Feds waste billions keeping ancient tech on life support



The federal government’s bloated, outdated information systems have finally come under scrutiny. On his first day in office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders to cut waste and boost efficiency. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reinforced that mandate, spending his first 100 days reviewing the Pentagon “from top to bottom to ensure that we're getting more, faster, better, and more efficient.”

Earlier this month, Hegseth announced that in partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency, officials had uncovered $5.1 billion in savings — “and that's just the beginning.” That’s a good start. But if the DOGE hopes to prove its worth, it must confront the federal government’s disastrous record on IT spending and performance.

Companies should not have to wade through red tape at every agency — or even within the same agency — to deploy new solutions.

It can’t happen fast enough. A staggering 80% of the annual $100 billion IT spending goes to maintaining decades-old systems. According to the Government Accountability Office, “The older the systems are, the more the upkeep costs — and older systems are more vulnerable to hackers.”

Not only is outdated software expensive to maintain, but it also poses a significant vulnerability for our government — and that is particularly dangerous when it comes to national defense.

The Trump administration should make it a top priority to modernize federal IT infrastructure while also addressing how we got such a dysfunctional IT infrastructure in the first place.

Targeting outdated regulations

In today’s AI world, government agencies cannot adapt to the most innovative and efficient technology when burdened with regulations often written before the internet even existed.

The Department of Defense is a prime example. The U.S. military buys IT systems in a ridiculously bureaucratic fashion. It takes years and millions of dollars for a company — regardless of size — to get its software approved just to pitch a product to the department. When time and money are of the essence, the only firms that can wade through the red tape are big, entrenched companies with lawyers and lobbyists to throw at outdated rules.

RELATED: How DEI took a sledgehammer to the US military’s war ethos

Bilal photos via iStock/Getty Images

This procurement model directly clashes with how the private sector works. In the business world, innovators attract investment quickly. The Pentagon, by contrast, consistently favors large, well-connected firms over smaller companies and startups. Promising new technologies get ignored.

It’s the defense contractor model over the SpaceX model — and we’re paying the price.

Streamlining the regulators

Fixing the rules isn’t enough. We need to fix the people who enforce them. Right now, overlapping Defense Department bureaucracies oversee the procurement and deployment of new technology. A single point of contact — with one set of rules — would reduce red tape and create a unified standard for the department to follow.

That standard should reach beyond the Defense Department. Companies shouldn’t have to navigate a maze of conflicting rules across agencies — or even within the same agency — just to deploy new solutions. Procurement reform, including better training and clearer rules, must be a core part of the DOGE’s mission.

Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act made some progress, but much more still needs to be done.

Falling behind on technological modernization in defense is not just an economic disadvantage but a threat to national security. As the DOGE takes a much-needed axe to inflated government spending, let’s make sure we also cut burdensome regulations that hinder innovation and improvement. We must unleash the power of American innovation to equip our military with the finest tools — otherwise, our enemies will beat us to it.

Hegseth blocks Democrats’ smear tactics in fiery Senate showdown: 'I won't fall for it'



Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday regarding the department's fiscal year 2026 budget request — his fourth hearing this month.

Hegseth faced heated exchanges during the hearing as Democratic lawmakers pressed him with hypothetical scenarios aimed at portraying President Donald Trump's administration as overreaching and authoritarian.

'It's all meant to attempt to smear the commander in chief, and I won't fall for it.'

Democrats grilled Hegseth on the Trump administration's strategy amid the escalating tension between Israel and Iran, the deployment of troops in Los Angeles, and the termination of "qualified" military leaders.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) questioned Hegseth's leadership abilities, claiming the DOD "has been consumed by high turnover and disarray" since the secretary's confirmation.

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Senator Jack Reed. Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Hegseth countered Reed's critique by highlighting global instability under the prior administration, citing the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

"That was a view of weakness and chaos unleashed by the Biden administration under the previous defense secretary," Hegseth said, referring to former Sec. Lloyd Austin. "So, if a few changes have to be made in the first portion of my term in order to get it right, I think that's pretty acceptable to establish deterrence and rebuild our military and restore the warrior ethos."

Several Democratic leaders decried Trump's decision to send National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid the anti-immigration enforcement protests that turned destructive and violent.

"What he's doing may well be illegal," declared Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). "I want to ask you about contingency plans for the use of active duty military in other cities. Do you have such contingency plans?"

Blumenthal noted that he was "deeply disturbed and alarmed" by Trump's move.

Hegseth retorted, "Senator, I would just say, we share the president's view that, as you characterized it, we are 'deeply disturbed and alarmed' that [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers are being attacked while doing their job in any city in America."

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) also questioned Hegseth about the deployed troops, pressing the secretary with outlandish hypotheticals.

"You claim lethality is your top priority. Do you plan to unleash this lethal force against U.S. citizens and civilians in L.A. and other cities?" Hirono asked.

Hegseth rejected the senator's characterization.

"I would like to have a professional response," Hirono snapped.

"Given this regime's dangerous policy of mobilizing troops inside the U.S., the politicizing of the military is a legitimate concern," she continued. "If ordered by the president — I'm going to ask you once again — to shoot peaceful protesters in the legs, would you carry out such an order from the president?"

Hegseth replied, "I reject the premise of your question and the characterization that I would be given or are given unlawful orders. It's all meant to attempt to smear the commander in chief, and I won't fall for it."

RELATED: President Trump has constitutional and statutory authority to use the National Guard domestically

Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) used his time to defend Hegseth after Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) claimed that the secretary would never be "held accountable" for allegedly disclosing military actions over the messaging application Signal.

