Trump names Walt Nauta, co-defendant in classified documents case, other allies to Naval Academy board

Politico | Defense

By Ali Bianco

8 March 2025 at 23:14

The selection comes a month after Trump fired the previous boards of several military academies.

The move came as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping changes to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the government — including the military.

Europe scrambles to aid Ukraine after US intelligence cutoff

Politico | Defense

By Amy Mackinnon， Jamie Dettmer and Paul McLeary

8 March 2025 at 20:01

Ukraine is already “shooting half-blind” one analyst says, as Kyiv struggles to fend off Russia without U.S. intel.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 19, 2024.

War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal in Pentagon’s DEI purge

Politico | Defense

By Associated Press

7 March 2025 at 22:22

The purge could delete as many as 100,000 images or posts in total.

Staff Sgt. Krysteena Scales, a 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron Flying Crew Chief, performs pre-flight checks before departing on a mission in a C-17 Globemaster III, March 19, 2009, at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

US officials planning to meet with Ukrainian counterparts in Saudi Arabia

Politico | Defense

By Eli Stokols， Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing and Amanda Friedman

7 March 2025 at 03:20

The meeting would mark a significant diplomatic reengagement after last week’s Oval Office blowup.

Steve Witkoff, White House special envoy for the Middle East, speaks with reporters at the White House on March 6.

‘Who’s doing the vetting?': Republicans denounce Pentagon aide for antisemitic comments

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Joe Gould

6 March 2025 at 10:24

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson compared the murders of Israeli babies during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks to abortion.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits the border with Mexico on March 5, 2025 in Eagle Pass, Texas. Republicans are pushing back against a member of his staff, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, who has compared the murders of Israeli babies in the Hamas attacks to abortion.

Democrats bring fired vets to Trump’s Congress speech, hoping for a reckoning

Politico | Defense

By Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing

5 March 2025 at 05:25

Trump, who has previously come under scrutiny for disparaging comments about veterans, has overseen the firing of thousands of former service members in recent weeks.

Sen. Mark Kelly led a letter to Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Charles Ezell on Monday voicing concern about the high number of veterans impacted by DOGE's downsizing operation.

Pentagon policy chief hearing highlights GOP foreign policy divide

Politico | Defense

By Connor O'Brien and Joe Gould

5 March 2025 at 04:20

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker warned the U.S. “cannot simply pivot” away from Europe.

Vice President JD Vance greets his friend and President Donald Trump's nominee to be under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby, during Colby's confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on March 4, 2025.

Musk accuses Zelenskyy of pushing ‘forever war’ with Russia

Politico | Defense

By Seb Starcevic

4 March 2025 at 05:00

“This is evil,” the tech billionaire said, mounting a fresh attack on the Ukrainian leader.

Once hailed as one of Ukraine's most important allies, Elon Musk is now among Kyiv's sharpest critics.

US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea after North Korea test-fired missiles

Politico | Defense

By Associated Press

3 March 2025 at 07:37

The appearance of the USS Carl Vinson was meant to display American support for South Korea.

A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 28, 2025.

Pentagon to send 3,000 more troops to the US-Mexico border

Politico | Defense

By Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing

2 March 2025 at 04:35

This deployment is set to bring the total number of troops at the border to 9,000.

Around 2,400 soldiers from a Stryker brigade combat team and 500 soldiers from an aviation brigade will join troops already there. Strykers are armored vehicles that were last deployed to the border in 2012.

Some government employees are instructed — again — to not respond to 5 things email as Musk doubles down

Politico | Defense

By Ali Bianco

2 March 2025 at 01:14

Agencies and departments dealing with national security had told employees to not directly respond to Musk’s first request.

Elon Musk said Friday's email was "mandatory for the executive branch."

Trump taps hard-liner Hung Cao for Navy No. 2 role

Politico | Defense

By Joe Gould

28 February 2025 at 23:25

The former congressional candidate has called for a military of alpha males and females willing “to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds.”

