Department of Defense

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Report: 3rd Pentagon Aide Placed on Leave in Leaks Probe

Department of Defense has been investigating leaks to the media

(Newser) - Source say three senior Pentagon officials have now been placed on leave amid a probe into media leaks from the Department of Defense. The first was Dan Caldwell, one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's senior advisers, who was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday. Another Hegseth...

Report: Security Took Hegseth Aide Out of Pentagon

Sources tell Reuters Dan Caldwell was identified in investigation of leaks

(Newser) - A top aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday after he was identified in an investigation of leaks of sensitive information, sources tell outlets including Reuters and Fox News . The sources say Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth's senior advisors, has...

Report: Army Will Turn Strip of Border Land Into Base

Officials say move will allow troops to detain trespassers on Roosevelt Reservation

(Newser) - A long sliver of federal land along the US-Mexico border that President Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, US officials speaking on condition of anonymity tell...

Our Latest Nuclear Bomb Is Ready Ahead of Schedule

New B61-13 bomb enters production 7 months early

(Newser) - America's modernization of its nuclear weapons is running ahead of schedule. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said the B61-13 nuclear bomb, a weapon 24 times more potent than the one dropped on Hiroshima, is entering full production seven months earlier than expected. Work on the weapon—a...

Pentagon Watchdog Launches Hegseth Probe

Defense secretary's use of messaging app is being investigated after a request from senators

(Newser) - The Pentagon inspector general's office says it has launched a probe of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his use of Signal to discuss military strikes—which was exposed when a journalist was accidentally added to the chat. In a Thursday l etter to Hegseth , acting Inspector General Steven Stebbin...

Hegseth Involves Wife, Brother in Pentagon

Jennifer Hegseth has attended meetings with foreign military officials, and Phil Hegseth now has a Defense job

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who's under criticism for not maintaining security in planning strikes in Yemen, brought his wife along to two meetings with foreign officials for discussions of sensitive military information. Jennifer Hegseth, a former producer for Fox News, is not an employee of the Defense Department, and...

Hegseth: Musk Didn't See 'Secret' War Plan on China

President Trump also denies that DOGE leader was privy to classified plan

(Newser) - A Thursday report in the New York Times claiming Elon Musk would be briefed by the Pentagon on top-secret war plans against China is now getting pushback, including from President Trump. First, per the Guardian , Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday denied Musk saw any such plans during an early...

Report: Pentagon Is Cutting Up to 60K Jobs

Official says thousands of veterans could be among those let go from civilian jobs

(Newser) - Roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the Defense Department, but fewer than 21,000 workers who took a voluntary resignation plan are leaving in the coming months, a senior defense official told reporters Tuesday. To reach the goal of a 5% to 8% cut...

Report: Trump Asks Pentagon to Look at Panama Canal Options

Administration wants DOD to draw up 'credible military options' for 'unfettered' US access to canal

(Newser) - Panama's leader has been pushing back hard on President Trump's insistence on "reclaiming" the Panama Canal for the United States, going so far as to accuse him of lying, but that hasn't stopped Trump from moving forward with his ultimate plans for the Central American waterway....

Pentagon: Hegseth Didn't Halt Cyber Ops Against Russia

Reports claimed defense secretary told US Cyber Command to stand down

(Newser) - The Pentagon on Tuesday denied reports that Pete Hegseth has ordered US Cyber Command to cease its cyberoffensive against Russia, the Hill reports. "TO BE CLEAR: @SecDef has neither canceled nor delayed any cyber operations directed against malicious Russian targets and there has been no stand-down order whatsoever from...

Pentagon Reverts Another Military Base's Name

Fort Moore is once again Fort Benning (but not that Benning)

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has, for the second time , reversed the renaming of a US military base, saying that Fort Moore in Georgia should revert back to being called Fort Benning, the AP reports. The move reflects an ongoing effort by the Pentagon to overturn the Biden administration's 2023...

Former Defense Secretaries Slam Trump's Pentagon Firings

Letter to Congress requests hearings into 'purely partisan' dismissals

(Newser) - A bipartisan group of past defense secretaries has called on Congress to hold hearings into President Trump's firing of several senior military leaders, saying the officers were fired "for purely partisan reasons." Their open letter says, "We write to urge the US Congress to hold Mr....

Trans Troops Only Number a Third of What We Thought: DOD

Meanwhile, NYT profiles transgender service members and others who've served with them

(Newser) - As the Defense Department prepares to boot all transgender service members who don't qualify for an exemption, after a recent executive order from President Trump claiming their presence harms military readiness, new figures have been released that show a much lower number of trans troops currently serving than previously...

Trump's Appointees Put Musk's Power to the Test

Patel, Gabbard among agency leaders telling employees not to justify their roles to Musk

(Newser) - Multiple government agencies run by Trump-appointed leaders have told employees not to respond to an email from Elon Musk , demanding they provide five bullet points explaining the work they got done over the past week. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," Musk wrote Saturday on...

Report: Pentagon Ordered to Prepare for Budget Cuts

Hegseth wants proposals for 8% cuts over each of the next 5 years: memo

(Newser) - Even the Pentagon is not immune as the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency overhauls the federal government. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week ordered leaders at the Pentagon and within the US military to draw up proposals for cutting 8% from their budgets for each of the next...

Julianne Moore: My Kids Book About Freckles Was Banned

Actor says it was 'great shock' to learn Freckleface Strawberry was pulled from Defense Dept. schools

(Newser) - Last week, the Defense Department issued a memo noting it had started reviewing books in schools for military families operated by the DoD—and now an Oscar-winning actor says her children's book is one that's been pulled from library shelves. "It is a great shock for me...

Army May Resurrect 'Fort Bragg'
Fort Liberty Is
Once Again Fort Bragg
UPDATED
Feb 11, 2025 12:00 AM CST

Fort Liberty Is Once Again Fort Bragg

Though it's now named after a different Bragg

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday signed a memorandum making good on one of President Trump's campaign promises: Fort Liberty is once again Fort Bragg. The memo declared the Army would rename it as such, though it's now named after Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, who won...

Trump Plans More Executive Orders on Military

On Hegseth's first day at work, president says he'll 'get transgender ideology the hell out of our military'

(Newser) - On Monday—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's first day of work at the Pentagon—President Trump said he would sign multiple executive orders on the military. The president, speaking to House Republicans at a Florida conference, said he will offer "full reinstatement to any service member who was expelled...

'I Do Not Believe That You Are Qualified'

Pete Hegseth, defense nominee grilled at Senate hearing, cites a 'smear campaign' against him

(Newser) - Pete Hegseth was getting grilled on Capitol Hill Tuesday in his confirmation hearing to be the next defense secretary. At the same time, the former Fox host defended himself against what he calls a "smear campaign" by the media. Some early highlights:
  • Critic: "I do not believe that
...

Hegseth: I'll Restore 'Warrior Ethos' to Pentagon
Hegseth: I'll Restore
'Warrior Ethos' to Pentagon
the rundown
Jan 14, 2025 6:34 AM CST

Hegseth: I'll Restore 'Warrior Ethos' to Pentagon

Confirmation hearings begin Tuesday for controversial nominee

(Newser) - The confirmation hearing for one of the highest-profile of President-elect Trump's nominees gets underway in DC on Tuesday—former Fox host Pete Hegseth, who may become the next defense secretary.
  • 'Warrior ethos:' The 44-year-old Army vet will promise to restore "the warrior ethos to the Pentagon"
...

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