©  Virginia Mayo, Associated Press

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH is moving to overhaul the Pentagon through steep budget and staffing cuts.

Hegseth said Friday that a hiring freeze and an “aggressive” effort to fire civilian employees is on the way.

“We’re going to be thoughtful, but we’re also going to be aggressive, up and down the chain,” he said in a video posted on X.

In a memo issued this week, Hegseth directed senior Pentagon officials and military leaders to plan for an 8 percent cut to the defense budget for each year over the next five years, which would amount to about $300 billion less in military spending.

Reductions are aimed at the military command in Europe and the Middle East, while programs pertaining to nuclear weapons, submarines, attack drones, missile defense and cybersecurity would be spared.

The Pentagon also said it will look to redirect about $50 billion in the Biden administration’s budget proposal that would have gone to "so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs" and "excessive bureaucracy."

Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said money would be reallocated for border security and Trump’s proposed “Iron Dome for America” missile defense system. 

The Pentagon’s current budget is more than $850 billion. Lawmakers are generally loathe to cut defense spending. The House GOP budget endorsed by President Trump contains a $100 billion defense spending hike.

Defense spending accounted for 13 percent of all government spending last year. Medicare, Medicaid and other government insurance programs made up 24 percent of the budget, followed by Social Security at 21 percent.

Democrats and defense hawks expressed alarm.

“These types of hasty, indiscriminate budget cuts would betray our military forces and their families and make America less safe,” said Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.).

Republicans, who traditionally oppose defense cuts, took the news in stride.

“This process will enable the Secretary to offset needless and distracting programs — such as those focused on climate change and [diversity, equity and inclusion] — and direct focus on important warfighting priorities shared by the Congress,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Trump on Friday continued railing against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting Zelensky wouldn’t play a part in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“He has no cards. And you get sick of it,” Trump said on Fox News Radio.

“So, I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He makes it very hard to make deals.”

Zelensky has said Ukraine must be involved in any peace agreement, although Ukrainian officials were frozen out of a summit last week between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that former President Biden had his own frustrations with Zelensky.

However, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, called Zelensky an “embattled and courageous leader” after meeting with him this week.

And some Republicans are pushing back.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a moderate Republican, posted on X:

“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy need not, and must not, have any deal forced upon him by any outside nation that does not guarantee the security and the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said:

“Whoever believes that there is any space for Vladimir Putin in the future of a stable globe better go to Ukraine They better go to Europe; they better invest the time to understand that this man is a cancer and the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime.” 

The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is teetering.

Hamas made a spectacle of returning caskets with the remains of four Israelis who were taken hostage and killed following the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, including a 4 year-old and 9 month-old .

Their mother, Shiri Bibas, was also supposed to be returned. But Israel says the remains they received are not hers, calling it a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would pay the “full price” for sending the wrong body.

Hamas claimed it made an “error or mix up in the bodies” but said it remains committed to fulfilling “all our obligations” in the ceasefire.