Tag Archives: Pentagon

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced early Tuesday in Bahrain. The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged the …

The Washington Post reports: The U.S. Army intends to remove a Confederate memorial from Arlington National Cemetery next week as part of its ongoing work to rid Defense Department property of divisive rebel imagery, defying dozens of congressional Republicans who have vociferously protested the move. A woman representing the American South, standing atop a 32-foot pedestal, lords above most other …

The Washington Post reports: The House, in a decisive vote Thursday, passed the annual defense policy bill and delivered a bipartisan rebuke to its most conservative members who had sought to infuse the legislation with a wishlist of provisions targeting Pentagon policies on abortion access, diversity and LGBTQ+ rights. The $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was approved by …

The Military Times reports: Lawmakers moved this week to abolish a Pentagon working group aimed at preventing extremism in the military, a decision some advocates said reveals a lack of concern about the issue from Congress. House and Senate negotiators included a measure in their compromise draft of the annual defense policy bill to stop federal dollars from going toward …

The Washington Post reports: The Air Force disciplined 15 members of the Air National Guard after an internal investigation found that a “lack of supervision” and a “culture of complacency” helped enable a 21-year-old airman to share hundreds of classified documents online in the sprawling leak of U.S. military secrets that rocked the national security establishment this spring. In a …

Military.com reports: An annual Pentagon report on extremism within the ranks reveals that 78 service members were suspected of advocating for the overthrow of the U.S. government and another 44 were suspected of engaging or supporting terrorism. The report released Thursday by the Defense Department inspector general revealed that in fiscal 2023 there were 183 allegations of extremism across all …

NPR reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala, says he will drop his holds on most military promotions. He has been blocking military promotions for months over his objections to an unrelated pentagon policy that pays for service members travel to seek abortion care. Tuberville told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday that he will drop the hold on all promotions except …

The Associated Press reports: An American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said. Yemen’s Houthi rebels later claimed attacks on two ships they described as being linked to Israel, but did not acknowledge targeting a U.S. Navy vessel. The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks …

CBS News reports: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has issued a memo that pauses Defense Department support for congressional travel to Israel right now and restricts visits by defense and military leaders. The memo, dated October 31, is meant to discourage “combat tourism,” according to defense officials. The military is already doing so much in the area that there’s no reason …

The Washington Post reports: On Wednesday night, a remarkable scene unfolded on the Senate floor as several Republicans, including Sens. Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Joni Ernst (Iowa) Todd C. Young (Ind.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) confronted Tuberville, imploring him to lift his hold for the sake of national security and proposing votes on individual officers whose promotions have been delayed. …

The New York Times reports: Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered about 2,000 more U.S. troops to prepare to deploy to the Middle East in support of Israel, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, as Israeli forces prepare to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. The troops are currently stationed in the United States and other locations, …

Politico reports: The Pentagon will send ships and aircraft closer to Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Sunday, demonstrating a major show of force a day after Hamas militants launched attacks across southern Israel. The closest U.S. Navy assets are the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and its carrier strike group, which is currently deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. The …

“I engage with him frequently and he’s alert, sound, does his homework, reads the papers, reads all the read-ahead material. And he’s very, very engaging in issues of very serious matters of war and peace and life and death. So if the American people are worried about an individual who is, you know, someone who’s making decisions of war and …

The Messenger reports: Retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley took a thinly veiled shot at Donald Trump Friday after the former president threatened the top U.S. general. “We don’t take an oath to a king, or queen, or tyrant, or dictator,” Milley said at a ceremony marking his retirement. “We don’t take an oath to a …

First, a reminder from back in June: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is investigating how the Defense Department (DoD) will spend taxpayer dollars to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) events during LGBTQ+ Pride month. In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday, Roy demanded that DoD turn over documents and information on every Pride Month celebration sponsored …

The Associated Press reports: A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety. The four-minute recording captures the bizarre circumstances for the three unidentified people involved: a North Charleston resident calmly explaining that a …

NBC News reports: The Senate on Wednesday voted to make Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. the nation’s top military officer, marking the first Pentagon confirmation since Sen. Tommy Tuberville put a hold on nominees to protest a Defense Department abortion policy. Brown was confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an 83-11 vote. He will …

Axios reports: The military will begin reviewing cases involving LGBTQ+ veterans who may have been forced out of the service under its “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy. Thousands of veterans could receive retroactive honorable discharges, giving them access to the full amount of benefits for their service. The Defense Department announced the initiative Wednesday on the 12th anniversary of …

The Hill reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told senators that he will attempt to force a one-off vote Wednesday to confirm Gen. Eric Smith to become the new commandant for the Marine Corps, while he maintains his blockade on more than 300 other military promotions. Tuberville told Senate Republicans on Tuesday during their weekly conference lunch that he will go …

The Messenger reports: Amid a chaotic scene and shouts of “regular order!” on the House floor Tuesday, a small faction of ultraconservatives blocked House consideration of a GOP defense spending bill as fractured Republicans brought the country closer to a government shutdown. The vote underscored how House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is losing control of his conference. The chaos in recent …