5 challenges the Trump Pentagon will face in 2017

Let's face it. As 2016 has shown, we live in a dangerous world.

Furthermore, there are real problems and challenges at the Pentagon, like $125 billion in "administrative waste" over the last five years.

In less than a month, a new team takes charge, which is to be lead by retired Marine Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to serve as Secretary of Defense.

So, what are some of the challenges that "Mad Dog" and his team will face?

1. Getting the nuclear house in order

Most of America's strategic delivery systems are older than music superstar, sometime actress, and veteran serenader Taylor Swift.

Of the two that are younger than her, only one isn't "feeling 22" as the hit song puts it. In fact, in some case, very outdated tech is being used. How outdated? Try 8-inch floppy disks in an era when a micro SD card capable of holding 128 gigabytes costs less than $40.

America's nuclear arsenal needs to be updated, quickly.

2. Streamlining the civilian workforce

Don't get us wrong, most civilian employees at the Department of Defense do a lot of good. But as the active duty military dropped from 1.73 million in Sep. 2005 to just under 1.33 million in Sep. 2016, the civilian workforce increased from 663,866 to 733,992, according to Pentagon reports.

California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert noted in a Washington Examiner op-ed that the ratio of civilian employees to uniformed personnel is at a historical high.

There was $125 billion of "administrative waste" over the last five years. That money could have bought a lot of gear for the troops. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible, with Iran and China, among other countries, getting a little aggressive. The DOD's business is to fight wars, and a little refocusing on military manpower might be needed.

3. Acquisition Reform

It is taking longer to deliver weapon systems to the troops, and they are getting more expensive.

The Air Force announced the B-21 Raider earlier this year. But it might not be in service until the mid-2020s at the very earliest — and the B-52 isn't getting any younger. The F-35 has taken almost 15 years to reach an initial operational capability after the winner was chosen in 2001.

By comparison, Joe Baugher notes that the F-111 took about five years from the selection of General Dynamics to the first planes reaching operational squadrons — and that drew controversy back then.

4. Cyber warfare

With some of the hacks that have gone on, it's amazing that so many people find this a snoozer. Keep in mind, this October, a massive cyberattack cost companies over $110 million — enough to buy a F-35B.

And the Pentagon needs to tighten its defenses — this past June, over 130 bugs were found when DOD offered "bug bounties" to so-called "white hat" hackers. While it's nice a lot of the bugs were found… did the "white hats" miss any?

5. Old Equipment

Age isn't just striking the nuclear force. Many of the systems used for conventional warfare are old as well. In a commentary for the Washington Examiner, Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA) noted that many F-15 Eagle fighters are over 30 years old. To put this into context, take a look at how old three music superstars are: Taylor Swift is 27, Ariana Grande is 23, and Ke$ha is 29. It's past time for recapitalization.