The so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) recently made headlines by touting $80m in Pentagon budget cuts, claiming it is eliminating “wasteful spending”. But while these cuts focus on politically charged programs like diversity initiatives and academic research, they ignore the real sources of financial waste in the Department of Defense – waste that costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

If the cuts were genuinely an effort to balance the budget and not a direct attack on programs that focus on equity and social justice, and if the goal is truly to trim unnecessary expenditures while preserving national security, then Congress and watchdog agencies should focus on where the real money is disappearing: failed weapons programs, an over-reliance on private contractors, unnecessary nuclear expansion and a Pentagon budget so massive that it has never passed an audit.

The F-35: a $1.7tn mess

Among the most obvious examples of waste is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which has swelled into the most expensive weapons program in history. Originally budgeted at $200bn, the program’s lifetime cost has now soared to $1.7tn – roughly the GDP of Australia.

Despite this considerable price tag, the F-35 is riddled with issues:

• It has over 800 unresolved design flaws, including engine failures, software glitches and fuel system malfunctions.

• The cost per plane continues to escalate, with each unit now costing from $80m to over $100m – even before accounting for expensive maintenance costs.

• The program has been so ineffective that the air force has considered developing a new fighter jet to replace it – while taxpayers remain on the hook for the original purchase.

If Doge were serious about reducing DoD waste, cutting back the F-35 program would be an obvious place to start. Yet, instead of addressing this bottomless drain, they have focused on cutting research grants and diversity programs, which cost a fraction of what the Pentagon spends on just a single F-35 jet.

The Pentagon’s failed audits: where did the money go?

The Pentagon has a budget of more than $800bn a year – yet it cannot account for how that money is actually spent. The defense department has undergone audits since 2018, yet it has never passed a single one.

In its most recent audit failure, the Pentagon could not account for over half of its assets. That means hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars remain untracked, disappearing into bureaucratic black holes, overpayments and likely fraud.

If this were any tax-paying American, they would be held accountable. If any other government agency or private corporation failed to pass six consecutive audits, it would face immediate financial oversight and accountability measures. Yet, instead of demanding fiscal responsibility, Congress continues to approve record-high military budgets with little transparency.

Doge could use its influence to push for financial accountability, demanding a full, successful audit before approving more defense spending. Instead, it is fixated on small cuts that make no meaningful impact on overall waste.

Nuclear expansion: a cold war relic that costs billions

As of 2023, the United States was positioned to spend $756bn between 2023 and 2032 on nuclear weapons.

One of the biggest cost drivers is the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, a $264bn effort to replace aging intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Many military experts argue that land-based nuclear missiles are outdated and unnecessary, especially when the US already has a robust deterrence system through submarines and bombers. Even the former secretary of defense William Perry has called for eliminating ICBMs altogether, labeling them “one of the most dangerous threats to national security” because they are vulnerable to first strikes.

Yet, despite these concerns, policymakers continue funding an exorbitant nuclear expansion, diverting resources from modern defense priorities such as cybersecurity, climate security and AI-based warfare – the actual threats of the 21st century.

Private military contractors: the Pentagon’s overpriced workforce

The Pentagon increasingly relies on private contractors for services that could be performed by active-duty personnel or civilian government employees at a fraction of the cost. In 2022 alone, the defense department spent over $400bn on military contractors, nearly half of its entire budget.

This reliance on contractors often results in:

• Significantly higher costs: contractors are frequently paid far more than military personnel for the same jobs.

• Lack of oversight: many contracts go unchecked, leading to fraud, over-billing and waste.

• Conflicts of interest: many Pentagon officials move directly into high-paying defense contractor jobs after leaving government service, perpetuating a cycle of over-reliance on private firms.

Instead of reining in excessive contractor spending, Doge has ignored this massive budget vacuum, choosing instead to focus on symbolic cuts that do not address the real financial inefficiencies within the Pentagon.

We need real defense budget reform

The US already spends more on its military than the next nine highest-spending nations combined. Yet, instead of using this budget wisely, we continue throwing money at broken programs, unnecessary nuclear expansion and overpriced contractors – without holding the Pentagon accountable for its failures.

Meanwhile, Doge has chosen politically convenient budget cuts that pander to Donald Trump’s base and distract from the real sources of waste.

Until policymakers are willing to address the actual inefficiencies in defense spending, taxpayers will continue paying for an over-inflated military budget that serves the interests of defense contractors far more than national security.

The Pentagon does not need more money – it needs real financial accountability.

• Katerina Canyon is a poet, human rights and peace activist, and the executive director of the Peace Economy Project. She holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and advocates for the reallocation of military spending toward social and community investments.