Army leaders to Musk: We will DOGE ourselves

Top Army officials are proposing to eliminate Humvees and cut other costs in the hope it will allow generals, not DOGE, to decide where and how to cut spending.

WASHINGTON — Under pressure to make drastic budget cuts, Army leaders have struck an unusual agreement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency: Don’t DOGE us; we will DOGE ourselves. 

The process began at a March White House meeting attended by Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; and the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. 

Soon after the meeting began, Musk joined them. Together, the four men discussed Driscoll and George’s plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in what they and other Army officials agree is wasteful spending. The two men's goal is to cut jobs, consolidate commands and radically change the Army acquisition process, the three officials said. 

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.U.S. Army“We have been working to get the best, most lethal, most modern tools in the hands of our soldiers,” Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, said in an email. “To do this we have to leave behind the anchor of obsolescence. We have to stop spending money on yesterday’s equipment and invest in war winning technology.”

Army leaders have long complained that members of Congress force them to spend billions of dollars on weapons, vehicles and programs they don’t want. Often, the spending is driven by members of Congress focused on bringing jobs and money to their districts or attached to legacy programs the Army leaders no longer want, the officials said.