Summary and Key Points: Under President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative, the Pentagon’s costly programs, particularly the B-52J upgrade and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, face potential scrutiny and cuts.
-With a directive to slash military budgets by 8% annually over five years, DOGE will likely examine the delayed, over-budget B-52J modernization effort, including engine, radar, and avionics upgrades.
-Given that the B-21 Raider remains on track and under budget, DOGE might advocate focusing solely on the new stealth bomber, potentially ending the aging B-52’s costly updates. This strategic choice could streamline spending, signaling significant changes for Air Force acquisition priorities.
B-21 vs. B-52J Bomber?
You would have to have lived in a cave since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in order not to know the federal government’s procedures and activities are being altered beyond recognition.
The president and his faithful companion Elon Musk are throwing figurative grenades at the American bureaucracy. Now the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is being tasked to take on waste in the U.S. military.
There is even an account on Musk’s social media platform, X, where users can report Department of Defense budgetary malfeasance to DOGE.
Look No Further than the B-52J Modernization Effort
DOGE will likely take on defense acquisition programs that have cost overruns and schedule slips. One project on the chopping block could be the B-52J, an upgrade program to replace the venerable B-52’s engine, radar, and avionics.
Musk and his team might also target the B-21 Raider. This next-generation stealth bomber will cost an eye-watering $550 million per unit, and that is just the initial estimate.
Can the U.S. Air Force continue to run the B-52J and B-21 Raider programs at the same time? DOGE may recommend the Air Force make a tough choice. Continue with the B-52J upgrades, or build 100 to 200 B-21s as planned. DOGE may say the Air Force is forbidden from pursuing both projects at once.
This might put an end to the modernization of the B-52, which is not a stealthy aircraft and is way past its shelf life.
Can the Air Force Have Both the B-52J and the B-21?
The B-52J upgrades include Rolls-Royce F130 engines, fresh radar systems, and an avionics renewal. All three upgrades are badly needed and will allow the B-52 to serve into the 2050s. That sounds great, but the upgrade package may not be ready until 2033—three years behind schedule. That is around the same time the B-21 will be ready to come online.
That is why DOGE might decide to promote austerity soon. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has already called for an 8 percent reduction in military spending for each of the next five years.
That means the DOGE hatchet men are looking for fat to cut, and the B-52J update program could be headed for slaughter.
All DOGE has to do is read a damning report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO noted that the B-52J update process was supposed to be done by 2030.
Here’s an example of the issues identified by the GAO: “B-52 RMP [Readiness Management Periods] declared a cost breach in September 2023 due to issues with lab testing. Costs grew by 12.6 percent since the program’s initial estimate in 2021 due to additional hardware and labor for three integration labs, installation of test equipment, and an additional year of contractor support.”
In the FY 25 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress earmarked $1 billion for the B-52J. If the upgrade stopped at just the engine replacement, the Air Force could take the savings from canceling the new radars and avionics and send that money to the B-21.
Or, it could simply chalk up the funds as required defense cuts. It would of course take some work to renegotiate contracts with defense firms, but it is an idea that DOGE could use to save time and money.
These are the types of ideas that DOGE wants to implement, and that Secretary of Defense Hegseth is looking for. But another shiny new object that could stand out to the budget cutters is the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.
This might cost around $300 million per plane. But, at least for now, that looks unlikely.
The B-21 Raider program, to its credit, is so far on time and under budget, and the airplane is in test mode now. The NGAD is under review without a clear design or engine choice, while the B-52J program is delayed.
It seems the B-21 may win this competition for time, money, and resources.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
