Department of Defense

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Frontrunner for Biden Defense Chief Would Make History

Michele Flournoy, who served at Pentagon under Obama, would be first woman in role

(Newser) - As President-elect Biden starts to make picks for his administration, one name being floated for a Cabinet position would be a historic one. The Hill reports that a frontrunner to head the Defense Department is Michele Flournoy, who served as the department's undersecretary of defense for policy under President...

Pentagon Bans Confederate Flag, but Not in a Typical Way

New policy lists what flags can be shown at military installations, not which ones can't

(Newser) - After weeks of wrangling, the Pentagon on Friday will ban displays of the Confederate flag on military installations, in a carefully worded policy that doesn't mention the word "ban" or that specific flag. The policy, laid out in a memo obtained by the AP , was described by officials...

Branches Pressure Esper for Confederate Flag Ban

It's the US flag that's placed on coffins, draft policy says

(Newser) - A draft policy circulated by Pentagon leaders would ban the display of the Confederate flag in Defense Department workplaces or public areas by service members and civilian personnel. If approved, the policy would bring the other military services in line with the Marine Corps, which banned Confederate displays on its...

Pentagon Releases Videos of UFOs
Pentagon Releases
Videos of UFOs
Apr 28, 2020 6:03 AM CDT

Pentagon Releases Videos of UFOs

Objects in widely-seen footage from 2004, 2015 remain unidentified

(Newser) - The Pentagon has formally released three videos of UFOs taken by Navy pilots which circulated for years following "unauthorized releases." The footage "does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena" and was therefore released "in order to clear...

Pentagon Diverts Military Aircraft Funds to Border Wall

Lawmakers from both parties slam move to shift $3.8B in military spending

(Newser) - "I'm going to build a wall and divert funds from military aircraft to pay for it" isn't exactly what President Trump promised in 2016—but he is likely to at least have some progress in wall construction to point to during this year's election. The Pentagon...

Judge in Amazon Suit Holds Up Microsoft's $10B Cloud Deal

Filing accuses Trump of bias, affecting decision on Pentagon contract

(Newser) - A federal judge ordered a halt Thursday to the cloud contract the Pentagon awarded to Microsoft. Amazon has argued bias in the selection of Microsoft for the contract, which could be worth as much as $10 billion over 10 years, CNBC reports. After the winner was narrowed down to Amazon...

Congress Doesn't Get Briefings on Iran After All

State, Defense departments scrap scheduled meetings at the last minute

(Newser) - The State and Defense departments have called off three classified briefings for members of Congress, who have questions about the Iran situation, that were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. House committee members were expecting to hear from State Department officials about embassy security, CNN reports, while a Senate panel was...

Amazon to File for Restraining Order in Microsoft-DOD Deal

Former says latter was only awarded $10B contract after 'behind-the-scenes attacks' from Trump

(Newser) - Amazon has long been suspicious that it lost out to Microsoft on a lucrative $10 billion cloud computing deal with the US military only because of President Trump's intervention, and now Jeff Bezos' behemoth has taken its latest step to stymie the latter from proceeding with that project. CNN...

US: We Just Hit Iran and Syria
US: We Just Hit Iraq and Syria
Dec 29, 2019 12:32 PM CST

US: We Just Hit Iraq and Syria

The US is targeting militia blamed for killing an American

(Newser) - The US says it has carried out military strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting a militia blamed for an attack that killed an American contractor, the AP reports. US forces conducted "precision defensive strikes" against five sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, Defense Department official Jonathan Hoffman...

Judge Rules Against Trump Administration in Border Wall Case

Federal judge says $3.6B in Pentagon funds can't be diverted to wall construction

(Newser) - The secretary of defense in September authorized the diverting of $3.6 billion in Pentagon funds to build the border wall, but on Tuesday, a federal judge in Texas blocked the Trump administration from doing that, CNN reports. El Paso County, Texas, and Border Network for Human Rights had sued...

Pentagon Trying to Plan for Trump's Next Sudden Move

If president suddenly decides to pull troops out of Afghanistan, DOD officials want to be ready

(Newser) - There's no current instruction from the White House to yank troops out of Afghanistan. But amid recent developments in Syria , the Pentagon is taking no chances and has been setting up a contingency plan in anticipation of any surprise directives from President Trump on Afghanistan. Current and former Defense...

Pentagon: We're Sending Jets, Other Air Defense to Saudis

Defense Secretary Mark Esper announces move after Iran claims 2 missiles struck its tanker

(Newser) - The US will send fighter jets and additional air defenses to Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom against Iran amid heightened tensions between the two Middle Eastern adversaries, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Esper announced the deployment of several dozen fighter jets, along with other aircraft and additional air...

US Sending Troops to Saudi Arabia, UAE

No military strike against Iran yet, though

(Newser) - The Pentagon on Friday announced it will deploy additional US troops and missile defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as President Trump has at least for now put off any immediate military strike on Iran in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry. Defense...

Supreme Court: Border Wall Can Be Built With DOD Funds

$2.5B in Defense Department money can now be tapped by Trump administration for sections of wall

(Newser) - The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the Trump administration to tap billions of dollars in Pentagon funds to build sections of a border wall with Mexico. The court's five conservative justices gave the administration the green light to begin work on four contracts it has awarded using...

Trump Officially Names Defense Nominee

Says he'll nominate acting secretary Patrick Shanahan

(Newser) - President Trump on Thursday said he will nominate Patrick Shanahan to be his second secretary of defense. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position, the AP reports. "Acting Secretary...

Naval Academy Transgender Ban Starts in 2020

Coast Guard, Air Force academies say they are also complying with Trump policy

(Newser) - President Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military is beginning to take effect at the US Naval Academy and other military institutions. The Defense Department confirmed to the Capital Gazette this week that the Naval Academy will stop accepting transgender students as of 2020, but those enrolled...

Dems Cry Foul as Pentagon Transfers $1B for Border Wall

Defense chief Shanahan will be grilled by a House panel over the move

(Newser) - "Christmas came early this week," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Monday night after the Pentagon authorized the transfer of $1 billion to build 57 miles of border wall. The transfer is the first under the emergency declared last month by President Trump, who retweeted his son's remark. In...

Pentagon: Our Bases Are Flooding
Pentagon Has Bad
News About Its Bases
Jan 20, 2019 11:40 AM CST

Pentagon Has Bad News About Its Bases

Seems climate change is affecting mission-critical installations

(Newser) - A new Pentagon report says wildfires, drought, and flooding fueled by climate change are threatening two-thirds of key US military bases, the Military Times reports. Posted online Friday, the report looks at 79 mission-critical installations across the Army, Air Force, and Navy, but not the Marine Corps. The report says...

Mattis Stepping Down as Defense Secretary

Resignation letter implies criticism of Trump's Syria decision

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is stepping down from his post, President Trump announced Thursday, after the retired Marine general clashed with the president over a troop drawdown in Syria and Trump's go-it-alone stance in world affairs. Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will...

The $7M Legwear to Turn US Troops Into 'Super Soldiers'

ONYX exoskeleton being developed by Lockheed Martin to reduce weight, help troops move better

(Newser) - The Army is pushing for a new generation of "super soldiers," and critical in that effort is a cutting-edge technology first used to help people with serious medical conditions (e.g., multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis) stay on the move. Reuters reports the Pentagon is pumping nearly $7 million into...

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