{"id":53361,"date":"2019-09-09T19:30:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T19:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/09\/program-cuts-from-espers-pentagon-wide-review-could-come-sooner-than-expected\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:49:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:49:51","slug":"program-cuts-from-espers-pentagon-wide-review-could-come-sooner-than-expected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2019\/09\/09\/program-cuts-from-espers-pentagon-wide-review-could-come-sooner-than-expected\/","title":{"rendered":"Why program cuts from Esper\u2019s Pentagon-wide review could come sooner than expected"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper intends to implement changes from his review of Defense Department organizations<\/a> on a rolling basis, rather than waiting until the review process is completely finished, according to the department\u2019s top spokesman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Rath Hoffman, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, said Monday that there\u2019s \u201cno interest\u201d from Esper to wait until the review is fully done or the start of the next fiscal year to start implementing program changes, including potential cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be an ongoing process. If he makes a decision, it\u2019s not going to be \u2018I have to look through everything and then make some decisions.\u2019 If he sees a program that needs to end or be moved, he\u2019ll make that decision as quickly as he can,\u201d Hoffman told reporters. \u201cHe\u2019s going to make changes as we move forward. If he identifies changes that would save money, there\u2019s no interest in waiting until next year to start saving money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Aug. 2 memo kicked off a departmentwide review of programs ahead of the development for the fiscal 2021 budget request. The goal is to find savings and drive a \u201clonger-term focus on structural reform, ensuring all [defensewide] activities are aligned to the National Defense Strategy while evaluating the division of functions between defense-wide organizations and the military departments,” per the document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The so-called fourth estate<\/a> of the department includes 27 agencies, such as the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Defense Information Systems Agency and the Missile Defense Agency. A September 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office<\/a> estimated those agencies collectively have an annual budget of at least $106 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper has acknowledged the review sounds a lot like the \u201cnight court<\/a>\u201d process the Army used to find roughly $25 billion in savings that could then be reinvested into new capabilities. But he has so far declined to offer a target dollar figure for savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\t