Policy
Trump repeats claims to have ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuke program, ended ‘8 wars’
In the longest-ever State of the Union speech, the president also took credit for a “trillion-dollar” defense budget, while falsely claiming that tariffs funded a pay bump for troops.
Pentagon’s spending plan doubles down on land, air, sea robots
A look at new tech efforts in the Pentagon’s $151 billion reconciliation allocation plan.
All eyes on Air Force leaders after a year of chaos and change
Experts say service leaders ought to pitch a clear vision at upcoming conference.
Cyber responses will be ‘linked to adversary actions,’ involve industry: White House
New national cyber strategy, expected last month, will be released “soon."
CISA to furlough most of its workforce under impending DHS shutdown
The shutdown would also slow ongoing revamps of a major cyber incident reporting rule that was signed into law in 2022, acting director Madhu Gottumukkala said this week.
With an eye on China, Air Force hones its hub-and-spoke approach to basing
“The strategic attention is here in this theater,” undersecretary says during a visit to the Indo-Pacific.
Exclusive
Some Army civilians worked during the shutdown—and were told to say they didn’t
What started as confusion became a coverup, employees and emails say.
CIA overhauls acquisition to get new tech faster
The new framework includes a vendor-vetting system and streamlined IT authorization.
After pushing thousands of federal tech workers to leave last year, the administration is trying to replace them
The Defense Department and other agencies are hiring.
Partial shutdown ends less than four days after it began
Negotiations continue over Homeland Security funding, but DOD and every other federal agency are now funded through September.
White House initiates shutdown process as Congress hopes to keep duration minimal
Impacted employees will soon receive furlough notices, though they could still avoid missing any time.
JAGs are becoming federal prosecutors in Minneapolis. Experts warn it’s new territory
Military lawyers have served as special assistant U.S. attorneys before, but never like this.
Experts have questions about the new National Defense Strategy—on China, force design, and more
The document “might not be worth the paper it’s written on,” one expert said.
Updated
Shutdown deal struck after failed Senate vote
Senate Democrats and the White House reached an agreement late Thursday to fund most departments and agencies through Sept. 30 after a previous funding bill was blocked.
Nominee to lead NSA backs controversial spying law
Lt. Gen. Josh Rudd also promised to prioritize NSA efforts to protect U.S. elections.
Trump’s national defense strategy is unlike anything that’s come before it
It touts an end to interventionism and regime change, despite adventurism in Venezuela and Greenland.
Sen. Kelly’s lawyers say Pentagon is attempting to violate his constitutional rights
In a court filing, they say that DOJ erred in asserting that retired military officers can be punished for speaking out against DOD policies.
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Congress hurtles toward partial shutdown after Alex Pretti killing in Minneapolis
Senate Democrats want new limits on federal agents in a compromise bill to fund the Defense Department before Friday's deadline.
Air Force revives a deployment concept used for the GWOT—with a few twists
Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0 is the latest move away from Biden-era attempts to orient the force toward China.
Space Force probably needs twice as many guardians, vice chief says
The service’s budget and constellation have doubled since its founding, Gen. Shawn Bratton noted.
