Hegseth Says the Pentagon Is on ‘Wartime Footing’ In Case Our ‘Adversaries FAFO’
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared Friday that the Pentagon was readying its soldiers in case U.S. enemies decide to “FAFO,” or as the kids say, “f*ck around and find out.”
In a wordy announcement, Hegseth said he’s taking steps to make it easier for the Pentagon to become battle-ready.
“We are not just buying something. We are solving life-and-death problems for our war fighters,” Hegseth said. “We’re not building for peacetime; we are pivoting the Pentagon and industrial base to a wartime footing. Building for victory should our adversaries FAFO.”
Hegseth continued:
That’s why today, at my direction, the Department of War is delivering a plan to streamline test and evaluation requirements. Testing early and often is essential at early stages of development, but testing for the sake of testing inhibits progress and delays delivery.
We will shine a light on performance standards as well, which is why today at my direction, we are mandating portfolio scorecards with primary performance measures focusing on what truly matters: The time it takes to put weapons in the hands of our men and women who use it if and when necessary.
We will also continue to focus on operational availability and mission capabilities rates of our current weapon systems. Far too many systems are not able to fight right now as they languish in depots and shipyards for repairs and maintenance, or wait years for parts and the prime contractor to repair the system. We will maximize the number of weapons systems that are available for conflict. The faster we can deliver modern weapons systems, the faster we can retire decades-old legacy systems.
Hegseth’s announcement comes as President Donald Trump continues to float the idea of making land strikes in Venezuela to stop drug trafficking into the United States. The administration has been staging airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific against suspected drug-transport boats, although it has not provided proof to Congress. Nearly 70 people have been killed so far.
