Pete Hegseth orders senior leaders to cut 8% from Defense budget

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth makes speaks after taking the oath of office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus on January 25. File Photo by Ron Sachs/UPI | License Photo Feb. 19 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has ordered senior military and civilian Pentagon officials to cut 8% from the Defense budget over each of the next five years. Hegseth’s memo issued Tuesday directed the five branches under his command to turn in budget-cutting proposals by Monday, two officials told The New York Times. The Washington Post also obtained the memo. Advertisement “The time…