Tag Archives: military

Mediaite reports: “The most important briefcase in the world, carried by the military and never far from the President of the United States,” said CNN’s Barbara Starr, adding, “The case holds the highly classified equipment and authorities needed for our president to order the military to launch a nuclear weapon.” Because Trump is not attending the inauguration, where the briefcase …

The Associated Press reports: U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event. The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the …

From the military site Defense One: The roughly 25,000 National Guardsmen deployed to the U.S. capital to ensure President-elect Joe Biden is able to be sworn in peacefully went through an additional background check to weed out any whiff of domestic extremism. “For this deployment everybody is screened additionally, but it’s more of a reassurance, because we do everything we …

The military site Defense One reports: The Pentagon, in a break with tradition, will not host an Armed Forces Farewell tribute to President Donald Trump. It’s a shame, but not a surprise. Trump will leave office in disgrace, one week after the House voted a second time for his impeachment, two weeks after his supporters staged a deadly siege in …

The New York Post reports: An Army psychological warfare officer is being investigated for busing people more than 300 miles to attend the Trump rally that turned into deadly riots at the Capitol, Army officials have confirmed. Capt. Emily Rainey, 30, confirmed to the Associated Press that she led more than 100 people to Washington, DC, on Wednesday as part …

The Military Times reports: Troops from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Virginia joined those from D.C. Leaving their homes and jobs, the Guard troops are here, three days after two Air Force veterans were killed and three others died in an attempted insurrection. They are here to help ensure it does not happen again. “I never thought I would see …

From the military site Task & Purpose: A retired Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonel who was seen in pictures of insurrectionists storming the Senate floor on Jan. 6 has been charged by federal authorities, according to the Justice Department. Larry Rendell Brock was arrested on Sunday in Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has announced. Brock …

Politico reports: Lawmakers’ rebuke of President Donald Trump’s efforts to tank annual defense policy legislation last week has paved the way for a yearslong process to remove the names of Confederate leaders from military bases and scrub other monuments to the secession. But there are still unanswered questions about the nascent process, which must kick off by March, including who …

The Washington Post reports: The time to question election results has passed, and there is no role for the military in changing them, all of the living former defense secretaries said in an extraordinary rebuke to President Trump and other Republicans who are backing unfounded claims of widespread fraud at the ballot box. The former Pentagon chiefs issued their warning …

The Hill reports: More than two-thirds of the House voted Monday to override President Trump’s veto of a must-pass defense policy bill, the first successful override vote of Trump’s presidency. The vote is ongoing, but a sufficient number of lawmakers have voted to send the action to the Senate, which also needs to muster two-thirds support in order for Trump’s …

The Hill reports: The House appears poised to override President Trump’s veto of the must-pass annual defense policy bill, a dramatic rebuke of Trump in the final days of his presidency. House lawmakers will vote Monday on overriding Trump’s rejection of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed both chambers of Congress with more than the …

Stars And Stripes reports: Troops serving in Space Force are now referred to as Guardians, Vice President Mike Pence announced Friday. “It is my honor on behalf of the president to announce henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as Guardians,” Pence said during a ceremony to celebrate Space Force’s first birthday, which …

Politico reports: Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, once viewed as a long-shot candidate to be President-elect Joe Biden’s defense secretary, has been chosen to lead the Pentagon, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. The decision comes two weeks after Biden announced the other senior members of his national security team. In recent days, Austin, the former commander of …

ABC News reports: Gen. Gustave Perna, who is leading Operation Warp Speed’s effort to distribute coronavirus vaccines nationwide, told ABC News he is confident that vaccines will be “on the street” and headed to communities just 24 hours after being authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. While the first two vaccines to be distributed will likely be from Pfizer …

Via press release from the Defense Department: The Department has received notice that pursuant to the Presidential Transition Act, the GSA Administrator is making certain post-election resources and services available to the Biden-Harris Transition Team. This evening, DOD has been contacted by the Biden-Harris team and their designated lead for the DOD Agency Review Team and, based on the ascertainment …

The New York Times reports: President Trump asked senior advisers in an Oval Office meeting on Thursday whether he had options to take action against Iran’s main nuclear site in the coming weeks. The meeting occurred a day after international inspectors reported a significant increase in the country’s stockpile of nuclear material, four current and former U.S. officials said on …

CNN reports: US military commanders are anticipating that a formal order will be given by President Donald Trump as soon as this week to begin a further withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq before Trump leaves office on January 20, according to two US officials familiar. The Pentagon has issued a notice to commanders known as a “warning …

NBC News reports: Secret recordings of a militant neo-Nazi organization called The Base reveal that the group is recruiting people with military expertise in the U.S. and Canada to train in military operations and prepare to take advantage of what they believe is impending societal collapse. The audio recordings are from calls between the leader of The Base and more …

And nothing will be done about it: President Trump’s reelection campaign is using the Pentagon’s senior civilian and uniformed officials in a new online advertisement, in violation of standing Pentagon policy. The ad, which appeared as recently as Monday and targets possible mail-in voters, features a photo of Trump with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman …

The Week reports: At least one of the president’s five military aides tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, after Trump himself tested positive, CNN first reported and Bloomberg confirmed. The aides, each representing one branch of the U.S. military, stay close to Trump at all times, and carry his emergency briefcase known as the “nuclear football.” The aide is …