Pentagon director praises first USD1 trillion defense budget

(MENAFN) U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has praised President Donald Trump’s proposed $1 trillion defense budget, calling it a major step toward increasing the military’s combat power. Trump unveiled the record-setting budget during a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasizing that while his administration remains focused on fiscal responsibility, military funding remains a top priority.

Hegseth echoed Trump’s message in a post on X, writing: “President @realDonaldTrump is rebuilding our military — and FAST,” and pledged to spend the funds effectively, focusing on military readiness and lethal capability.

The defense budget boost comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to cut government spending through the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. The department has already laid off around 280,000 federal employees in recent months.

The U.S. currently leads global military spending, with the latest defense budget already surpassing $895 billion. In comparison, China and Russia have allocated $256 billion and $157 billion, respectively, for their 2025 military budgets.

However, despite this massive spending, the Pentagon has yet to pass an audit, having failed for the seventh consecutive year in 2024, with over $150 billion in unaccounted expenditures. Even with the proposed $1 trillion defense budget, the U.S. still falls short of the 5% of GDP military spending benchmark that Trump has urged NATO allies to adopt.

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