Politico | Defense
Isaacman aims to reinvigorate NASA’s image, starting with the moon
1 April 2026 at 17:55

Isaacman aims to reinvigorate NASA’s image, starting with the moon

By: By Audrey Decker

1 April 2026 at 17:55

The space agency is preparing to launch its highest-stakes mission in decades, carrying astronauts deeper into space than ever before.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft are seen at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Feb. 1, 2026.

Politico | Defense
Trump says he expects US to leave Iran in ‘2 or 3 weeks’
1 April 2026 at 07:36

Trump says he expects US to leave Iran in ‘2 or 3 weeks’

Politico | Defense

By: By Leo Shane III

1 April 2026 at 07:36

The president will address the nation Wednesday evening on the war.

US President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2026.

Politico | Defense
US officials tell allies Iran war could delay Ukraine weapons shipments
27 March 2026 at 23:16

US officials tell allies Iran war could delay Ukraine weapons shipments

Politico | Defense

By: By Jack Detsch and Victor Jack

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.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to attend talks during a G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting outside Paris on Friday, March 27, 2026.

Politico | Defense
‘I have no idea what they are trying to do’: Allies say Trump sends mixed signals on Iran
27 March 2026 at 07:11

‘I have no idea what they are trying to do’: Allies say Trump sends mixed signals on Iran

Politico | Defense

By: By Felicia Schwartz， Phelim Kine and Nahal Toosi

27 March 2026 at 07:11

The administration’s mixed messaging has spooked U.S. partners and allies fearful of worsening economic fallout if the president intensifies the war on Iran

While President Donald Trump has spoken frequently about his plans for Iran, some allies are beginning to tune him out.

Politico | Defense
Allies and Congress are about to lose a key window into US military plans
26 March 2026 at 06:15

Allies and Congress are about to lose a key window into US military plans

Politico | Defense

By: By Paul McLeary， Leo Shane III and Chris Lunday

26 March 2026 at 06:15

The Pentagon’s decision not to release a Global Posture Review follows the go-it-alone pattern of the Trump administration.

Americans celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary with a parade on the National Mall in Washington D.C., Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Politico | Defense
Top Republican attacks Pentagon for not providing details on Iran
26 March 2026 at 02:32

Top Republican attacks Pentagon for not providing details on Iran

Politico | Defense

By: By Connor O'Brien

26 March 2026 at 02:32

The House Armed Services Committee chair said the department owes lawmakers more information about the administration’s plans for U.S. troops in the Middle East.

"That's what I conveyed to them at the end of this hearing, is this has consequences if you don't remedy it," Mike Rogers told reporters.

Politico | Defense
Republicans reject limits on Iran war, despite deepening conflict
25 March 2026 at 08:01

Republicans reject limits on Iran war, despite deepening conflict

Politico | Defense

By: By Connor O'Brien

25 March 2026 at 08:01

This was the third test of GOP support for the president's actions, even as oil prices have shot up and the American public appears increasingly disenchanted with the war.

Democrats, as part of their push, want Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (right) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to agree to testify publicly on Iran.

Politico | Defense
Pentagon prepares to send another 3,000 troops to Middle East
25 March 2026 at 02:10

Pentagon prepares to send another 3,000 troops to Middle East

Politico | Defense

By: By Paul McLeary

25 March 2026 at 02:10

The decision to move the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the region heightens the possibility U.S. troops will enter Iran.

Politico | Defense
Pentagon weighs sending more troops to Middle East
20 March 2026 at 02:41

Pentagon weighs sending more troops to Middle East

Politico | Defense

By: By Paul McLeary

20 March 2026 at 02:41

The discussions, while evolving, would mark a drastic new step in the Iran war.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on March 19, 2026.

Politico | Defense
Congress braces for $200B Iran war request
19 March 2026 at 23:28

Congress braces for $200B Iran war request

Politico | Defense

By: By Connor O'Brien and Leo Shane III

19 March 2026 at 23:28

The ballooning cost of the war is certain to intensify an already toxic fight on Capitol Hill over the Trump administration's three-week military campaign in the Middle East.

"It takes money to kill bad guys,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday.

Politico | Defense
Senate rejects limits on Trump as Iran war intensifies
19 March 2026 at 08:28

Senate rejects limits on Trump as Iran war intensifies

Politico | Defense

By: By Connor O'Brien

19 March 2026 at 08:28

Democrats have filed a half dozen war powers resolutions aimed at keeping the pressure on Republicans amid Trump's ongoing campaign against Iran.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., right, is joined by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., left, for a press briefing on the Iran war powers resolution at the Capitol, Monday, March 9, 2026, in Washington.

Politico | Defense
Inside the White House plan to sell the Iran war online
19 March 2026 at 05:00

Inside the White House plan to sell the Iran war online

Politico | Defense

By: By Eli Stokols， Ben Johansen， Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

19 March 2026 at 05:00

The administration is bucking decades of decorum by depicting the Iran war as a violent video game.

Politico | Defense
Estonia ‘ready to talk’ on Strait of Hormuz backup
19 March 2026 at 05:00

Estonia ‘ready to talk’ on Strait of Hormuz backup

Politico | Defense

By: By Daniella Cheslow

19 March 2026 at 05:00

Although Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said there had not been an official U.S. request to Tallinn for help, he pointed to President Donald Trump’s broader call for NATO allies to provide assistance.

Estonia's Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur looks on at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 15, 2025.

Politico | Defense
Pentagon says lethal boat strikes are ‘just the beginning’ in South, Central America
18 March 2026 at 03:45

Pentagon says lethal boat strikes are ‘just the beginning’ in South, Central America

Politico | Defense

By: By Leo Shane III

18 March 2026 at 03:45

A top DOD official also told lawmakers on Tuesday that the possibility of deploying ground forces hasn’t been ruled out.

