The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is in the process of making sweeping cuts across the Federal government workforce and program landscape, but its impact on the Department of Defense (DoD) – particularly on cybersecurity efforts – remains unclear.
Despite that uncertainty, one top Pentagon official is voicing concerns about even the smallest potential reductions in DoD’s cybersecurity budget.
“I’m hoping that there’s some sort of insulation from DOGE when it comes to cyber defense and zero trust,” Randy Resnick, director for the DoD’s Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office, said on March 11 during a Merlin Group event in Washington, D.C.
“What I’m more concerned about is how the budgets of the components who need to purchase these things will be affected,” he said.
While he couldn’t speak to potential cuts directly, Resnick predicted that IT funding would likely see no more than a 10 percent reduction. He emphasized that cybersecurity has become a critical priority at the DoD, and any cuts could significantly hinder these vital efforts.
“I’m imagining that the funds of devices and systems – in IT particularly – might be impacted, but maybe just slightly, around 10 percent, though we don’t know for sure,” Resnick said.
DOGE is already shuffling through DoD’s budget, but reported cuts thus far have been minimal, and targeting what the department is labeling “social sciences,” which includes research on climate change.
In a video posted to X, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell read from a list detailing $80 million in savings identified by DOGE. But this first round of DOGE’s Pentagon cuts, represents just about 0.009 percent of the department’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget of around $852.2 billion budget – which includes earmarks for cybersecurity investments, space operations, and a pay increase for servicemembers.
DoD also is expected to receive an additional funding bump. First comes from the continuing resolution (CR) legislation, currently under review in Congress, which would increase defense spending by about $6 billion above FY 2024 levels. Second is a push made by House and Senate Republicans for at least a $100 billion increase in defense spending over the next decade to support President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Democrats, however, have strongly opposed additional increases to the DoD’s budget, arguing that it would increase the national debt, which will have to be reckoned with by lawmakers this fall when addressing the debt ceiling.
But despite this uncertainty Resnick said the department will keep moving on its cybersecurity efforts.
“We’re still going, we’re still moving, because we need to provide that guidance and oversight, and we’ll deal with the ramifications, whatever they are – hopefully minor – as [these cuts] roll out,” he said.
