismanagement, the Pentagon is poised for a significant overhaul, with President Donald Trump initiating a leadership change. Since Congress mandated independent financial audits for the Department of Defense in 2018, it has never successfully passed one. The latest audit, conducted in November 2024, revealed that only 7 out of 30 sub-agencies could accurately account for their expenditures. Pentagon officials have indicated that a clean audit is unlikely to be accomplished before 2028.
“They failed seven audits in a row; the trust in our United States military, amongst the warfighters, is low,” Leavitt stated during a press briefing. “The president is shaking up the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, of course, with Secretary [Pete] Hegseth leading, and he has the right to do such a thing.”
This announcement follows last week’s termination of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Q. Brown Jr. and several other senior Pentagon officials, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who made history as the first woman to command the U.S. Navy. The administration characterizes these firings as part of a broader initiative to enhance accountability and efficiency in the military.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has expressed support for reform, criticizing previous policies for prioritizing diversity initiatives over military effectiveness. “In this department, we will treat everyone equally,” Hegseth remarked earlier this month. “We will judge you as an individual by your merit.”
The administration's reform agenda encompasses a thorough financial audit of the Pentagon, overseen by the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk. Trump has assigned DOGE the task of reviewing federal expenditures with the aim of trimming up to $2 trillion in government spending by mid-2026. With a budget of $886 billion, the Pentagon is a significant focus for these cost-cutting measures.
“I’ve instructed him to go check out education, to check out the Pentagon, which is the military, and sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad,” Trump said earlier this month. “We need to get rid of waste and make sure taxpayer money is spent correctly.”
While the White House has yet to outline specific changes regarding military budgeting, it has indicated that further personnel adjustments and restructuring efforts are forthcoming. The administration argues that these reforms are vital to rebuilding public confidence in the military and ensuring that defense funding is utilized effectively.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