The Pentagon is seen from an airplane on Feb. 2 in Washington.

Politico | Defense
‘Never heard him so angry’: Trump is furious that global allies aren’t pitching in in Iran
18 March 2026 at 00:31

‘Never heard him so angry’: Trump is furious that global allies aren’t pitching in in Iran

Politico | Defense

By: By Gregory Svirnovskiy and Jacob Wendler

18 March 2026 at 00:31

Their assistance, the president said on Tuesday, is no longer needed.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly asked global allies — and some geopolitical foes, including China — for help securing the Strait of Hormuz.

Politico | Defense
Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from Ohio
15 March 2026 at 19:06

Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from Ohio

Politico | Defense

By: By Associated Press

15 March 2026 at 19:06

The aircraft was supporting military operations against Iran.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Alex Klinner, operations flight commander for the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, completes a lap at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2, 2025.

Politico | Defense
Hegseth ignored military officials when he slashed offices that limit risk to civilians
14 March 2026 at 02:30

Hegseth ignored military officials when he slashed offices that limit risk to civilians

Politico | Defense

By: By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

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.

Smoke and fire rise amid airstrikes at the Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Politico | Defense
Hegseth, attacking press, declares victory is near amid ongoing Iran conflict
13 March 2026 at 22:01

Hegseth, attacking press, declares victory is near amid ongoing Iran conflict

Politico | Defense

By: By Paul McLeary

13 March 2026 at 22:01

The Defense secretary gave little indication on how or when the war would end.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida, on March 5, 2026.

Politico | Defense
Republican lawmakers shrug at more funding for Iran war
13 March 2026 at 16:45

Republican lawmakers shrug at more funding for Iran war

Politico | Defense

By: By Leo Shane III， Connor O'Brien and Joe Gould

13 March 2026 at 16:45

Republicans say the administration hasn’t suggested it needs more funding for the U.S.-Israel operation.

Armed Services Chair Sen. Roger Wicker walks to a closed-door briefing on the Iran war on March 10, 2026, in the Capitol.

Politico | Defense
Pentagon: First week of Iran war cost about $11B
13 March 2026 at 02:08

Pentagon: First week of Iran war cost about $11B

Politico | Defense

By: By Leo Shane III and Joe Gould

13 March 2026 at 02:08

The Defense Department’s acting comptroller said officials plan to submit a supplemental budget request to Congress in the coming days.

Smoke billows after overnight airstrikes on oil depots on March 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Politico | Defense
Ukraine’s US air defenses are at risk in Iran war
12 March 2026 at 05:30

Ukraine’s US air defenses are at risk in Iran war

Politico | Defense

By: By Paul McLeary， Jack Detsch and Chris Lunday

12 March 2026 at 05:30

Kyiv is already feeling the shockwaves of the U.S.-Israel military option.

A Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher fires on March 6, 2026, toward Ukrainian positions.

Politico | Defense
Hegseth gutted offices that would have probed Iran school strike
11 March 2026 at 06:19

Hegseth gutted offices that would have probed Iran school strike

Politico | Defense

By: By Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch

11 March 2026 at 06:19

The number of Pentagon employees who focus on mitigating civilian casualties has dropped from 200 people to less than 40.

A woman reaches out to the coffins during funeral of mostly children killed in what Iranian officials said was an Israeli-U.S. strike Feb. 28 on a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Politico | Defense
Pentagon says 140 troops wounded in Operation Epic Fury
11 March 2026 at 03:19

Pentagon says 140 troops wounded in Operation Epic Fury

Politico | Defense

By: By Joe Gould and Paul McLeary

11 March 2026 at 03:19

The update provides the clearest accounting so far of U.S. casualties tied to the Iran conflict, which has involved the deaths of seven U.S. troops as of Monday.

A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2026.

Politico | Defense
For Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Iran feels like déjà vu
11 March 2026 at 01:31

For Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Iran feels like déjà vu

Politico | Defense

By: By Riya Misra

11 March 2026 at 01:31

Post-9/11 veterans say the U.S. strikes on Iran feel like the opening chapter of a war they thought was over.

Army veteran Christopher William McFarland protests the war in Iran on March 2, 2026, in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Politico | Defense
Allies fear Iran war will leave them without US weapons they bought
7 March 2026 at 20:00

Allies fear Iran war will leave them without US weapons they bought

Politico | Defense

By: By Jack Detsch， John Sakellariadis and Phelim Kine

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.

Kids walk around an Iranian missile after it fell near Qamishli International Airport, near the Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria on March 4, 2026, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Politico | Defense
Trump’s war aim: Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’
6 March 2026 at 23:14

Trump’s war aim: Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’

Politico | Defense

By: By Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing

6 March 2026 at 23:14

The president's message — coming after days of mixed signals from administration officials — articulates that the U.S. has no intention of providing Tehran with an off-ramp.

In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump wrote that “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

Politico | Defense
GOP restrainers say Trump abandoned them
6 March 2026 at 08:20

GOP restrainers say Trump abandoned them

Politico | Defense

By: By Jack Detsch， Eli Stokols and Paul McLeary

6 March 2026 at 08:20

The president’s restraint-minded backers accuse the administration of breaking its promise.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (center) and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller pose for a group photo with officials and security leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean at the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference in Doral, Florida, on March 5.

Congress declines to halt Iran war

Politico | Defense

By: By Connor O'Brien

6 March 2026 at 05:45

Lawmakers will effectively be spectators in the president’s decisions around the Iran war after both the House and Senate rejected efforts to curb Trump’s power.