President-elect Donald Trump today met with a number of high-ranking military officials involved in weapons projects today, talking of the need to "try to bring costs down" on the biggest programs, singling out the Lockheed Martin F-35 scheme.

Trump has repeatedly called out the F-35 program's costs as "out of control." setting the stage for a potential battle with the major defense contractors who have long gotten away with huge overruns in cost above and beyond the initial estimate.

Trump praised the negotiating skills of the Pentagon brass, saying the negotiations were in the early stages but that he believes they will get the costs down "beautifully." Since Congress ultimately has the say on paying for the programs, it isn't clear how much leverage Trump has on the costs.