White House eyes 8% cut to defense budget to boost Trump priorities
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a response from Pentagon leadership. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered senior military officials to develop a budget plan that would slash defense spending by 8%, a dramatic cut which could reshape military end-strength and readiness for...
Confusion over VA worker dismissals irks advocates, lawmakers
One week after Veterans Affairs leaders announced the dismissal of 1,000 probationary department staffers, lawmakers and veterans groups are still struggling to understand which workers have been let go and whether more firings are coming soon. “There is an almost total lack of transparency and...
DEI-charged claims fly over contract talks for military school’s leader as lawmaker demands ethics probe
Virginia Democratic lawmakers are raising racially tinged concerns that the Virginia Military Institute’s board might decide against offering a comprehensive contract extension to the historic school’s first Black superintendent. According to Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., a board member at Virginia Military Institute revealed that at...
Navy relieves CO of USS Harry S. Truman following collision
The Navy relieved the commanding officer of the carrier Harry S. Truman on Thursday, one week after the carrier collided with a civilian merchant vessel in the Mediterranean, the service announced. Capt. Dave Snowden was relieved by Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of Carrier Strike...
Troops’ new tax-saving health care benefit enrollment starts March 3
Starting March 3, active-duty service members will have the option to enroll in a new benefit that could help defray their out-of-pocket health care costs. The special enrollment period for health care flexible spending accounts will run from March 3 through March 31. In essence,...
Russian aircraft fly in Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, US says
Russian military aircraft were spotted flying in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday and Wednesday, activity that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said “occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.” In both instances, NORAD said the Russian aircraft were...
DC federal judge probes DOJ for answers on Trump trans military ban in wild hearing
A federal judge in D.C. peppered Justice Department lawyers with hypothetical questions and video game references as she presided over the second day of oral arguments about the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict or ban transgender U.S. service members in the military. U.S. District Judge...
Trump admin orders sweeping cuts across the Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the agency to develop plans to slash 8% from the Department of Defense budget in each of the next five years to align with President Donald Trump’s priorities, specifically to achieve peace through strength, officials said. Hegseth is...
