OREANDA-NEWS  US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the top leadership of the Pentagon and the entire US army to develop plans to reduce the defense budget by 8% over each of the next five years, the Washington Post reports.

Hegseth ordered the proposed cuts to be prepared by February 24.

According to an internal memo quoted by the publication, the administration of US President Donald Trump proposes to make an exception for 17 items of expenditure, including "actions on the southern border of the United States," the improvement of nuclear weapons and air defense, the acquisition of attack UAVs and some types of ammunition.

The construction of warships is a priority, the memorandum says, but it does not specify what type of vessels it is referring to.

The Hegseth directive also prioritizes military construction projects in the Pacific region, where the Trump administration views China as the main rival of the United States.

According to the newspaper, the proposed cuts (if approved) will save tens of billions of dollars annually over the next five years.

The Pentagon chief's budget directive follows the Trump administration's order to compile lists of thousands of Defense Department employees on probation who are expected to be laid off this week.

According to NBC, citing informed sources, Hegseth is also considering the possibility of dismissing a number of generals as early as this week. According to officials, most of those who could be fired were related to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.