Defense Secretary and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner Mark Esper is expected to finish by September zero-based budgeting reviews of combatant commands’ force posture to ensure that they meet the priorities of the National Defense Strategy, DoD News reported Tuesday.
A senior defense official said U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Africa Command have completed the review process, which comes amid the emergence of great power competition with Russia and China.
"We need to take a look at our foundation and we need to do a 'zero based review,'" the official told reporters at the Pentagon. "That is what this is all about, and every [combatant command] has to go through this process."
Esper oversaw zero-based reviews of fourth estate agencies in late 2019 and the Department of Defense found $5B in savings that can be shifted to DoD’s high-priority requirements.
