Department of Defense

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House OKs Defense Bill With Eyebrow- Raising Extras

Add-ons in annual legislation include restrictions on abortion, transgender health care, diversity training

(Newser) - The US House on Friday approved a sweeping annual defense bill that provides an expected 5.2% pay raise for service members but strays from traditional military policy with political add-ons from Republicans to block abortion coverage, diversity initiatives at the Pentagon, and transgender issues that deeply divided the chamber....

US: Harassed Drones Later Killed ISIS Leader

Usamah al-Muhajir was riding a motorcycle near Aleppo, official says

(Newser) - A US drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, the Defense Department reported Sunday. Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a...

US Opts Not to Shoot New Balloon Out of Sky

But military is watching a new mystery object that drifted over Hawaii, is now headed to Mexico

(Newser) - After a mysterious spate of balloon sightings earlier this year, a new entry has made its way into the mix. NBC News reports that the US military has been tailing a new balloon since late last week that drifted over parts of Hawaii, though officials indicate it didn't fly...

US Leak Reveals More Than War Secrets

Justice Department investigates while Pentagon assesses the damage

(Newser) - The leak of US classified documents concerning Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion has done more than reveal information that could help opposing nations on the battlefield. The files also provide a detailed look at US intelligence operations, including whom the US is spying on and how, the Washington ...

FBI Training Lesson: Go to Right Room Before Interrogation

Agents wake up, handcuff baffled airline pilot

(Newser) - Agents from the FBI and the Defense Department followed instructions during a training exercise Tuesday night a little too well. They banged on the door of a Boston hotel room around 10pm, waking up the guest inside—who was sincere when he told them he had no idea what was...

US General Tells Command to Prepare for War With China

Gen. Mike Minihan tells personnel to train and get their affairs in order

(Newser) - "I hope I am wrong," an Air Force general told commanders under him as he warned in a new memo that he expects the US and China to be at war in two years. "My gut tells me we will fight in 2025." Gen. Mike Minihan,...

Pentagon: No Evidence of ETs, but Probe Is Just Starting
Pentagon Has Some
News About Aliens

Pentagon Has Some News About Aliens

Officials: There's so far no evidence any have visited, crash-landed on Earth, but probe continues

(Newser) - In July, the Defense Department announced the creation of a new division: the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, designed to "to detect, identify, and attribute objects of interest in, on or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace and other areas of interest, and, as...

Pentagon Intros Secret New Bomber: 'Won't Really See It'

B-21 Raider is first US stealth warplane of its kind in more than 30 years, meant to combat China

(Newser) - America's newest nuclear stealth bomber is making its public debut after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon's answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China. The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber aircraft in more than 30 years, per the...

Pentagon Officials' Phones Were Wiped of Jan. 6 Texts

Watchdog group demands investigation

(Newser) - The post-Jan. 6 phone-wiping apparently extended to the Pentagon as well as Homeland Security and the Secret Service , according to court documents. The watchdog group American Oversight says that in response to litigation, the Department of Defense and the Army have confirmed that the phones of officials including former acting...

Russia Plans 'Graphic' Video of Fake Ukrainian Attack: US

Staging could include actors and corpses, though Pentagon doesn't release proof

(Newser) - Russia plans to make a video in which Ukraine appears to be attacking, US officials said Thursday their intelligence shows. The video could be released as a justification for an invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, ABC News reports. The staging could be elaborate. "We believe that Russia would...

US Places 8.5K Troops on High Alert for Ukraine

Move is intended to reassure allies, Pentagon says

(Newser) - Saying "it's very clear the Russians have no intention right now of de-escalating," a Pentagon spokesman announced Monday that 8,500 US troops have been placed on high alert. Should Russia invade Ukraine, most of them would join a NATO response force that hasn't yet become...

National Guard Has New Rules for Use in DC

Approval responsibility shifts to defense secretary

(Newser) - The Pentagon said Thursday it has streamlined the approval process for urgent use of National Guard forces in the District of Columbia, after months of study following the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol. The changes give the defense secretary sole authority to approve requests that would involve DC...

Pentagon Warns About 'Likes' on Extremist Content

Defense Department updates guidelines for military personnel

(Newser) - Alarmed that military personnel took part in the Capitol riot in January, Pentagon officials issued new guidelines Monday about participation in extremist organizations. At the same time, the military reported that the number of active service members involved in extremism is increasing, CBS News reports. The guidelines don't prohibit...

Religious Exemption Requests on Vaccine Go Nowhere

Pentagon didn't expect 12K applications

(Newser) - When the Pentagon announced in August that all service members would have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, it said they can seek religious exemptions. More than 12,000 military service members have done that, the AP reports, but so far, not one exemption on religious grounds has been granted....

6-Year ID Project for Victims of USS Oklahoma Is Complete

92% of the victims from Pearl Harbor attack were identified, with 33 remaining 'unknowns'

(Newser) - A six-year project to identify the crew members killed on the USS Oklahoma when it sank during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has ended with 33 people still unidentified, the military revealed this week. However, 355 sailors and Marines were identified from dental records or DNA samples supplied by...

Trump's Ex-DOD Chief Sues Pentagon Over Memoir

Mark Esper says Defense Department is blocking parts of his manuscript it thought were 'too candid'

(Newser) - Mark Esper's memoir, A Sacred Oath, is due out in May from William Morrow, but readers may not see everything he originally included in its pages, thanks to the Pentagon. The former defense secretary in the Trump administration is now suing the agency he once led, claiming that sections...

Pentagon Group to 'Mitigate' UFO Threats

Critic argues investigative body will only 'maintain UAP/UFO secrecy'

(Newser) - There's a new team of experts patrolling the skies for UFOs. The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the creation of a new body to investigate unidentified flying objects, now labeled "unidentified aerial phenomena," after a federal government report published in June failed to explain 143 of 144 sightings...

Pentagon Plans for Operating on a Hotter, Drier Planet
Pentagon Plans
for a Hotter Planet

Pentagon Plans for a Hotter Planet

Defense proposal calls for adapting but not for cutting its own fossil fuel use

(Newser) - A new Pentagon plan calls for incorporating the realities of a hotter, harsher Earth at every level in the US military, from making worsening climate extremes a mandatory part of strategic planning to training troops how to secure their own water supplies and treat heat injury. The Pentagon—whose jets,...

Suicides Increase, Puzzling Military

Possible contributors include pandemic and war-zone stress

(Newser) - The number of US military suicides jumped by 15% last year, fueled by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps that senior leaders called troubling. They urged more effort to reverse the trend, the AP reports. According to data released Thursday, there were 580 suicides last year compared with...

CIA Warned About Civilians Seconds Before Drone Hit

Word came too late to stop the missile that killed 10 people

(Newser) - A Hellfire missile was on its way to its target, a white Corolla in Kabul, when the CIA realized there were civilians in the area, maybe even children in the vehicle. The agency issued an urgent warning to the US military seconds before the missile struck, killing 10 civilians, seven...

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