Secretary Pete Hegseth Cuts Pentagon Testing Office Staff by Half

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth implemented the largest staff reductions in the history of the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), an independent Pentagon office established in 1983. The cuts reduced personnel from 94 to 46 and shrank the office's oversight portfolio from 251 programs to 152, including the removal of the Army's new XM7 rifle from the oversight list.

Hegseth stated the overhaul promotes efficiency to ensure "warfighters get what they need faster." The Pentagon maintains it remains committed to statutory requirements for independent analysis while pursuing a transformation to fast-track emerging technology.

Critics and oversight experts argue the move prioritizes speed over safety and accountability. Greg Williams of the Project On Government Oversight warned that reduced supervision increases the risk of fielding faulty equipment, drawing parallels to the M16 rifle's failures during the Vietnam War. Williams noted that while software may fail fast, doing so with weapons in combat is a different and more dangerous matter.