By Lara Seligman

The judge denied the motion on Thursday, arguing that the alleged assault could not “conceivably serve any military purpose.” “Regardless of whether General Hyten came to Plaintiff’s hotel room under the pretense of work-related purposes, it is not conceivable that his military duties would require him to sexually assault Plaintiff, or that such an assault would advance any conceivable military objective,” according to the ruling. The […]

The military has strict rules against uniformed service members participating in political campaigns, and the ad is just the latest example of the president or those around him pulling the nation’s highest-ranking officer and other Defense Department officials into the political realm. “As a matter of long-standing policy, military service members and federal employees acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate […]

“Senior leaders should stay in Washington because of the concern about continuity of government with the condition of the White House and our senior military leaders,” said Mick Mulroy, an ABC News analyst who formerly served in the CIA and at the Pentagon until late last year. This would also serve to “send a message to any adversary that may want to exploit the situation.” Miles […]

The rate of testing is higher than usual. Typically Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten get tested when they visit the White House, but not this frequently, the official said. It was not immediately clear which type of test they are using. Milley, Hyten, all but one of the service leaders, the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the assistant […]

“For the first three years of the administration, the Navy and DoD did very little to advance that goal beyond 300 ships, other than broad statements of support for the 355 number,” said Modly, who stepped down amid an outcry over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. “It was a goal written into law and it had the president’s […]

The new plan will draw on findings from the Joint Staff’s “in-stride” review of the Covid-19 response, completed a few weeks ago and viewed by POLITICO, which detailed some of the military’s shortcomings in responding to the pandemic and recommendations for future crises. The results of the study have not been previously reported. In confronting Covid-19, the Pentagon failed to initially account for the “global nature” […]

“Let’s [expletive] kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the [expletive] lot of them,” Trump is said to have told Mattis. According to the book, Mattis acknowledged Trump’s request but later turned to an aide and said he would not do “any of that.” Following the book’s publication, Trump denied the account, dismissing the book as “fiction” and telling journalists that assassinating Assad “was never contemplated, […]

The news also comes as Trump faces backlash over allegations that he called U.S. troops “losers” and “suckers,” and as he trails his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, in the polls just weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. McKenzie said the force reduction is due to “the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the Government of […]

McConville acknowledged today’s “political environment,” but noted that the military needs to remain an “apolitical organization,” particularly with an election around the corner. The general’s comments mark the Pentagon’s first public response to Trump’s remarks during a combative White House news conference on Monday, in which he said “top people in the Pentagon” probably aren’t “in love with me” because “they want to do nothing but […]

Still, it’s a difficult situation for Trump, who from the beginning of his presidency has surrounded himself with military trappings and boasted about “rebuilding” the armed services. Experts and former top military officials say the quotes from the article are dangerous not just for losing actual voters tied to the military — but potentially turning off a narrow slice of undecided voters who may not love […]

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” Trump is reported to have said. But current and former Defense Department officials, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, said they never heard Trump use such words when referring to troops. Esper, who was in France during the incident, remembers that the flight to the cemetery was canceled for weather reasons, and “never […]

Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov spoke with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley by phone about the Tuesday incident, the Russian embassy wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, citing Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. During the conversation, Gerasimov told Milley that coalition commanders were notified in advance about the passage of the Russian military through the area, according to the post. […]

“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 after President Donald Trump called it an attack. While Esper is still getting information about the […]

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 regretted the now-deleted tweets. His nomination to be undersecretary of defense for policy, the department’s number […]

“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. This would be allowed under a provision in the Vacancies Reform Act that permits the White […]

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 by the military.” To avoid confusion and respond to criticism following the disclosure, Esper directed that […]

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 director of media relations at the State Department in the George W. Bush administration, also criticized […]

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 rising alarm over federal agents dressed as troops sweeping into Portland, Ore., this week on President […]

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 has criticized NASCAR for banning the flag.A draft version of the policy explicitly banned the Confederate […]

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 board process for officers. “Anything that is a divisive symbol, we do want to take those […]

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 use that particular wording. “To the best of my recollection I have not received a briefing […]

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 mark the Thunderbirds’ first time participating in Trump’s “Salute to America” event. Last year’s festivities involved […]

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 a military base in honor of the U.S. president, what Duda once called “Fort Trump.” Reuters […]

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 in December, McCusker pushed back on Michael Duffey, an official at the White House Office of […]

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 states do not call up the National Guard to handle civil unrest following the killing of […]

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 questions to the White House. An Army spokesperson did not immediately return a phone call. Prompted […]

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 official told POLITICO, in a reversal of his previous position. “The Secretary of the Army is […]

“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 infantry and military police units, including the 82nd Airborne Division, to the national capital region in […]

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 Monday to put active-duty troops on alert in the D.C. area was made after an “incredibly […]

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 units — a total of 1,600 troops — also include an infantry battalion assigned to 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 National Mall on July 4 that may include military aircraft, band performances and other displays, according […]

“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 Tuesday governors sent an additional 1,500 Guardsmen from other states. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the […]