Rep. Mac Thornberry said Tuesday he wants a $25 billion across-the-board cut of the Pentagon’s sprawling system of support agencies and activities by 2021.
The mandatory cut is part of a new bill introduced by the House Armed Services Committee chairman aimed at slashing the Pentagon’s so-called Fourth Estate, non-military operations that employ 800,000 civilians and contractors and comprise about $100 billion in annual defense spending.
Thornberry is pushing a new set of cost-saving reforms that could become part of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act after Congress approved major spending hikes for the Pentagon for this year and next.
The Pentagon chief management officer, a position newly created by Congress, would be in charge of the mandatory 25 percent spending cut. The bill exempts some combat support agencies.
The Fourth Estate activities includes agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Media Activity. Thornberry said the support services are at “high risk” for waste and their budgets have been ballooning in recent years.
