Defense leaders faced a sharp round of questioning from Florida Sen. Rick Scott yesterday as the Senate Armed Services Committee convened to dissect the Department of War’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 and its long-term spending plans.
The hearing featured testimony from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Under Secretary and CFO Jules W. Hurst III, and General J. Daniel Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The session opened with a focus on the current state of the military workforce. When asked about the department’s recent performance, Secretary Hegseth pointed to a significant turnaround in troop interest.
He told the committee he is most proud of the “incredible men and women who serve our nation in uniform” and their capabilities when “given a clear mission and unleashed to it.”
Hegseth reported that the military is currently seeing a level of interest from young Americans not witnessed in decades. “Men and women are more inspired to serve in the military than they have been in a generation,” Hegseth testified.
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He noted that recruiting stations are seeing 30-year highs and that the department has already met its recruitment targets for the year by the halfway mark. He attributed this spike to the department “getting back to basics,” a shift he claims has resonated with the public.
The conversation then shifted toward international trade and the defense industrial base. Sen. Scott questioned the witnesses on how the U.S. manages the sale of weaponry to foreign nations. Hegseth detailed a new “America First Arms Strategy,” which he described as a “catalog approach” designed to be more selective.
According to Hegseth, these sales are a vital pillar of domestic security. “Foreign military sales are critical to our own defense industrial base,” he explained.
He argued that expanding the customer base for U.S. defense companies directly supports American jobs while ensuring that international allies are equipped to “stand alongside” the United States in future conflicts.
The committee is set to continue its review of the FY 27 budget in the coming weeks.
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