Elon Musk, who was named co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the incoming Trump administration, criticized the Pentagon's waste of budget, pointing out that "there are still idiots who make manned fighter jets like the F-35."
On Monday, he called for replacing manned fighter jets with unmanned drones and drastically reducing defense budgets, citing the Pentagon as the first target of federal government reform.
Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-based company named as co-head of the DOGE, also agreed that "cutting the Pentagon budget is a priority."
Musk criticized the Pentagon for wasting its budget by posting simultaneously on his and the government's Efficiency Department X account.
The U.S. military's $28 million payment to the Afghan side for licensing fees for disguised uniforms used by Afghan forces was cited as a "budget waste case."
The Trump administration's plans to cut defense spending are likely to affect allies such as South Korea and Japan.
But there are also growing concerns that cuts to the defense budget could benefit companies close to Trump, including Musk's SpaceX and Peter Thiel's Palantir.
Meanwhile, Trump's transition team is operating through secret donations, and criticism has been raised over the lack of transparency and conflicts of interest.
In particular, the details of donations are not disclosed, raising ethical issues and controversy over fairness.
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