Military

The Associated Press reports: The Air Force says in a new memo that transgender airmen ousted under a recent Trump administration directive will no longer have the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving their country. The memo dated Tuesday says military separation boards cannot independently decide whether to keep or discharge …

The Wall Street Journal reports: National Guard troops stationed in Washington, D.C., are reportedly preparing to carry weapons after initially being deployed without them. The move follows President Donald Trump’s call earlier this week to “take back” the capital from what he described as violent criminals. Roughly 800 guard members have been in the city since Tuesday, performing administrative duties …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration is evaluating plans that would establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” composed of hundreds of National Guard troops tasked with rapidly deploying into American cities facing protests or other unrest, according to internal Pentagon documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The plan calls for 600 troops to be on standby at …

“We are not gonna comment on any of the reporting from The New York Times. I wish they had a little bit more commitment to patriotism to the country about what they report on a whole slew of levels. Material like that, true or not, should never be released. Ultimately, the president ran on designating these organizations as foreign terrorist …

The New York Times reports: President Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision to bring the American military into the fight is the most aggressive step so far in the administration’s …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it would deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and would instead separate them without retirement benefits. The move means that transgender service members will now be faced with the choice of either taking a lump-sum separation payment offered …

Wired reports: A string of previously undisclosed break-ins at Tennessee National Guard armories last fall marks the latest in a growing series of security breaches at military facilities across the United States, raising fresh concerns about the vulnerability of US armories to theft and intrusion. In one incident, thieves made off with night vision goggles, laser target locators, and thermal …

The Stars & Stripes reports: The U.S. Air Force wants to purchase two Tesla Cybertrucks as targets for precision-guided munitions, citing concerns that adversaries may start using them in the future. Federal contracting documents posted online show the trucks as part of a larger buy of 33 vehicles that will be sent to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico …

The Associated Press reports: Five soldiers were shot Wednesday at Fort Stewart in Georgia, leading to a lockdown at the Army base before the shooter was arrested, officials said. The conditions of the soldiers and the circumstances of the shooting weren’t immediately clear, nor was the identity of the shooter. The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army …

The New Republic reports: An internal memo circulated inside the Department of Homeland Security suggests that Trump’s use of the military for domestic law enforcement on immigration could soon get worse. The memo — obtained by The New Republic — provides a glimpse into the thinking of top officials as they seek to involve the Defense Department more deeply in …

CBS News reports: Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the U.S. have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken found a wasp nest on July 3 on a post near …

Meteorologist Michael Lowry reports: The U.S. Navy will permanently cut its stream of data from three weather satellites essential to hurricane forecasters this Thursday, with the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season just weeks away. As I first reported on June 26th, the U.S. Department of Defense initially gave a five-day notice that the critical satellite data – regularly used …

The Christian site Beliefnet reports: In a bold move to reaffirm tradition and honor faith, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll has ordered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to restore the Academy’s historic crest to Bibles housed in the West Point Cadet Chapel. “Since the founding of West Point and before, generations of cadets, officers, and Soldiers have …

Task & Purpose reports: The Pentagon is shifting $200 million in funds previously appropriated to Marine Corps barracks, military-run schools, a jet pilot training site, facilities in Guam and more to pay for 20 miles of a partial border wall at a service testing range on the border, according to official documents. The repurposed funds would pay to replace a …

Military.com reports: The Pentagon says it is reviewing where top military officials can publicly speak as part of a growing move to allow only venues that align with the views of the Trump administration, which could affect attendance at annual military conferences. The announcement comes just more than a week after the Pentagon pulled a host of top military officials …

The Daily Mail reports: An effort is under way among some Pentagon officials to denounce Pete Hegseth as unfit to serve as Defense Secretary. Since May, drafts of a letter have been circulating among high and mid-level military brass and civilian workers to ‘Let the American public know this guy has no clue what he’s doing,’ one of them told …

404 Media reports: Pete Hegseth’s Department of Defense sent the White House an 11-page memo about the steps it has taken to comply with Donald Trump’s anti-trans executive order, according to a copy of the memo obtained by 404 Media using the Freedom of Information Act. The Pentagon said that it not only changed the signs on bathroom doors to …

The New York Times reports: Pentagon officials will begin withdrawing 700 active-duty Marines who were sent to Los Angeles last month, the latest scaling back of the Trump administration’s contentious military deployment in Southern California. The withdrawal of the Marines follows the departure of nearly 2,000 California National Guard soldiers and a smaller contingent of about 150 specialized Guard firefighters. …

NBC News reports: A SkyWest flight had to perform a go-around maneuver after it nearly collided with a second aircraft Friday before it landed in North Dakota. SkyWest said it is investigating the incident. The air traffic control tower had cleared the plane to approach the airport, but the pilot “performed a go-around when another aircraft became visible in their …

CBS News reports: Justin Fulcher, a senior staffer at the Pentagon and adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been ousted, three sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. Fulcher started at the Defense Department as a member of billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE. He was then later promoted to a post as senior adviser to Hegseth. In April, a …