Esper Warns of ‘Legacy Systems’ Cuts Amid Virus Spending Surge
- Pentagon chief acknowledges added budget pressure coming
- Esper has favored terminating older systems to free up money
Mark Esper
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper signaled he’d protect major weapons programs from budget cuts and continue to target older “legacy systems” if the Pentagon is faced with flat or reduced funding amid surging federal spending to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
“My inclination is not to risk any of the modernization programs” but “to go back and pull out more of the legacy programs,” Esper told reporters from the Pentagon on Tuesday. “We need to invest those dollars into the future.”