Military

Politico reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, will leave his role in the coming days for a new position at the agency, according to a senior administration official, amid a week of turmoil for the Pentagon. Senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg’s chief of …

Politico reports: John Ullyot, the former top Pentagon spokesperson who found himself at the center of several controversies in the first months of the Trump administration, said he will resign this week. Ullyot’s departure comes in the midst of a tumultuous week for the Pentagon. Three political appointees were put on administrative leave on Tuesday and Wednesday during an investigation …

The Hill reports: Suspensions at the Defense Department have continued, with a third top Pentagon official being placed on administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation into information leaks at the department. Colin Carroll, chief of staff to deputy secretary of Defense Steve A. Feinberg, was placed on administrative leave on Wednesday, a U.S. defense official told The Hill. The department …

Politico reports: The Pentagon placed two top political appointees under administrative leave on Tuesday after a probe into potential leaks of sensitive information, according to three defense officials. Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon by security officers and had his building access suspended pending further investigation, said two of the …

The Guardian reports: Twelve students studying in Pentagon schools in the US and around the world are suing the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, over the book bans he has instigated to remove titles on race and gender from their libraries. A lawsuit lodged on the students’ behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Tuesday argues that their first …

Reuters reports: One of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s top advisors, Dan Caldwell, was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday after being identified during an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense, a US official told Reuters. Caldwell, a senior advisor to Pete Hegseth, was placed on administrative leave for “an unauthorized disclosure,” the official said, speaking on …

Politico reports: The Senate confirmed retired Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to lead the Joint Chiefs early Friday morning — elevating a little-known three-star general just seven weeks after President Donald Trump fired Gen. C.Q. Brown from the post. Caine overcame doubts about his qualifications and ability to remain apolitical, and was confirmed in a bipartisan 60-25 vote to serve …

Via press release from the Space Force: Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10, 2025 for loss of confidence in her ability to lead. Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan …

Via press release from the Pentagon: We’re committed to doing right by those who were affected by the Department’s former COVID-19 vaccination policy. For the roughly 8,700 service members who were separated solely for refusing the vaccine, this is an opportunity to return to service — and we want them to know the door is open. Starting today, the Department …

Ars Technica reports: The US Space Force announced Friday it selected SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin for $13.7 billion in contracts to deliver the Pentagon’s most critical military to orbit into the early 2030s. These missions will launch the government’s heaviest national security satellites, like the National Reconnaissance Office’s large bus-sized spy platforms, and deploy them into bespoke …

Military.com reports: The Army is quietly considering a sweeping reduction of up to 90,000 active-duty troops, a move that underscores mounting fiscal pressures at the Pentagon and a broader shift in military strategy away from Europe and counterterrorism, according to three defense officials familiar with the deliberations. Internal discussions are exploring trimming the force to between 360,000 and 420,000 troops …

Military.com reports: The U.S. Naval Academy has confirmed that officials there removed items commemorating female Jewish graduates from a historic display ahead of a visit to the school by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, or MRFF, a nonprofit group that advocates for religious freedom, first reported on the move after its members noticed the …

The New York Times reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office has ordered the Naval Academy to identify books related to so-called diversity, equity and inclusion themes that are housed in the school’s Nimitz Library, and to remove them from circulation. This week, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss policy decisions, Mr. Hegseth’s …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is facing scrutiny over his handling of details of a military strike, brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed, according to multiple people who were present or had knowledge of the discussions. One of the meetings, a …

The Associated Press reports: A U.S. judge in Washington state has blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s order banning transgender people from serving in the military, the second nationwide injunction against the policy in as many weeks. The order Thursday from U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma came in a case brought by several long-serving transgender military members …

First, some history about the name: In 1789, the Department of War was established to oversee all military affairs, including naval affairs, with the Secretary of War as its head. The National Security Act of 1947 established the Department of the Air Force and merged it with the War Department and the Navy Department to create the National Military Establishment. …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration has sidelined a senior Defense Department spokesman, defense officials said Thursday, ending a brief and tumultuous tenure in which he clashed with colleagues and journalists who cover the Pentagon, and aggressively defended the agency’s purge of government-produced content recognizing the contributions of minorities in the military. John Ullyot’s removal followed an uproar Wednesday …

Axios reports: A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to appeal. “The Military Ban is soaked in animus and dripping with pretext,” wrote U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in a scathing ruling that found the restrictions that were due to take effect …

The New York Times reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the shuttering of the Office of Net Assessment, a small, often secretive and sometimes opaque office that for more than 50 years has helped the Pentagon’s most senior leaders think about the future of war. The office costs about $10 million to $20 million a year — a fraction of …

The military site Task & Purpose reports: Arlington National Cemetery is the most venerated final resting ground in the nation, overseen by silent soldiers in immaculate uniforms with ramrod-straight discipline. Across its hundreds of acres in Virginia, they watch over 400,000 graves of U.S. service members dating back to the Civil War, including two presidents, and more than 400 Medal …