Will Trump and Musk
Wreck or Reform the Pentagon?
Zanny Minton Beddoes / Editor-in-chief The Economi

(February 13, 2025)  — I am writing this week’s newsletter from a plane on my way to the Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday. The conversation will undoubtedly be dominated by Donald Trump. From his overtures to Vladimir Putin to his plans for overhauling the Pentagon and taking ownership of Gaza, Mr Trump has—in just three weeks—upended the world of geopolitics. Our covers this week address two important elements of this upheaval.

The Pentagon is the focus of our cover in most of the world. After feeding America’s foreign aid into the woodchipper, Mr Trump has set Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on America’s armed forces. Their work could not be more important, or more risky.

If Mr Musk sparks chaos, the consequences for America’s security could be catastrophic. As our briefing explains, America’s military supremacy is in jeopardy. The problems are clearest in the use of technology on the battlefield. The drones over Ukraine, for example, are upgraded every few weeks.

Behind this is a nightmare of budgets, aggravated by congressional squabbling and pork-barrelling politicians. Attempts to reform the military-industrial complex have failed before. Mr Musk’s task is big and tricky. But, as our leader argues, there are reasons to think this time could be different.

Our cover in Britain and Europe looks towards Germany. Last week I travelled with Chris Lockwood, our Europe editor, and Tom Nuttall, our Berlin bureau chief, to interview Friedrich Merz, who will probably become Germany’s chancellor after an election on February 23rd. I have met Mr Merz several times before, but this was the first time I’ve done a formal interview with him. He was relaxed and confident, speaking to us for an hour in flawless English. He was refreshingly candid about the scale of Germany’s challenges, admitting its “business model is gone”.

Unfortunately, we found him less impressive on solutions. From how to pay for the higher defence spending Germany will inevitably require, to how to reboot the defunct German business model, Mr Merz was surprisingly incremental and small-bore in his proposals. Two weeks before the election some caution from the front-runner is inevitable.

My worry is that by failing to prepare the electorate for bolder change, he will not have the mandate to do what Germany so desperately needs. Our leader asks whether he is capable of the task that lies ahead: saving Germany—and Europe