Hegseth Vows to Fix Pentagon’s ‘Bad Customer’ Behavior in Push for Defense Reform
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t mince words Monday when addressing long-standing dysfunction in the Pentagon’s procurement system. In a press briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth admitted that the biggest “choke point” in the defense production pipeline wasn’t red tape from contractors — it was the Pentagon itself.
“If we don’t look at ourselves first, the way we do business, we’ve been impossible to deal with,” Hegseth said. “A bad customer who year after year changes our mind about what we want or what we don’t want.”
His remarks came in response to a question about delays in production and the bureaucratic logjam that has plagued key weapons systems. Hegseth was direct: the problem is internal confusion, shifting requirements, and a procurement process that discourages innovation.
“We make little, small technological changes, which makes it more difficult for [contractors] to produce what they need to produce on time,” Hegseth added. “We have to fix our own house first.”
The Trump administration has made streamlining defense acquisition a top priority amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific and continued rearmament efforts in Europe. Hegseth pointed to newly signed agreements with Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing as proof that progress is being made.
These new contracts include expanded production of THAAD systems, Patriot missiles, and other high-demand munitions. “That’s groundbreaking stuff,” Hegseth said. “The companies are investing because they know we’re going to be buying into the future. That’s just good business.”
Hegseth praised Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg as the driving force behind many of the recent deals. Feinberg, the billionaire financier brought in last year to reform the Pentagon’s contracting apparatus, has been quietly overhauling the way the department does business.
But the changes go deeper than dollars. Hegseth wants to end what he described as a “maze of requirements” that bogs down platforms and leaves U.S. forces stuck with outdated technology.
“By the time you navigate them, you’re five years behind the actual technology,” he warned. Instead, the Pentagon is now going to defense firms and saying, “Tell us what you can do” based on regional mission needs in places like the Indo-Pacific, Southcom, or Europe.
This flexible, outcome-driven approach is a sharp break from the rigid and overly cautious mindset that dominated past administrations. With munitions stockpiles running low and peer adversaries racing to modernize, the pressure is on to act quickly.
The Department of War’s recent framework agreements with Raytheon, which will increase capacity for five major systems, are among the first major tests of this new posture. The same goes for Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 MSE missile deal, which aims to rapidly boost inventory.
Hegseth’s comments made clear that the era of treating defense contractors like adversaries may be ending. The new approach? Partnership, clarity, and long-term planning, instead of micromanagement and mission creep.