US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the ‘disestablishment’ of the Office of Net Assessment (ONA), a key Pentagon unit responsible for strategic analysis.

This was reported by Breaking Defense.

In a memo by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dated March 13, obtained by the Breaking Defense, all ONA employees are to be transferred to other positions and their contracts are to be terminated.

As Breaking Defense explains, the Office of Net Assessment was actually an internal Pentagon think tank. It was engaged in classified long-term strategic research. In particular, it assessed threats, trends, risks, and opportunities that could determine the geopolitical situation over the next 20-30 years.

In the document signed by Hegseth, the Pentagon’s performance improvement officer and director of the Office of Management and Budget are ordered to transfer all civilian employees to other “mission-critical positions” within the department. At the same time, military personnel are to return to duty and receive new assignments.

In addition, the Pentagon’s chief acquisition officer has been instructed to “ensure that necessary steps are taken” to cancel all contracts awarded for ONA’s needs.

It is expected that the cancellation of these contracts will affect the activities of several think tanks and research organizations in Washington.

“This decision ensures that our resources are focused on the most pressing national security challenges while maintaining accountability and efficiency,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

At the same time, as the publication notes, ONA is likely to continue its activities in a certain format. The memorandum instructs the Deputy Secretary of Defense to prepare a plan to restore the office within 30 days in a manner “consistent with priorities.”

This realignment comes amid a shift in U.S. foreign policy and the Secretary of Defense’s order to senior Pentagon and military leaders to develop plans to cut the defense budget by 8 percent over the next five years.

The Pentagon’s budget for 2025 is about $850 billion. And there is a consensus among U.S. policymakers that significant spending is necessary to deter threats.

If the proposed budget cuts are adopted in full, they will amount to tens of billions of dollars in each of the next five years

The document also states that funding for several key regional headquarters, including the Indo-Pacific, Northern, and Space Commands, will continue. However, the list does not include the European, Central and African Commands.