Department of Defense

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Pentagon Does a 180 on Hurricane Satellite Data

Military data deemed essential will continue to flow through 2026

(Newser) - The Pentagon has reversed course and will continue to provide satellite weather data that hurricane forecasters deem essential, at least through September 2026. Previously, the Navy had planned to cut off this data as part of a broader Defense Department modernization initiative, raising alarm among scientists as hurricane season...

Days After Pausing Weapons to Ukraine, Trump Does a 180

President indicates defensive weapons will be sent to Kyiv

(Newser) - Days after pausing weapons deliveries to Ukraine, US President Trump said Monday that the US would be sending more arms to the country. The AP calls it an "abrupt change in posture." Speaking to reporters after the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, Trump said, per Reuters , "We'...

Hegseth Expects Use of National Guard to Expand

He faces lawmakers in testy House hearing

(Newser) - "Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos," Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a heated hearing Tuesday. The House Appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing, one of four hearings scheduled over the next week, was the first time Hegseth had faced Congress....

Biggest Spreader of UFO Myths May Be the Pentagon
Who's Spreading UFO Myths?
The Pentagon, for One
longform
Jun 10, 2025 12:48 PM CDT

Who's Spreading UFO Myths? The Pentagon, for One

Wall Street Journal reports the practice appears to go back decades

(Newser) - Last year, a Pentagon report concluded that no credible evidence exists that we've been visited by little green men from outer space or that the US has covered up UFO activity. Now, the Wall Street Journal follows up with an investigation that provides a remarkable twist to the narrative:...

Watchdog Probes if Pentagon Staffers Deleted Signal Texts

Inspector general also wants to know who had access to Secretary Hegseth's phone

(Newser) - A Pentagon watchdog is looking into whether any of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's aides were asked to delete Signal messages that may have shared sensitive military information with a reporter, per two people familiar with the investigation and documents reviewed by the AP . The inspector general's request focuses...

What the DoD Did This Week: Killed Those DOGE Reports

Civilian employees at Pentagon no longer have to send bulleted list each week detailing their work

(Newser) - Good news for civilian workers at the Pentagon who've been forced to send weekly emails documenting their work: You don't have to do that anymore. The directive kick-started earlier this year across various federal agencies by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency group, which instructed staffers to...

Press Group: New Pentagon Restrictions a 'Direct Attack'

Journalists must now have escorts when visiting DOD, per new rules from Secretary Pete Hegseth

(Newser) - The Pentagon has tightened access for journalists, with new rules requiring official escorts for credentialed reporters in most areas of the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the change on Friday, saying it's meant to better protect classified intelligence and operational security, per Reuters . Journalists won't be...

US Military Commanders' New Task: Purging Trans Troops

DOD says supervisors Supervisors must now use health checks to find transgender soldiers, those with gender dysphoria

(Newser) - Military commanders will soon be tasked with identifying and removing transgender service members or those with gender dysphoria, according to Pentagon officials, a directive that's part of President Trump's order to ban openly transgender individuals from serving in the US military. Commanders will use the annual health...

Pentagon Starts Enforcing Trans Ban

Troops with gender dysphoria diagnoses will be forced out if they don't leave voluntarily

(Newser) - The Pentagon is moving quickly to force out transgender service members after the Supreme Court's Tuesday ruling allowing the Trump administration to enforce the ban while legal challenges are underway. "After a SCOTUS victory for @POTUS, TRANS is out at the DOD," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared...

Hegseth Announces 20% Cut to Military Leadership Roles

'More generals and admirals does not lead to more success'

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active-duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration moves forward with deep cuts. Hegseth also told the National Guard to eliminate 20% of its top positions and directed the military to cut an additional 10% of...

Trump Calls for $163B in Cuts Next Year

President also wants to increase defense spending

(Newser) - President Trump unveiled a 2026 budget plan on Friday that calls for sweeping cuts to federal programs and an increase in defense spending. Some key highlights follow, though the Wall Street Journal offers a reminder that any presidential blueprint is largely a "symbolic wish list" meant to lay out...

Hegseth Says He Ended 'Woke' Program Trump Made Law

He later said Biden 'ruined' Women, Peace and Security program

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted on social media Tuesday that he had dismantled a program supporting women on security teams—and may not have realized the program he tried to break was not a "woke" Biden-era initiative but instead a celebrated program signed into law by his boss, President...

Hegseth's Chief of Staff Is Latest Pentagon Departure

Defense secretary says 'great American' Joe Kasper wasn't fired

(Newser) - Another senior Pentagon employee has departed—but unlike three top advisers fired last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's chief of staff wasn't escorted out of the building by security. Joe Kasper tells Politico that he is leaving the role and plans to return to government relations and consulting...

Hegseth Comes Out Swinging Over Rumored Makeup Studio

Defense secretary slams 'totally fake story' about upgrade to greenroom at Defense Department

(Newser) - Pete Hegseth is getting a brief respite from Signalgate with a much more frivolous development that's making headlines. Sources tell CBS News that the defense secretary recently threw down an order to modify a room adjoining the Pentagon's press briefing area, and that those plans included a request...

Report: 3rd Pentagon Aide Placed on Leave in Leaks Probe

Department of Defense has been investigating leaks to the media

(Newser) - Source say three senior Pentagon officials have now been placed on leave amid a probe into media leaks from the Department of Defense. The first was Dan Caldwell, one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's senior advisers, who was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday. Another Hegseth...

Report: Security Took Hegseth Aide Out of Pentagon

Sources tell Reuters Dan Caldwell was identified in investigation of leaks

(Newser) - A top aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday after he was identified in an investigation of leaks of sensitive information, sources tell outlets including Reuters and Fox News . The sources say Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth's senior advisors, has...

Report: Army Will Turn Strip of Border Land Into Base

Officials say move will allow troops to detain trespassers on Roosevelt Reservation

(Newser) - A long sliver of federal land along the US-Mexico border that President Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, US officials speaking on condition of anonymity tell...

Trump Turns Southern Border Land Into 'Military Installation'

The Defense Department will have jurisdiction over a strip of land in 3 states

(Newser) - President Trump has given the Pentagon jurisdiction over a 60-foot-wide strip of public land in three states along the southern border as part of his plan to expand the military's involvement in immigration enforcement. The Wall Street Journal reports Trump released a presidential memorandum on Friday that ordered the...

Our Latest Nuclear Bomb Is Ready Ahead of Schedule

New B61-13 bomb enters production 7 months early

(Newser) - America's modernization of its nuclear weapons is running ahead of schedule. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said the B61-13 nuclear bomb, a weapon 24 times more potent than the one dropped on Hiroshima, is entering full production seven months earlier than expected. Work on the weapon—a...

Pentagon Watchdog Launches Hegseth Probe

Defense secretary's use of messaging app is being investigated after a request from senators

(Newser) - The Pentagon inspector general's office says it has launched a probe of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his use of Signal to discuss military strikes—which was exposed when a journalist was accidentally added to the chat. In a Thursday l etter to Hegseth , acting Inspector General Steven Stebbin...

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