During a contentious Senate pre-nomination hearing today, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick to become the next Defense secretary, outlined his vision for rebuilding the military while facing tough questions from lawmakers seeking details on how his plans would meet both immediate and long-term defense needs.
In his opening statement to lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth explained that if confirmed his priorities include “revitalizing the defense industrial base, reforming the acquisition process to avoid the ‘Valley of Death,’ modernizing the nuclear triad, ensuring the Pentagon passes an audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.”
The slim Republican majority in the Senate means Hegseth can afford to lose support from no more than three Senators to secure confirmation, assuming Democrats and independents unite against him.
Innovation in Tech, Acquisition Process
Hegseth explained to lawmakers that competition is the key to addressing delays in defense projects, offering it as a solution to accelerate progress and innovation. He explained that the “status quo” has been ineffective to optimize military readiness and that the Department of Defense (DoD) must “simplify and streamline its bureaucracy to better respond to innovation.”
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., questioned Hegseth about how he would address projects that encountered delays or challenges, particularly concerning the nuclear triad military strategy and the effectiveness of U.S. defense systems.
In response, Hegseth advocated for utilizing “emergency powers,” such as the Defense Production Act, which would compel the private sector to increase nuclear production. He also expressed a desire to embrace emerging Silicon Valley technology, and financing to strengthen the United States’ nuclear capabilities.
Additionally, Hegseth highlighted that the ideas in committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker’s (R-Miss.) Fostering Reform and Government Efficiency in Defense (FORGED) Act “are the kinds of ideas that need to be pursued.”
The bill, introduced last month by Sen. Wicker, outlines how DoD must restructure its budget to enable an agile funding process that will transition technologies more rapidly into production.
Although Hegseth did not address specific policy ideas for artificial intelligence (AI) during today’s hearing, he advocated for AI adoption in various national security initiatives in his responses to the Senate Armed Services Committee’s advanced policy questions submitted ahead of his testimony.
“[AI] is a powerful set of capabilities that we must use as we know our adversaries, particularly China, have invested in such capabilities. [AI] in the U.S. commercial sector is the most advanced in the world and we should take advantage of that as a basis for DoD’s specific needs,” he wrote.
In response to how the DoD should leverage the DIB, Hegseth wrote that the DoD “has only partially leveraged the potential of our defense industrial base and defense innovation base to cost-effectively deliver capabilities at the speed of relevance.”
Military Readiness, Financial Management
Additionally, Hegseth’s plans also include addressing the ongoing challenge of recruiting, retention, and readiness within the ranks, which has been a persistent issue for the department.
He explained his plans to “restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon and throughout [the] fighting force,” and to “reestablish trust in [the] military, addressing the ongoing recruiting crisis, retention crisis and readiness crisis.”
However, some Democratic lawmakers raised concerns, questioning how Hegseth, with limited management experience, would effectively lead an organization with a nearly $900 billion annual budget, 1.3 million active-duty service members, and nearly one million DoD civilian workers.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was among those who questioned Hegseth’s management experience, citing deficits of up to $137,000 and five-figure debts at veteran organizations he had previously led.
“That isn’t the kind of fiscal management we want at the Department of Defense. That’s an organization of $850 billion. Not $10 or $15 million, which was the case at those two organizations. It has command responsibility for 3.4 million Americans. The highest number you managed in those organizations was maybe 50 people,” Sen. Blumenthal said.
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