Military

USA Today reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts. The announcement follows an order from President Trump — first announced in a tweet — declaring that transgender service members can no longer serve in the military, effectively reversing an …

Yahoo News reports: MTV is sending a message to Donald Trump. Two days after President Trump signed a directive reinstating a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military, the network invited a group of transgender military men and women to the Video Music Awards. Airman Sterling James Crutcher, Air Force Staff Sgt. Logan Ireland, Army Capt. Jennifer …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump on Friday directed the military not to move forward with an Obama-era plan that would have allowed transgender individuals to be recruited into the armed forces, following through on his intentions announced a month earlier to ban transgender people from serving. The presidential memorandum also bans the Department of Defense from using its resources to …

The Associated Press reports: The Pentagon expects to renew a ban on transgender individuals joining the military and to consider circumstances in which some currently serving transgender troops could remain in uniform, officials said Friday. The new approach would be based on formal guidance the Pentagon is expecting to receive soon from the White House. The guidance, as described by …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The White House is expected to send guidance to the Pentagon in coming days on how to implement a new administration ban on transgender people in the military, issuing a policy that will allow Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to consider a service member’s ability to deploy in deciding whether to kick them out of the …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. Navy dismissed the commander of the Asia-based 7th Fleet on Wednesday after a series of warship accidents raised questions about its operations in the Pacific. A two-sentence statement said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, had relieved Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to …

NBC News reports: The Navy’s top admiral ordered the entire fleet Monday to take a one-day “operational pause” to make sure they are running their ships safely a day after the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker off Singapore. Admiral John Richardson gave the order as a search was underway for 10 American sailors assigned to the …

The Washington Post reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with sailors serving on the submarine USS Kentucky last week in his home state of Washington, praising them for their sacrifices and expressing concern that he has “grown remote from those of you who matter.” Then he noted the up-and-down nature of military life, told the sailors that they’ll miss being …

The Hill reports: The recently confirmed secretary of the Navy says he will follow any order the president gives on transgender troops, but that “any patriot” should be allowed to serve. “We will process and take direction of a policy that is developed by the [Defense] secretary [with] direction from the president and march out smartly,” Navy Secretary Richard V. …

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: President Trump said Thursday he’s “doing the military a great favor” by seeking to ban on transgender people from the armed forces, insisting he has “great support” from the LGBT community. Asked by a reporter whether the transgender military ban, which Trump announced on Twitter last month, signified a betrayal of his promise …

USA Today reports: State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert will hold a briefing Wednesday on the heels of tense exchanges between the U.S. and North Korea. A day earlier, President Trump threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” in response to reports of a new milestone in the country’s nuclear quest. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that North Korea’s military …

Reuters reports: North Korea will develop a plan by mid-August to launch four intermediate range missiles at the U.S. territory of Guam before presenting it to leader Kim Jong Un who will make a decision on whether to proceed, the North’s state media said on Thursday. “The Hwasong-12 rockets to be launched by the KPA (Korean People’s Army) will cross …

The Independent reports: US Secretary of Defence James Mattis has warned North Korea to “cease any consideration of actions that will lead to the end of the regime and destruction of its people”. Mr Mattis issued the stern warning one day after the Washington Post reported that North Korea had developed miniaturised nuclear warheads that could be capable of striking …

Chris Johnson reports on the Washington Blade: President Trump’s recently announced plan to bar transgender people from the armed forces isn’t yet policy, but LGBT legal groups have already initiated a lawsuit seeking to enjoin enforcement of the ban. The 15-page complaint was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by National Center for Lesbian …

Karen Ocamb reports at the Washington Blade: President Donald Trump may be on a 17-day vacation but his White House has been scrambling to hand him a “win” by the time he returns. Trump’s tweets last week announcing a ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the U.S. military was turned into a “guidance” policy for implementation that passed muster …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump has become increasingly frustrated with his advisers tasked with crafting a new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and recently suggested firing the war’s top military commander during a tense meeting at the White House, according to senior administration officials. Trump repeatedly suggested that Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff …

Military.com reports: As military services await guidance following President Donald Trump’s announcement last week via Twitter of a ban on transgender service members, the commandant of the Coast Guard is speaking out, saying he has no intention of leaving transgender Coast Guardsmen out in the cold. Speaking on the topic for the first time at the Center for Strategic and …

Via press release: Fifty-six retired General and Flag Officers provided the following statement to the Palm Center today: “The Commander in Chief has tweeted a total ban of honorably serving transgender troops. This proposed ban, if implemented, would cause significant disruptions, deprive the military of mission-critical talent, and compromise the integrity of transgender troops who would be forced to live …

The Associated Press reports: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Saturday the second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated his country can hit the U.S. mainland, hours after the launch left analysts concluding that a wide swath of the United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of North Korean weapons. The Korean Central …

ABC News reports: A military transport plane crashed in Mississippi on Monday, killing at least 16 service members, the Marine Forces Reserve has confirmed. The Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi — located about 85 miles north of Jackson — at around 4 p.m. local time, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. The flight took off …