![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26067414454574.jpg\")
Attribution: APA thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike in Iran on March 8.<\/p>\n
Chat, is it good when\u2014in the middle of what the Wall Street Journal describes<\/a> as \u201cAir War in Iran Gives Way to Crippling Stalemate in Hormuz\u201d\u2014the Defense Department decreases its Army pilot flight training hours to the mandatory minimum?<\/p>\n What about when it cancels its Army Sapper Leader Course on combat engineering or all of its artillery training courses?<\/p>\n Pffft, warfighters don\u2019t need that stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whiskey Pete<\/a>, pay no attention to the Pentagon\u2019s internal plan saying that the Army Corps\u2019 aviation units would be deploying next year at \u201ca lower state of readiness\u201d or that it would take an entire year for units to build back \u201ccombat proficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, at least it\u2019s only one branch of the military that has to deal with this, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n Wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told<\/a> Congress Tuesday that the Navy could run out of money by July, which could cause interruptions in training and other operations.<\/p>\n It\u2019s honestly astonishing that the military could be facing any sort of shortfall given that the Pentagon\u2019s budget\u2014initially set<\/a> at $839 billion for this fiscal year\u2014got a $156 billion boost, bumping it to nearly $1 trillion. And next year, if President Donald Trump and Hegseth get their way, it will have<\/a> $1.5 trillion to completely mismanage.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Hegseth doesn\u2019t have that money yet, now does he? Right now, Trump\u2019s ridiculous war in Iran has burned through \u2026 well, the Pentagon doesn\u2019t actually know how much the war has cost thus far. It could be $29 billion<\/a>, it could be $40 to 50 billion<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s neat how government spending is now an untraceable mess.\u00a0<\/p>\n One would think that being stuck in an expensive war with no end in sight might spur a defense secretary to implement more training, but nope. The right thing to do during a war is to purge<\/a> high-level military personnel\u2014because you\u2019re jealous that the Navy secretary got more face time with Dear Leader\u2014and to block<\/a> promotions of Black people and women\u2014because gross, they\u2019re not warfighters.<\/p>\n Hegseth is a vicious toddler who couldn\u2019t balance a checkbook, much less responsibly handle nearly $1 trillion. At the end of the 2025 fiscal year, he spent nearly $93 billion<\/a> in one month.<\/p>\n The Pentagon has been doing<\/a> this sort of last-minute frenzied spending for at least a decade, spanning both Democratic and Republican presidencies. Money left unspent at the end of the fiscal year goes away, so it\u2019s a use-it-or-lose-it situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Hegseth\u2019s spending spree was orders of magnitude larger than in previous years. The guy blew $225 million on furniture and tossed in a $98,329 grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff. And how about a little $5 million for iPads?<\/p>\n But, of course, Hegseth is not alone in draining the coffers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s little trick of sending National Guard troops across the country to whatever city he was mad at cost around<\/a> $496 million last year. If he keeps up the pace, it could reach<\/a> $1.1 billion.<\/p>\n Remember how the so-called Department of Government Efficiency was going to root out fraud and waste? Perhaps it should have started with the Pentagon\u2014it\u2019s the only agency that has been completely unable<\/a> to pass an unmodified financial audit. From 2017 to 2024, the Pentagon copped to $10.8 billion in confirmed fraud, but the Government Accountability Office said that reflected \u201conly a small fraction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The administration keeps showering money on federal law enforcement and the military because those are the only federal personnel who Trump cares about. But that isn\u2019t leading to full staffing by competent people.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, we\u2019ve got Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits with criminal charges<\/a> and failed drug tests. They can\u2019t meet the physical requirements, and they can\u2019t pass an open-book test. Perhaps slashing their training wasn\u2019t the best idea?<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26066756327340.jpg\")
Attribution: APAn Army carry team moves a flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Sgt. Declan Coady, who was killed in a drone strike in Kuwait after Trump launched his war in Iran.<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26082612792400.jpg\")
Attribution: APPresident Donald Trump speaks with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on March 23.<\/p>\n