Pentagon

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Pentagon Will Fund US Production of Rare Minerals

China has threatened to cut off supply of rare earths

(Newser) - Rare earth minerals are essential components of many high-tech products, including weapons systems and fighter jets—and the US military wants to stop relying on China for them. According to government documents seen by Reuters , the Pentagon is planning to fund processing of the 17 elements for the first time...

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...

After 'Screw Amazon' Order, Microsoft Wins $10B Contract

(Newser) - Microsoft has won its competition with Amazon for a $10 billion, 10-year contract to handle the military's cloud computing needs after a contentious process that involved the president. Amazon Web Services does the same thing for the CIA and seemed to have the inside track. "We're surprised,...

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...

Democrats Widen Search for Info About Ukraine

They subpoena Pentagon, OMB for documents related to held-up financial aid

(Newser) - House Democrats issued more subpoenas on Monday about the White House decision to delay aid to Ukraine. The leaders of three House committees sent letters to defense chief Mark Esper and acting Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought demanding any documents related to the financial aid, reports the...

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...

Trump Speaks of Something More Powerful Than Nukes

President marks 9/11 anniversary at the Pentagon

(Newser) - Speaking at the Pentagon to mark the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President Trump promised that if "they come back to our country, we will go wherever they are and use power the likes of which the United States has never used before." He added, per the...

18 Years Later, 'Life Won't Let Us Forget'

Commemorations for 9/11 are being held Wednesday in NYC, DC, and Pennsylvania

(Newser) - Americans are commemorating 9/11 with mournful ceremonies, volunteering, appeals to "never forget," and rising attention to the terror attacks' extended toll on responders. A crowd of victims' relatives is expected at Ground Zero on Wednesday, while President Trump is scheduled to join an observance at the Pentagon, per...

Surveillance Balloons Are Floating Over 6 States

Devices being tested can track scores of vehicles at once

(Newser) - The Pentagon is conducting high-altitude surveillance in six Midwestern states, testing a system designed to track vehicles 24/7 regardless of weather conditions. As many as 25 balloons outfitted with radar and video systems are in flight at altitudes as high as 65,000 feet, the Guardian reports. Their 250-mile flight...

The US Military Battles a Silent Killer
The US Military
Battles a Silent Killer
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 28, 2019 10:30 AM CDT

The US Military Battles a Silent Killer

Heat exposure is hurting and killing service members

(Newser) - Sgt. Sylvester Cline didn't have to die. The 32-year-old Iraq veteran was training at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas in June 2016 under grueling heat when he fell ill and was rushed to a nearby hospital—where heat exposure took his life. And he isn't the military's only...

The Pentagon Finally Gets a Permanent Leader

Mark Esper confirmed by Senate as defense secretary

(Newser) - The Senate has confirmed Army veteran and former defense industry lobbyist Mark Esper as secretary of defense. The 55-year-old won Senate confirmation on Tuesday by a vote of 90-8 and is to be sworn in by day's end. His confirmation ends a stretch of seven months the Pentagon didn'...

Court Rules Against Border Wall Funding

Appeals court says Trump can't use Pentagon cash

(Newser) - An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Trump's ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election. A divided three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in...

Pentagon to White House: Stop Politicizing the Military

But a top Trump aide calls it 'much ado about nothing'

(Newser) - The Pentagon has told the White House to stop politicizing the military, amid a furor over a Trump administration order to have the Navy ship named for the late US Sen. John McCain hidden from view during President Donald Trump's recent visit to Japan, the AP reports. A senior...

Pentagon Has Plan to Reinforce Security in Middle East

Officials will make presentation to White House Thursday

(Newser) - The Pentagon on Thursday will present plans to the White House to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Middle East, in a move to beef up defenses against potential Iranian threats, US officials said Wednesday. The officials said no final decision has been made yet, and it'...

War With Iran? 'I Hope Not,' Says Trump

Diplomats move to de-escalate situation

(Newser) - Going to war with Iran is not on the to-do list of President Trump, officials say. Sources tell the New York Times that the president—who strongly criticized America's Middle East entanglements during his 2016 campaign—told Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan during a Wednesday morning briefing that he...

Shanahan Reveals Plan for Border Security

The acting defense secretary wants to leave the Pentagon behind

(Newser) - On a trip to a border city in Texas, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Saturday he intends to accelerate planning to secure the border and bolster the government's ability to accomplish that without the Pentagon's continuous help, the AP reports. Shanahan told reporters traveling with him to...

Pentagon Fires Gitmo Commander
Pentagon Fires
Gitmo Commander
Apr 29, 2019 10:20 AM CDT

Pentagon Fires Gitmo Commander

John Ring is out soon after hosting controversial media visit at Guantanamo

(Newser) - Gitmo is getting a new commander, earlier than expected. The Pentagon has fired Navy Rear Adm. John Ring, citing a "loss of confidence in his ability" to lead, reports the New York Times . Ring had been scheduled to rotate out of the job anyway in June, but he already...

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...

US, South Korea Make Big Change to Military Drills

The two governments are scaling them down

(Newser) - South Korea and the US are eliminating their massive springtime military drills and replacing them with smaller exercises in what they call an effort to support diplomacy aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis, the AP reports. The decision announced by both countries Sunday came after President Trump complained...

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