Policy
Hegseth says chief of naval operations nomination is coming ‘in due time’
Lawmakers question firings of, and lack of replacements for, senior military leadership.
Ideas
The military must remain nonpartisan. America depends on it
The soldiers who cheered partisan applause lines at Fort Bragg, and their leaders, erred in a spectacular way.
Policy
Lawmakers rip into defense secretary over flat Pentagon budget
The Pentagon is counting on one-time funds from a reconciliation bill to fund investments in shipbuilding and missile defense.
Policy
Meet DOGE's team inside the Defense Department
ProPublica has identified four men installed by defense contractor Elon Musk at the Pentagon—and 100 more across the federal government.
Policy
US Air Force’s nascent radar plane faces the axe
Hegseth says the E-7 Wedgetail may be discarded to fund Pentagon shift toward space-based ISR.
Ideas
The ‘buy-American’ push is backfiring
It’s time for U.S. and European policymakers to be smarter and more cooperative.
Policy
What will DOD civilians do at the border? The Pentagon won’t say.
The Defense Department declined to provide any details on Monday’s order to provide support to DHS.
Policy
Pentagon won’t say how many civilians have left since February
The department has used a mix of layoffs and voluntary resignations to cut workforce.
Threats
Air Force Reserve faces steep fighter cuts, uncertain future
Plan to eliminate multiple squadrons “takes us out of the fight,” the Reserve’s top general said in a Pentagon interview.
Policy
Hegseth halves staff of Pentagon’s testing-oversight office
The move may reduce the quality of DOT&E’s second opinions, but may not affect safety, former officials said.
Ideas
Don’t limit defense innovation by capping small-biz awards
A proposed change to the Small Business Innovation Research program would deprive the military of some of its best problem-solvers.
Business
Missile Defense Agency preps $151B contract vehicle for Golden Dome
MDA previewed a draft solicitation for work on the ambitious missile-defense system.
Policy
Pentagon orders civilian employees to submit money-saving ideas
It’s the last step in the "5 bullet points" weekly email exercise.
Science & Tech
For DOD, the future of large language models is smaller
Everyone loves big AI, but “maybe there is a smaller-parameter model that could run on a laptop.”
Policy
The DOD’s tech agency braces for 10% workforce cut
The agency hopes to bring some staff back in a “surgical rehiring,” said Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, head of the Defense Information Systems Agency.
Policy