Tag Archives: Pentagon

The Washington Post reports: A computer scientist at the Defense Intelligence Agency who monitored insider threats became one himself, prosecutors alleged, attempting to trade classified information for citizenship in a friendly country because of disagreements with the Trump administration. Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, was arrested Thursday and charged with gathering defense information to aid a foreign government, an Espionage Act …

The military blog Task & Purpose reports: The Pentagon could soon expand homeschooling resources for military families, according to a memo written by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth released Tuesday. A Johns Hopkins analysis in March found that active duty military families homeschool their children twice as much as civilians — or 12% between 2023 and 2024, compared to 6% …

The Guardian reports: The White House has lost confidence in a Pentagon leak investigation that Pete Hegseth used to justify firing three top aides last month, after advisers were told that the aides had supposedly been outed by an illegal warrantless National Security Agency (NSA) wiretap. The extraordinary explanation alarmed the advisers, who also raised it with people close to …

The Washington Post reports: An enduring rift among Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s cadre of senior advisers has divided the Pentagon’s front office and fueled internal speculation about his long-term viability in the Cabinet post after several episodes that attracted White House scrutiny, according to numerous people familiar with the matter. The conflict within Hegseth’s inner circle persists even after he …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. military is backing off its usual talk of good governance and countering insurgencies’ underlying causes, instead leaning into a message that its fragile allies in Africa must be ready to stand more on their own. At African Lion, its largest joint training exercise on the continent, that shift was clear: “We need to be …

The Jewish Insider reports: Kingsley Wilson, a deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense who has come under fire from Democratic and Republican lawmakers and Jewish communal organizations for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, has been promoted to serve as the department’s press secretary, the Pentagon announced on Friday. On two different occasions, she attacked the Anti-Defamation League for sharing …

The Associated Press reports: Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort — areas where the press has had access in past administrations as it covers the activities of …

The New York Times reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium on Wednesday morning, during working hours, in which President Trump was praised as a divinely appointed leader. The event, billed as the “Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service,” was standing room only and ran for about 30 minutes, with Brooks …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump will announce $25 billion for his “Golden Dome” defense project Tuesday afternoon, according to a White House official, a fraction of the amount it would eventually cost to build the ambitious national missile system he’s demanded. The announcement, which Trump is expected to make in the Oval Office alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, will seek …

The Huffington Post reports: Critics mockingly poked holes in Fox News personality-turned-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest security clearances claim. “I’m offended” by “this idea that I don’t take classification or I don’t take clearances seriously,” Hegseth told Fox News’ Will Cain in an interview that aired Monday. “Nobody takes it more seriously than me,” the top Donald Trump Cabinet official …

Yahoo Sports reports: NASCAR is undeniably one of the top sports when it comes to patriotism and honoring the nation’s military. The biggest Cup Series event that recognizes the military services each season is the Coca-Cola 600 around Memorial Day. On Friday, Charlotte Motor Speedway made what appeared to be an announcement that aligned with the sport’s mission when it …

CBS News reports: Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said the U.S. government halted cyber operations against Russia for one day in February as President Trump was trying to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, confirming CBS News reporting at the time and undercutting statements of denial from the Defense Department. “I actually dug into this whole matter. I …

The Associated Press reports: The Army will place large metal plates at key points on the streets of Washington to better protect the pavement from the movements of 25 M1 Abrams main battle tanks set to roll through the capital on June 14. Since it was announced, the parade has grown in scope and participation, and one of the highlights …

The Military Times reports: The Defense Department will begin screening troops for gender dysphoria during their routine physicals in an effort to boot transgender service members from the armed forces. In a memo published Thursday, the Pentagon’s acting head of personnel and readiness tasked unit commanders to help implement the policy “immediately.” “Commanders who are aware of service members in …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Donors are being offered a “dedicated VIP experience” at several events that President Trump is planning with the U.S. military this summer, according to several donors familiar with the matter. Those who give to America250, a committee created to support what Trump envisions as a large national celebration next year for America’s 250th birthday, will …

USA Today reports: The big military parade planned for June 14 will feature dozens of tanks rumbling through the city’s streets, warplanes buzzing overhead and 7,500 soldiers housed in government office buildings downtown, according to Army planning documents. Soldiers and their equipment will begin to arrive in the nation’s capital from across the country in the days leading up to …

Reuters reports: Twin celebrations of U.S. President Donald Trump’s birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary will include as many as 25 tanks rolling through Washington in a celebration that will cost $25 million to $45 million, U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Those costs reportedly don’t include post-celebration costs that the Beltway would have to bear, including trash pickup and …

NBC News reports: The Trump administration spent at least $21 million transporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay on military aircraft between January 20 and April 8, according to figures provided to Congress by the U.S. military. The naval base there currently holds 32 migrants, according to a defense official, a tiny fraction of the 30,000 that President Donald Trump promised. Guantanamo …

The Daily Princetonian reports: “After Card’s whisper, Bush looked distracted and somber but continued to listen to the second-graders, joking that they ‘read like sixth-graders,’” reads the senior thesis authored by Pete Hegseth ’03, now the U.S. Secretary of Defense. This sentence is notable for recapping the precise moment President George W. Bush was informed of the 9/11 attacks. But …

The Associated Press reports: The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on Friday. It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign to rid …