Tag Archives: military

The Associated Press reports: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has confirmed a report by The Associated Press that some of the service members who were mobilized to Washington, D.C., last month in response to civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd were issued bayonets. Defense documents obtained by the AP show some were not trained in …

From the military site Task & Purpose: The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has a message for America’s sailors: Please, for the love of Poseidon and the Seven Seas, stop buying hallucinogens in the dark corners of the Internet. NCIS last week issued a warning to sailors to the risks of acquiring LSD on the so-called “dark web,” the network of …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump reaffirmed late Tuesday that he would veto this year’s proposed $740 billion annual defense bill if an amendment is included that would require the Pentagon to change the names of bases named for Confederate military leaders, his strongest rebuke against the measure amid a national reckoning over systemic racism. “I dare President Trump to …

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: Iran has issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol to help detain US President Donald Trump and others it believes carried out a drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a local prosecutor reportedly says. While Trump faces no danger of arrest, the charges underscore the heightened tensions between Iran and the …

Politico reports: Unlike last year, the July Fourth celebration will not include static displays on the mall of military ground equipment such as Bradley fighting vehicles, the two defense officials said. It was not immediately clear why the administration decided to eliminate the static displays this year, but their exclusion will likely reduce cost and crowds on the national mall. …

NBC News reports: A U.S. Army soldier has been charged with giving classified information to a white supremacist group based in Europe, according to law enforcement and military officials. The soldier is accused of providing information about troops stationed overseas to the Order of Nine Angles, a satanic neo-Nazi group, the officials told NBC News. The charges are expected to …

The New York Times reports: A Navy investigation has concluded that the two top officers aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt made poor decisions in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus on board the warship, according to a congressional aide. As a result, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, will not be restored to command of the virus-stricken ship, and his …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Thursday said that he didn’t believe it was significant that the top U.S. general apologized for his role in the president’s photo opportunity outside St John’s Church last week. Trump, who defended the controversial appearance as a “beautiful picture” during an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, did not criticize Joint Chiefs of Staff …

NBC News reports: The Pentagon’s top general discussed resigning amid criticism over his participation in President Donald Trump’s controversial photo opportunity at a Washington church, three defense officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley spent hours looking at social media and reading news articles and saw dozens of people criticizing …

The Military Times reports: Hours after the president announced he would block all efforts to remove the names of Confederate leaders from prominent U.S. military bases, lawmakers in the House and Senate both pushed to force defense leaders to make the changes anyway, calling it an issue of respect and inclusivity. On Thursday morning, Reps. Anthony Brown, D-Md., and Don …

The Washington Post reports: Army Gen. Mark Milley, the nation’s top military officer, said Thursday he was wrong to have accompanied President Donald Trump on a walk to a church through Lafayette Square, where he was photographed in his combat uniform with the presidential entourage. The statement by the Joint Chiefs chairman risked the wrath of a president sensitive to anything …

The military blog Task & Purpose reports: The Navy is following the Marine Corps in banning the display of Confederate symbols on its installations, including aboard warships and aircraft, the service announced on Tuesday. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday [photo] has directed his staff to “begin crafting an order that would prohibit the Confederate battle flag from all …

No slight shall ever be ignored: President Trump hit back at retired Gen. Colin Powell after the former secretary of State said he would be voting for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. “Colin Powell, a real stiff who was very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars, just announced he will be voting for another stiff, …

Posted to the website of the US Army: Over the past week, the country has suffered an explosion of frustration over the racial divisions that still plague us as Americans. And because your Army is a reflection of American society, those divisions live in the Army as well. We feel the frustration and anger. We felt it this week while …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump could announce as early as Monday night that he’s invoking a 213-year-old federal law that would allow him to deploy active-duty U.S. troops to respond to protests in cities across the country, according to four people familiar with the decision. The military police forces would come from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and possibly …

Politico reports: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is calling for the use of the military — including an Army division that specializes in air assault operations — to quell the violent protests that have erupted in cities across the country. Cotton, often mentioned as a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, made his push in tweets and on morning television, arguing that …

USA Today reports: The Army has determined 16 West Point cadets have tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to the campus for a commencement address by President Trump scheduled for June 13, according to sources on Capitol Hill. The affected cadets, a fraction of the 850 who have returned to the campus since spring break in March, are receiving treatment …

Axios reports: Glenn Fine, the Pentagon’s principal deputy inspector general, submitted his resignation on Tuesday. Why it matters: President Trump removed Fine as the Pentagon’s acting inspector general in April 7 after a group of independent federal watchdogs selected him to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which was set up to oversee the rollout of the $2 trillion coronavirus …

We knew that ban would not stand: The Defense Department has rescinded a policy that banned recruits from enlisting in the military if they have been hospitalized for coronavirus, the Pentagon’s head of manpower said Thursday. The original policy, released earlier this month, began as a total ban on recruits who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past. That …

Reuters reports: The United States announced its intention on Thursday to withdraw from the 35-nation Open Skies treaty allowing unarmed surveillance flights over member countries, the Trump administration’s latest move to pull the country out of a major global treaty. The administration said Russia has repeatedly violated the pact’s terms. Senior officials said the pullout will formally take place in …