Login
Pentagon puts building blocks in place for Cuba invasion
28 May 2026 at 05:15
The Navy’s presence in the Caribbean has not reduced despite the Iran war.
© Matias Delacroix/AP
© Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Normal view
Before yesterdayPolitico | Defense
Hegseth enters the war between Donald Trump and Thomas Massie
19 May 2026 at 04:33
The Defense secretary’s remarks are highly unusual for a civilian military leader.
Pentagon officials stunned by Hegseth decision on troops in Poland
15 May 2026 at 05:05
It wasn’t clear why the Defense secretary issued the order not to send troops on a routine mission to a country the administration refers to as a “model ally.”
© Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Hegseth says battle for Hormuz is ‘separate and distinct' from the Iran war
5 May 2026 at 22:41
The Defense secretary distanced Project Freedom, the latest effort to reopen the strait, from the rest of the Iran war.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
US and Iranian boat attacks threaten ceasefire
5 May 2026 at 02:52
The exchange occurred a day after President Donald Trump announced the Navy would help commercial vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz.
© Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP/
Hegseth declares victory while preparing for more war with Iran
24 April 2026 at 23:59
The administration is still sending more forces to the region — and asking for help from allies — even as the White House says the conflict is over.
© Kevin Wolf/AP
Navy plays deadly game of hide-and-seek with Iranian mines
16 April 2026 at 05:41
As more American warships head to the Middle East, the mine-hunting mission might be the next big job.
© Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia/U.S. Navy
Hegseth again skipping Ukraine meeting, will send top lieutenant instead
14 April 2026 at 22:36
As the U.S. continues to look away from Europe, fewer top officials are visiting longtime allies.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Allies try to puzzle out US blockade of Iran
14 April 2026 at 07:18
President Donald Trump is trying to ramp up the pressure on Tehran — but allies and officials are scrambling to understand how the blockade will help.
© Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Pearson/U.S. Navy via AP
-
Politico | Defense
- NATO chief insists Europe is ‘scrambling’ to help with Iran war after latest Trump attacks
NATO chief insists Europe is ‘scrambling’ to help with Iran war after latest Trump attacks
10 April 2026 at 01:15
The head of the alliance tried to thread the needle between an irate U.S. president and NATO members who feel unfairly maligned.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
‘Seems like losing’: What the US hasn’t won in Iran
9 April 2026 at 06:07
As negotiations begin this weekend in Pakistan, the war has reaffirmed Iran’s regional significance.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Pentagon’s new plans in Iran give Trump a way out of war crime accusations
7 April 2026 at 06:45
Defense officials are expanding a list of strike options.
© Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Allies and Congress are about to lose a key window into US military plans
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.
© Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Pentagon prepares to send another 3,000 troops to Middle East
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.
Pentagon weighs sending more troops to Middle East
20 March 2026 at 02:41
The discussions, while evolving, would mark a drastic new step in the Iran war.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Hegseth, attacking press, declares victory is near amid ongoing Iran conflict
13 March 2026 at 22:01
The Defense secretary gave little indication on how or when the war would end.
© Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Ukraine’s US air defenses are at risk in Iran war
12 March 2026 at 05:30
Kyiv is already feeling the shockwaves of the U.S.-Israel military option.
© Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Hegseth gutted offices that would have probed Iran school strike
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.
© Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA via AP
War with Iran has ‘only just begun,’ Hegseth says
4 March 2026 at 23:18
Top military officials said the campaign will intensify — and declined to say what victory might look like.
© Alex Wong/Getty Images
Hegseth doesn’t rule out US troops in Iran
2 March 2026 at 22:38
The nation’s top military officials made the case for why the U.S. needed to attack now.
© Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
3 US troops killed in Iran attack
1 March 2026 at 23:08
Several more troops were wounded as part of the U.S. and Israel effort against Tehran.
© Shvan Harki/AFP via Getty Images
A duo of the willing: US and Israel have few allies in initial Iran strikes
1 March 2026 at 00:44
The absence of allies in America’s massive attacks against Iran upends decades of precedent.
© Mahsa/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s Iran buildup risks drowning out affordability message
21 February 2026 at 01:00
The massive accumulation of aircraft carriers and fighter jets in the Middle East, coupled with the Pentagon’s Venezuela operation, could cost billions of dollars.
© Illustration by Bill Kuchman/POLITICO (source images via Getty Images and Tajh Payne/US Navy via Getty Images)
US ambassador to NATO: America is 'not leaving' Europe
14 February 2026 at 23:59
His comments are part of a more conciliatory tone American officials are taking during the Munich Security Conference.
US NATO Ambassador Whitaker: The US is 'not abandoning Europe'
Top Republican lawmakers spar over Greenland
14 February 2026 at 23:16
Without naming him directly, Sen. Thom Tillis appeared to fire back at Sen. Lindsey Graham over his comments on Greenland's sovereignty.
© Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
US signals limited military pullback from Europe
11 February 2026 at 23:30
“We will continue to show up,” America's ambassador to NATO said.
© Omar Havana/Getty Images
The transatlantic alliance is down but not out
11 February 2026 at 18:00
The Munich Security Conference will serve as a gut check of the frayed relationship, and whether Europe can hold on to its emerging self-assurance.
© Matthias Schrader/AP
US officials: More Ukraine, Russia talks coming next week
25 January 2026 at 02:26
This week’s meetings were the first time all three countries sat face-to-face for talks to try and hash out a ceasefire.
© Alex Brandon/AP
‘Old wine in a new bottle’: Greenland negotiations resemble an earlier deal
23 January 2026 at 07:29
A 1951 treaty between the U.S. and Denmark already covers much of what a potential agreement on the island would include.
© Jim Watson/AP
