LoginAsia reckons with China as Trump pulls back
31 May 2026 at 23:49
America’s transactional approach to Europe is carrying over to Asia.
© Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
© Achmad Ibrahim/AP
Normal view
Before yesterdayNews
Hegseth tempers China criticism at Asia forum
30 May 2026 at 11:50
The Pentagon chief, in a rare omission, avoided any mention of Taiwan in a speech to Asian officials.
Trump’s disappearing China hawks
14 May 2026 at 03:57
The once vocal GOP wing that warned against making deals with Beijing has largely left the conversation ahead of Trump’s China summit.
© Mark Schiefelbein/AP
What Beijing has learned about the US from the Iran war
9 May 2026 at 06:00
Current and former U.S. defense officials worry headwinds from the conflict with Tehran leave Beijing with the upper hand.
© Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s call to reduce US troops in Germany shocks Pentagon
1 May 2026 at 01:28
The Defense Department "was not expecting it," a congressional aide said.
© Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Trump says US considering reducing troops in Germany
30 April 2026 at 07:11
There are 38,000 U.S. troops and personnel stationed in Germany, and cutting forces there would face opposition on Capitol Hill.
© Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Acting Navy secretary, once a political lightning rod, finds surprising support
24 April 2026 at 05:00
Hung Cao, known as a partisan firebrand, has built credibility inside the Pentagon.
© Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Navy secretary is out amid Pentagon infighting
23 April 2026 at 05:45
John Phelan sparked tensions within the department over his support for a new battleship.
© Rod Lamkey. Jr/AP
Trump weighs consequences for NATO allies on ‘naughty’ list
22 April 2026 at 17:55
The effort is the latest sign President Donald Trump plans to make good on his threats against members not deemed “model allies."
© Illustration by Claudine Hellmuth/POLITICO (source images via Getty)
One pilot rescued after fighter jet crash in Iran
3 April 2026 at 23:29
The second crew member’s fate is unknown.
© Petros Karadjias/AP
Hegseth ousts top Army general
3 April 2026 at 05:57
The departure of Army Chief of State Gen. Randy George follows a string of high-level firings under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and comes amid the Iran war.
© Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
-
Politico | Defense
- Trump has threatened to leave NATO over Iran. There are few signs that’s happening.
Trump has threatened to leave NATO over Iran. There are few signs that’s happening.
2 April 2026 at 05:22
A withdrawal from the alliance would require discussions with lawmakers and a defined process that does not appear to have started.
© Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
US officials tell allies Iran war could delay Ukraine weapons shipments
27 March 2026 at 23:16
The warning comes as the U.S. burns through air defense interceptors and other weapons in its military campaign against Tehran.
© Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP
-
- Hegseth ignored military officials when he slashed offices that limit risk to civilians
Hegseth ignored military officials when he slashed offices that limit risk to civilians
14 March 2026 at 02:30
The Defense secretary’s decision to cut offices that mitigate civilian harm faces renewed attention as the Pentagon investigates a strike that killed hundreds of Iranian children.
© Sepehr-M /Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images
Allies fear Iran war will leave them without US weapons they bought
7 March 2026 at 20:00
European and Asian countries worry the Pentagon is burning through munitions so fast that it won’t have enough to send the weapons they have purchased.
© Amjad Kurdo/AFP via Getty Images
GOP restrainers say Trump abandoned them
6 March 2026 at 08:20
The president’s restraint-minded backers accuse the administration of breaking its promise.
© Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Pentagon offers no evidence to support claim it attacked Iran in defense
2 March 2026 at 05:26
The Trump administration’s effort to construct a case for war after shots started flying has few historical parallels.
© U.S. Navy via Getty Images
-
- Iran strikes threaten to deplete US weapons supplies — and put American troops at risk
Iran strikes threaten to deplete US weapons supplies — and put American troops at risk
26 February 2026 at 07:00
The administration already burned through significant stockpiles of air defense missiles in operations against Iran and its proxy groups.
© Antonio Araujo/AFP/Getty Images
Zelenskyy pushes US to intensify pressure on Russia
14 February 2026 at 05:30
The Ukrainian leader hinted that Congress might need to step in on security guarantees.
President Zelenskyy: 'Only United States can stop Putin'
Trump says he won’t extend nuclear arms treaty with Russia
6 February 2026 at 04:14
The New START deal was the last vestige of arms control between the world’s largest superpowers.
© Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Trump prepares to let go of arms control with Russia
3 February 2026 at 18:00
Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals could expand for the first time in three decades.
© Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
Pentagon no longer views China threat as top priority
24 January 2026 at 09:15
The National Defense Strategy, a dramatic shift from previous administrations, reinforces many of the military moves already undertaken by the president.
© Francis Chung/POLITICO
Confronted with thorny problems, Trump turns to the military
17 January 2026 at 05:00
The president has used the armed forces during his second term as an initial option rather than a last resort.
© Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images
Trump says he has many military options on Iran. He doesn’t.
14 January 2026 at 07:00
Many of the troops and ships once at the president’s disposal have shifted to the Caribbean.
© Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
The one issue where Democrats think Trump is right
10 January 2026 at 04:00
The president’s populist-style attack on defense industry executives is part of a larger Pentagon strategy to transform the role of suppliers.
© Michel Euler/AP
Venezuela operation magnifies Pentagon's shift west — and away from China
6 January 2026 at 05:11
The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro underscored the administration’s pivot toward the Western Hemisphere, further unraveling decades of bipartisan consensus that prioritized Beijing as America’s top global threat.
© Molly Riley/The White House via AP
Top 6 takeaways from the Pentagon’s Signalgate investigation
5 December 2025 at 00:19
The agency watchdog investigated whether the Defense secretary violated the agency’s standards for sharing classified information and put troops in danger.
© Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Can Hegseth’s MAGA playbook spare him again?
4 December 2025 at 18:55
The Defense secretary has a game plan for controversies, but the latest ones may prove a stiffer test.
© Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
