Robert Salesses testifies on Capitol Hill. (Stefani Reynolds/Zuma Press) Robert Salesses, a longtime assistant defense secretary, is now the acting defense secretary, Pentagon officials said.

At the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Salesses said the Pentagon will come up with $50 billion in offsets from the Biden administration's fiscal year 2026 budget.

In a statement, Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said the cuts were being conceived to pay for other Trump administration defense priorities, including a desired “Iron Dome for ...

Robert Salesses, a deputy director in the Department of Defense, said the Pentagon will “cease unnecessary spending that set our military back under the previous administration, including ...