Tag Archives: Pentagon

The Diplomat reports: Days after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido and landed in the northern Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Navy successfully conducted a complex missile defense test this week at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Kauai, Hawaii, according to a Raytheon company statement. The Standard Missile-6, one of the …

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 …

Politico reports: A pair of advocacy groups said Monday they are going to court to overturn the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops serving in the military, in the latest legal assault on the controversial directive. The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit on behalf of five transgender service members. The lawsuit, filed by the Maryland branch of the ACLU, …

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 New York Times reports: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis vowed on Thursday to help Ukraine stand up to Russian violations of its sovereignty and signaled that the Trump administration was considering providing defensive weapons to the Ukrainian military. President Barack Obama had resisted such a step, fearing it would be seen as a provocation by Russia. In the first visit …

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 …

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 …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Caitlyn Jenner was photographed wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on Thursday. Jenner was driving around in a convertible while wearing the Trump hat. Jenner’s continued support of the president comes just after she criticized him for proposing to ban all transgender soldiers from serving in the U.S. military in any capacity. “I believe every …

Via Qunnipiac Polling: American voters say 68 – 27 percent, including 55 – 39 percent among voters in military households, that transgender people should be allowed to serve in the military, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Republicans opposed transgender service 60 – 32 percent, but every other party, gender, education, age or racial group supports transgender …

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 …