Personnel
Trump's choice of acting intel chief threatens fragile surveillance-powers deal
If William Pulte's appointment is not rescinded, Senate Democrats say, it could sink an extension of FISA Section 702.
Breaking News
Trump appoints housing official to be acting director of national intelligence
William Pulte, who lacks experience in intelligence, will retain his current post, where he has launched investigations into the president’s political foes.
Ready, fire, aim: Pentagon cut workforce with little analysis before or since
Defense officials concurred with GAO that lessons should be drawn—but gave no indication they will be.
OPM proposes requiring all feds to sign an NDA
Experts warned the measure, when combined with the federal HR agency’s new power to target employees’ suitability for federal employment, creates a new pathway for Trump administration officials to purge those deemed insufficiently loyal to the president.
Exclusive
Hegseth memo calls for sweeping, open-ended review of Pentagon's legal system
It’s the secretary's latest unusual move toward DOD’s military and civilian lawyers.
West Pointers can be trained to better evaluate, appreciate AI, study finds
New research may point the way to harnessing AI’s potential on the battlefield—and in society.
The next president must reimagine, not just restore, the administrative state
Careful calibration—not chainsaws—can produce a government that solves problems instead of getting in the way.
Acting SecNav: ‘I’m not going to have my son go to war the way I did'
Industry can help prevent the Pentagon from making GWOT-era mistakes, said Hung Cao, filling in for his recently ousted boss.
Breaking News
Navy secretary leaving the Pentagon, ‘effective immediately’
His departure, long rumored, came as the Navy is fighting Iran and rolling out its proposed budget.
Space Force scrambles to repair workforce as massive budget increase looms
The service is trying to recruit at a record pace even as Pentagon officials insist civilian departures didn't hurt acquisition.
The counterterrorism czar without a counterterrorism plan
Iranian threats against U.S. targets have brought renewed attention to the absence of Sebastian Gorka's long-promised doctrine.
Hegseth orders termination of DOD union contracts
Federal court orders protect some collective-bargaining groups, but members of the American Federation of Government Employees remain vulnerable.
CIA employees will get AI 'coworkers'—and eventually run teams of AI agents, deputy says
Deputy Director Michael Ellis said the spy agency recently used AI to generate an intelligence report for the first time.
Hegseth forces out Army’s top general in ‘widely anticipated’ move
The writing was on the wall late last year, when Gen. Randy George’s deputy was replaced by Hegseth’s senior military aide.
Don't bottleneck defense-personnel vetting with a small-business set-aside
Screening a million federal employees a year has never been a small job, and it's getting bigger.
Mullin takes DHS helm as 100,000 employees remain unpaid
Senator vows reforms, staffing rebuild as he steps into his first executive-branch job.
Featured eBooks
Aircrew who died in KC-135 crash likely lacked parachutes
The Air Force removed chutes from the tankers in 2008 to save time and money.
Exclusive
Hegseth orders ‘ruthless’ review of JAGs. Some see an attempt to evade accountability
Current and former military lawyers question the secretary’s motives and timing.
Exclusive
A year into Hegseth’s cuts, defense civilians report ‘degraded performance’ and low morale
And the hiring freeze is still keeping overseas civilians from taking new jobs stateside.
