US-Verteidigung: Veränderungen im Pentagon – Kürzungen und neue Rolle für Musk

Pentagon-Chief Pete Hegseth defended the controversial restructuring of the U.S. Department of Defense under his leadership and announced further changes. Speaking to military personnel in Quantico, Virginia, he confirmed that the Pentagon intends to cut five percent of all positions allocated to admirals and generals. This news was reported by U.S. media in advance.

Simultaneously, Hegseth announced a new project to explore the "future of warfare," which Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, was to lead. The project's purpose was to "look at the future with a creative eye, identify areas we need to conquer, and the skills we need to master." Hegseth also addressed the topic of autonomous warfare, referring to weapons systems and artificial intelligence that can operate without direct human intervention and carry out attacks.

He emphasized the need to act proactively to ensure technological and military superiority on the battlefield for the coming decades. The Pentagon chief anticipated results from the project within 120 days. Additionally, the defense secretary announced the creation of a new four-star command to develop autonomous and robotic capabilities within the U.S. military.

While addressing the "state of the forces," Hegseth also mentioned an initiative to ensure that every major military installation in the U.S. generates its own power. The goal was to remain capable of action even if the civilian power grid were crippled by cyberattacks or sabotage. Hegseth also revealed that Trump planned to build a new military base within the country and requested state governors to apply for consideration.

"If your state wants the honor of hosting 15,000 to 25,000 of the great American soldiers, show us why and how you'll make it happen," he said. "The ideologues are out." - Hegseth's personnel policy Hegseth praised the controversial changes already made under his leadership in a nearly one-hour speech. Last year, the Pentagon had significantly reduced the number of active four-star generals and admirals.

In recent months, top leaders in the Pentagon had been repeatedly discharged or pressured into retirement, with reasons often vague. Since taking office in January 2025, the 46-year-old had also driven the exclusion of transgender people from the military and the dismantling of diversity and inclusion programs. In front of the military personnel in Virginia, Hegseth emphasized now: "The ideological clowns are out.

The patriotic cowboys are in." He routinely devalued groups such as transgender people. Satisfied with himself, Hegseth noted that only "warriors" remained in his ranks. The frequently invoked new orientation towards a "warrior ethos" also mirrored the government of U.S. President Donald Trump, which referred to the Pentagon as the "War Department" since last autumn.