By Lara Seligman

There were initially conflicting reports about what caused the explosion, which killed 150 people and wounded 5,000. Officials initially blamed a major fire at a fireworks warehouse near the port. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab later said the blast was caused by 2,750 metric tons of a volatile substance called […]

“We’re positioning ourselves to provide them whatever assistance we can, humanitarian aid, medical supplies, you name it, to assist the people of Lebanon,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that most officials believe the deadly explosion in Beirut this week was “an accident,” just hours […]

Since Trump announced his intent to nominate Tata earlier this year, the former Army general has been widely criticized for tweets calling former President Barack Obama a “terrorist leader” and referring to Islam as the “most oppressive violent religion I know of,” among other controversial statements. Tata later said he […]

“I have no personnel announcements other than to say that the president still supports him,” she said. White House officials have discussed the possibility of installing Tata, who has been a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Mark Esper since earlier this year, in a different position in an acting capacity. […]

Hoffman defended the use of the term “adversaries” to describe anti-government protesters and journalists in a fictional scenario presented in the training materials, noting that “adversaries” is a common term for “a person or group that opposes one’s goal.” However, he acknowledged that “it clearly has different implications when used […]

In another section of the course on insider threats, the media is labeled an adversary, and DoD personnel are instructed to report any contact with the press to their “information security office.” Price Floyd, who served as acting assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in the Obama administration and […]

“Germany has been delinquent of billions of dollars … I said ‘until they pay, we’re removing our soldiers,’” Trump said in June. Esper stressed that the plan will enhance NATO’s ability to deter Russian aggression and strengthen U.S. alliances in Europe, yet also reiterated the president’s criticism of Germany. “Let’s […]

Defense Secretary Mark Esper | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Esper may be looking to have a conversation with Attorney General William Barr, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and their teams about the issue in the near future, Hoffman said, but did not specify a timeline. Hoffman’s comments come amid […]

The Pentagon on Friday unveiled a new policy that effectively bans the display of the Confederate flag — without actually naming it.The policy reflects an effort to find a compromise on the divisive issue, as Defense Secretary Mark Esper strives to satisfy military leaders without irking President Donald Trump, who […]

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, in particular, is pushing Esper “hard” to issue a ban on the Confederate flag, two defense officials reported. McCarthy has recently taken steps aimed at eliminating unconscious bias in the ranks, including doing away with the use of official photos as a requirement in the promotion […]

Esper also told lawmakers on Thursday that he never received any intelligence briefing that included the word “bounty,” in response to a carefully worded question about the reports. The narrow remarks left open the possibility that intelligence officers briefed Esper and other Pentagon leaders on the issue, but did not […]

Mitchell would not confirm details of the flyovers, which will involve Defense Department and “heritage” aircraft. But another defense official said the request for the Washington, D.C., event included the Air Force’s Thunderbirds demonstration team, while the Navy’s Blue Angels will fly over Mount Rushmore on July 3. This would […]

In addition, the countries have agreed on a location for a U.S. armored brigade combat team and are in discussions about additional support infrastructure as well as a combat aviation brigade, the official said, declining to give details on the specific location. The officials did not mention plans for naming […]

McCusker was nominated for the top position late last year, but the White House pulled her nomination in March after emails leaked to the media showed that she expressed concern over the administration’s demands to hold up aid to Ukraine. In one email exchange published by The New York Times […]

The June 1 images of Milley walking the streets of D.C. in his combat uniform prompted outrage from current and retired officials, and many accused Pentagon leaders of allowing the military to be used as a political prop by the Trump administration. Trump had just announced to reporters that if […]

Trump’s break with Pentagon leaders on the controversial issue comes just a week after a flap with Esper over the defense secretary‘s expressing his opposition to deploying active-duty troops on the streets to respond to civil unrest, two days after Trump threatened to do just that. A Pentagon spokesperson referred […]

People gather at the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, Va. Recent protests have renewed calls for the removal of Confederate monuments. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy is now “open” to renaming the service’s 10 bases and facilities that are named after Confederate leaders, an Army […]

“On Sunday evening, the security elements were almost overwhelmed,” McCarthy said. Ultimately, the Pentagon did not have to deploy active-duty troops to D.C. to help quash the protests, but “we came right up to the edge” of doing so, McCarthy said. On Monday, the Pentagon ordered 1,600 active-duty soldiers from […]

McCarthy also said he ordered D.C. Guardsmen to not carry weapons on Monday when it became clear there were enough federal law enforcement defending the city. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo McCarthy detailed the chain of events that took place this week, noting that the decision on […]

The second reversal comes as White House aides made clear their irritation with Esper for declaring his opposition to deploying active-duty troops to quash recent unrest just two days after President Donald Trump threatened to do so. Officials say the Defense secretary is on thin ice with the president. The […]

“At this point it’s just direction from the WH on what they want to do,” the official said. The flyover and previously announced fireworks at Mount Rushmore will kick off this year’s Independence Day celebrations across the country, but the main event will be a “Salute to America” on the […]

“I hold all members of the District of Columbia National Guard to the highest of standards,” Maj. Gen. William Walker, DCNG commanding general, said in a statement. President Donald Trump activated the nearly 1,300 D.C. National Guardsmen on Monday to help local law enforcement respond to the protests, and on […]

But Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Myers Vasquez said the sailors who do not meet the criteria to return to the ship and require additional time to recover will remain in isolation on Naval Base Guam, where they will continue to receive medical care. Once the sick sailors have recovered, the Navy […]

During Trump’s phone call with governors, Milley pointed to studies showing that “when there is an overwhelming National Guard presence it actually deescalates the situation and causes less civil unrest,” McEnany said. During the call, Esper can be heard urging officials to “dominate the battlespace.” “The sooner that you mass […]