Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed Fox Information anchor Maria Bartiromo that he expects to discover “hundreds of billions” in “wasteful spending” at the Defense Division.

All the way through an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, Hegseth instructed his former colleague that he welcomes Elon Musk’s Department of Executive Efficiency to return lend a hand cut “wasteful spending” within the department.

Moreover, Hegseth noted that he plans to modernize the Safety Division with a missle defense gadget much like Israel’s Iron Dome.

BARTIROMO: Tell us about this upcoming take a look at the spending on the Defense Division. Will have to we expect tons of of billions of greenbacks in wasteful spending there?

HEGSETH: Sadly, I feel so. And we very so much the president is right. He’s environment the %. And he’s additionally proper that American taxpayers deserve to understand exactly how and where their money is spent. The fact that I’ve to commit, Maria, to an audit being achieved in 4 years is bad sufficient. The Pentagon should be capable to move a finances presently. Thankfully, the Marine Corps has passed a smooth audit for two years in a row and I applaud them. However that should go across the whole department. So in an effort to be a center of attention where we spend bucks. We want to understand when we spend dollars, we want to know the place they’re going and why that simple accounting and that has not existed on the Protection Division. We’re going to fix that. However that’s no longer even Doge. I imply, we welcome Elon Musk and DOD’s coming into our department to lend a hand us establish additional ways wherein we can streamline processes, fast monitor acquisitions, cut waste, minimize tail to put it to tooth. We we all know in a global where The us’s, you understand, $37 trillion in debt resources is probably not unlimited. So each greenback we will to find that isn’t being spent wisely is one we are able to put towards battle fighter. So we welcome those at DOD. We can partner with them. And it’s long past due. The Defense Division’s obtained a huge budget, but it surely needs to be accountable.

BARTIROMO: All of this as you’re also having a look to modernize. President Trump informed me he’d like to call it a golden sphere. I know we talked Iron Dome as a result of Israel has that. Will this spawn a complete new effort to modernize and convey new innovation into the U.S. armed forces? Well, was a plan.

HEGSETH: It’s an ideal question. Modernization is an incredibly vital part of what we’re doing at DOD. Take our nuclear triad, for example. As you understand, Russia’s bought a major nuclear arsenal. China is racing to build theirs quick. Lots of of new nuclear weapons 12 months by yr. We need to replace our nuclear triad on land and sea and on air. But that also contains the Iron Dome, Iron Dome or Golden Dome, no matter you wish to have to name it. now We have embraced the manager order of President Trump. We’re going to verify it’s included in reconciliation money in the f y 26, all our budgets going forward to spend money on the flexibility, Maria, get this novel thought to defend our native land. That’s why we’re focusing on our southern border and the invasion there. The one hundred% operational control and then our skies. In order President Trump is, he’s a visionary, similar to just like Ronald Reagan. With this SDI again in opposition to the Soviets, our skies will likely be deterred from rogue actors or enemies. And that helps us venture power in a significant means as smartly, whereas protecting the American individuals and folks.

Hegseth’s former colleague — Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin — noted in a put up on X that all the security department budget is $850 billion. So “a whole lot of billions” in wasteful spending would represent at the least 20 percent of the whole Division of Protection budget.

Watch the clip above by the use of Fox News.

The put up Safety Secretary Pete Hegseth Tells His Ex-Colleague Maria Bartiromo He Expects to In Finding ‘Lots of of Billions’ in ‘Wasteful Spending’ first appeared on Mediaite.