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.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon on Sept. 19, 2025.

Trump has threatened to leave NATO over Iran. There are few signs that’s happening.

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Connor O'Brien and Victor Jack

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.

President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on October 22, 2025.

US officials tell allies Iran war could delay Ukraine weapons shipments

Politico | Defense

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.

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

Politico | Defense

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.

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

Politico | Defense

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.

GOP restrainers say Trump abandoned them

Politico | Defense

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.

Pentagon offers no evidence to support claim it attacked Iran in defense

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Joe Gould， Eli Stokols and John Sakellariadis

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.

An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026.

Iran strikes threaten to deplete US weapons supplies — and put American troops at risk

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Joe Gould

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.

US Airforce KC-46 Pegasus tankers and one P-8 Poseidon tankersfrom the US Navy are seen stationed at Lajes Air Base in the Azores on February 23, 2026. The United States has intensified its use of the air base amid tensions with Iran.

Zelenskyy pushes US to intensify pressure on Russia

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Felicia Schwartz

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

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch

6 February 2026 at 04:14

The New START deal was the last vestige of arms control between the world’s largest superpowers.

This photo taken from a video distributed on Dec. 9, 2020, by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, shows a rocket launch as part of a ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile test at the Plesetsk facility in northwestern Russia.

Trump prepares to let go of arms control with Russia

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

3 February 2026 at 18:00

Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals could expand for the first time in three decades.

Russian ballistic missiles being prepared for a parade.

Pentagon no longer views China threat as top priority

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch

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.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives to brief senators at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 7, 2026.

Confronted with thorny problems, Trump turns to the military

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

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.

President Donald Trump addresses a crowd of service members during a celebration open in honor of the Army's 250th anniversary on June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Trump says he has many military options on Iran. He doesn’t.

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Paul McLeary and Joe Gould

14 January 2026 at 07:00

Many of the troops and ships once at the president’s disposal have shifted to the Caribbean.

Iranians gather during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Friday.

The one issue where Democrats think Trump is right

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Paul McLeary and Joe Gould

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.

An F35 Lockheed Martin fighter jet flies at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2025 in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

Venezuela operation magnifies Pentagon's shift west — and away from China

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

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.

President Donald Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Jan. 3, 2026.

Top 6 takeaways from the Pentagon’s Signalgate investigation

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Paul McLeary and Maggie Miller

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.

Secretary of State Pete Hegseth looks on during a meeting with President Donald Trump and President of Argentina Javier Milei in the Cabinet Room at the White House on Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington.

Can Hegseth’s MAGA playbook spare him again?

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch

4 December 2025 at 18:55

The Defense secretary has a game plan for controversies, but the latest ones may prove a stiffer test.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Cabinet meeting, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington.

Pete Hegseth is a no-show in Ukraine. That suits the White House just fine.

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary

27 November 2025 at 03:05

The Defense secretary has carved out an unorthodox political niche that has helped insulate him from criticism inside the administration, at least for now.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives at the White House to watch President Donald Trump pardon a Turkey on Nov. 25.

A Vance ally rises at the Pentagon — with Trump's blessing

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch， Sophia Cai and Paul McLeary

21 November 2025 at 18:55

Dan Driscoll’s visit to Ukraine this week underscored his new prominence in the administration.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shakes hands with U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in Kyiv, Ukraine on Nov. 20, 2025.

Resuming nuclear testing is not as easy as you think

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Joe Gould

31 October 2025 at 05:09

The country faces a slew of safety, ethical and logistical challenges to restart long-halted nuclear tests. It could still happen.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping look at each other after their summit meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

Trump expands his lethal attacks on alleged drug traffickers

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Eric Bazail-Eimil

23 October 2025 at 06:17

The U.S. military is now operating in the Pacific — and apparently targeting Colombian vessels.

President Donald Trumps makes an announcement about fertility drugs in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Oct. 16, 2025.

‘Could have been an email’: Officials balk at Hegseth's generals meeting

Politico | Defense

By Jack Detsch and Leo Shane III

1 October 2025 at 03:03

The last-minute gathering featured hundreds of senior military officials, who swear an oath to the Constitution, attending something more akin to a campaign rally.