A quick review conducted by the Department of Government Efficiency within the U.S. Defense Department has revealed that some $80 million in funds was wasted on programs that do not support DOD's core mission.
In a video posted on social media, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell read off a few of the initial findings from DOGE.
Among the DOGE findings, Parnell highlighted $1.9 million for holistic diversity, equity and inclusion transformation and training; $6 million to the University of Montana to "strengthen American democracy by bridging divides"; $3.5 million by the Defense Human Resources Activity to support DEI groups; and $1.6 million to the University of Florida to study the "social and institutional detriments of vulnerability and resilience to climate hazards in [the] African Sahel."
Altogether, the full set of initial findings of DOGE reveals about $80 million in wasteful spending that could be better spent on lethality and readiness, he said.
Parnell said the DOGE team is just getting started rooting out department expenditures that are not aligned with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's top priorities.
"This stuff is not a core function of our military. This is not what we do. This is a distraction from our core mission," he said. "Today's actions are just the start; [there is] more to come this week. Again, we are working hand-in-glove with DOGE. So, stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we trim the fat, preserve the muscle, [and] make the DOD more mission-capable and more lethal."
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