Mullin fired back, "I wonder who was held accountable for the disastrous withdrawal out of Afghanistan, where 13 soldiers died and left thousands of Americans behind underneath Secretary Austin's lead?"

"Did one person get held accountable during that time?" Mullins questioned.

The senator defended Hegseth's record at the DOD after Democrats proclaimed that the department had been plagued with turmoil under his leadership.

Mullin noted that the DOD had the "lowest morale measured in our military history" and "absolutely disastrous" retention rates under Austin.

"You had recruitments that wasn't even meeting lowered standards that you guys lowered," Mullin told his fellow lawmakers. "Now, we have the highest morale that's been measured in decades in the military. We have recruiting numbers that are exceeding expectations."

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Patel and Bongino's FBI foils government insider's anti-Trump plot to give classified US intel to foreign power: DOJ



A government employee's frustration with President Donald Trump's administration allegedly led him to attempt to betray his country. This revelation follows FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s vow to expose deep-state bad actors.

The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that the FBI arrested a Defense Intelligence Agency IT specialist for "attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government."

'This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats.'

Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia, began working for the Defense Department's DIA in 2019. His position within the agency's Insider Threat Division allowed him "Top Secret security clearance," the DOJ stated.

The FBI launched an investigation into Laatsch in March after the bureau received a tip that he had "offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government," according to the DOJ's press release, which did not specify the country.

Laatsch appeared to reveal his motivation in an alleged email, writing that he did not "agree or align with the values of this administration" and would be willing to share "completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation."

According to the Daily Mail, Laatsch called the Trump administration's actions "extremely disturbing."

"I do not see the trajectory of things changing, and do not think it is appropriate or right to do nothing when I am in this position," he allegedly wrote.

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Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

In subsequent communications, Laatsch bragged that it would be difficult for authorities to catch him, the Daily Mail reported.

"It will not be easy for them, for example, to open a case on me without my knowledge since my permissions to see that would need to be changed and I'd notice," he allegedly stated.

The DOJ claimed that Laatsch believed he was interacting with an official with the foreign government when he was actually interacting with an FBI agent.

Laatsch allegedly began transcribing classified information on a notepad, hid it in his clothing to sneak it out of his work, and told the agent that he was prepared to turn over the intel.

"Thereafter, the FBI implemented an operation at a public park in northern Virginia, where Laatsch believed he would deposit the classified information for the foreign government to retrieve. On or about May 1, 2025, FBI surveillance observed Laatsch proceed to the specified location and deposit an item," the DOJ stated.

The FBI obtained Laatsch's alleged thumb drive, which was found to contain "multiple typed documents" marked with "Secret or Top Secret" information.

A message, allegedly from Laatsch, stated that the intel was intended to "decently demonstrate the range of types of products" to which he had access and could provide to the foreign power.

Laatsch allegedly told the FBI agent, who he still believed to be the foreign official, that he was seeking "citizenship for your country" in exchange for the sensitive information because he did not "expect[] things here to improve in the long term," presumably referring to the U.S.

According to the DOJ, he also claimed that he was "not opposed to other compensation." However, he noted that he was not in need of "material compensation."

RELATED: 3 cases the FBI is FINALLY investigating under Trump

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Again, on May 29, Laatsch attempted to turn over additional information at a second scheduled drop, the DOJ stated. The FBI arrested Laatsch after obtaining the documents.

Patel reacted to Laatsch's arrest, writing in a post on X, "Today, an IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested for attempting to transmit classified national defense information to a foreign government."

"This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats. The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and thanks our law enforcement partners for their critical support," Patel added.

Laatsch's first court appearance was slated for Friday.

ABC News reported that Laatsch does not yet have an attorney listed in online court records to speak on his behalf.

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Hegseth's chief of staff makes abrupt exit in latest Pentagon shake-up amid leak turmoil: Report



Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, reportedly made an abrupt exit from the agency on Friday.

Kasper was previously expected to leave his position for another opportunity within the DOD. However, a senior official told Newsweek he would return to a government relations and consulting position for the Trump administration.

'You make changes over time, and we're grateful for everything Joe's done.'

The official told the news outlet, "Joe Kasper will continue to serve President Trump as a Special Government Employee (SGE) handling special projects at the Department of Defense. Secretary Hegseth is thankful for his continued leadership and work to advance the America First agenda."

Kasper is the fifth official to exit the agency over the past week amid a Pentagon shake-up as a result of an investigation into internal leaks.

Former Senior Adviser Dan Caldwell, former Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, and former Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary Colin Carroll were previously removed and escorted out of the Pentagon.

The three released a joint statement following their removal.

"Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door. All three of us served our country honorably in uniform—for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," the statement read. "And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it."

A source previously told Politico that Kasper was involved with the officials' removal, claiming he was attempting to consolidate power.

"Kasper did not like that those guys had the secretary's ear," the source stated. "He did not like that they had walk-in and hanging-out privileges in the office. He wanted them out. It was a knife fight."

During a Tuesday interview with Fox News, Hegseth stood behind Kasper, calling him "a great guy" and "a great American."

"He has done a fantastic job for us at the Defense Department," he continued. "He's staying with us, going to be in a slightly different role, but he's not going anywhere, certainly not fired. You make changes over time, and we're grateful for everything Joe's done."

Regarding the removal of the three Pentagon officials, Hegseth stated, "When we had leaks, which we have had here, we did a serious leak investigation. And through that leak investigation, unfortunately, we found some folks that we believe that were not holding to the protocols that we hold dear here at the Defense Department. Through that investigation, they have been moved on and that investigation continues."

The DOD did not respond to a request for comment from Politico.

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Two separate pieces attempting to lather up more Pete Hegseth controversy were published on Sunday, another coordinated campaign to take him down.