Hung Cao speaks during a rally for Donald Trump on June 28, 2024, in Chesapeake, Virginia.

MAGA hat drama could taint Trump’s top military adviser pick

Politico | Defense

By Paul McLeary and Joe Gould

28 February 2025 at 18:00

The president said Dan Caine once offered to kill for him and slapped a signature red hat on his head, a violation of military rules.

The story President Donald Trump tells about retired Lt. Gen. Dan ‘Razin’ Caine donning a politically affiliated ball cap when they met in Iraq in 2018 could violate military rules, muddy his confirmation process and taint his credibility.

Trump administration to remove transgender troops from the military

Politico | Defense

By Katherine Long

28 February 2025 at 02:04

A Pentagon memo released Wednesday orders members to identify individuals to be removed, the latest move in an ongoing fight to bar transgender members from service.

President Donald Trump salutes as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington, upon returning from the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC.

Pentagon orders new purge of social media sites to dump diversity, inclusion mentions by March 5

Politico | Defense

By Associated Press

28 February 2025 at 00:49

The order requires all the military services to pore over years of website postings, photos, news articles and videos.

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2025, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

VA pauses billions in cuts lauded by Musk

Politico | Defense

By Associated Press

27 February 2025 at 09:24

The cuts would affect everything from cancer care to the ability to assess toxic exposure.

The seal a fixed to the front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington on June 21, 2013.

Trump signals more firings of military leaders

Politico | Defense

By Paul McLeary

27 February 2025 at 02:55

Senior officers involved in the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan are “going to be largely gone,” he said.

President Donald Trump looks on as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26.

'Roadblocks' or supports? Military lawyers question Hegseth’s firings.

Politico | Defense

By Paul McLeary

26 February 2025 at 07:00

The Pentagon chief said he doesn’t want lawyers who are “roadblocks” to decisions he or military commanders make.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. Hegseth has made restoring a “warrior ethos” a core part of his agenda.

Defense deputy secretary pick avoids saying Russia invaded Ukraine

Politico | Defense

By Joe Gould

26 February 2025 at 03:27

Stephen Feinberg, at his confirmation hearing, signaled he’s unlikely to challenge the Pentagon's striking shift.

Stephen Feinberg, President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy Defense secretary, defended the administration's plans for a dramatic culling of thousands of Pentagon employees.

Trump fires top military leaders in unprecedented shakeup

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

22 February 2025 at 08:59

The Friday night terminations include Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. C.Q. Brown.

Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on July 25, 2024.

MAGA takes aim at the Republican hawks

Politico | Defense

By Rachael Bade and Eli Stokols

22 February 2025 at 01:00

Trump loyalists are sending a message to the GOP’s foreign policy traditionalists.

Special envoy Keith Kellogg, seen meeting Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has come under suspicion by White House insiders.

Ukraine’s allies in DC tell Zelenskyy: Take the rare earths deal

Politico | Defense

By Robbie Gramer

21 February 2025 at 06:25

Mending ties with Trump means allowing US stakes in Ukraine’s mineral riches, officials say.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during his briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Musk, after spat with astronaut, calls for deorbiting the International Space Station

Politico | Defense

By Ali Bianco

21 February 2025 at 05:02

The call could drive a historically bipartisan space agency further into political entrenchment.

American astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

Hegseth orders major Pentagon spending cuts

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Joe Gould， Paul McLeary and Connor O'Brien

20 February 2025 at 10:52

Senate Democrats think Hegseth is in over his head.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is seen during a press conference at the Polish Ministry of Defense HQ in Warsaw on Feb. 14, 2025.

GOP hawks bristle at Trump’s anti-Ukraine tirade

Politico | Defense

By Connor O'Brien， Joe Gould and Jack Detsch

20 February 2025 at 06:49

GOP lawmakers distanced themselves from Trump’s condemnation of Ukraine but still emphasized the president's goal to secure a peace deal to end the three-year-long war.