Pentagon News
Reports on the Department of Defense, U.S. military strategy, and global security. The Daily Signal combines conservative reporting and commentary.
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Mark Kelly Faces Escalated Review of Alleged Misconduct From Pentagon
The Pentagon is plowing ahead in its investigation of Arizona Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly, who told service members they “can refuse illegal orders.” “The Office of the Secretary of War, in conjunction with the Department of War’s Office of the General Counsel, is escalating the preliminary review of Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.), to an…George Caldwell -
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Drama-Filled Vote-Trading on House Floor Ends With Passage of Massive Defense Bill
The House of Representative passed the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual defense bill, by a vote of 312-112 Wednesday evening after a drama-filled day on the House floor. The NDAA, with over a $900 billion price tag, received support from both Republicans and Democrats, a rarity this Congress, as House Speaker Mike Johnson has…George Caldwell -
Pentagon Report on China’s Military Highlights Nuclear Buildup That Could Overtake America
The Pentagon’s new China Military Power Report provides troubling insights on the extent of the growth of the communist regime’s nuclear arsenal. It describes a nation bent on multiplying its nuclear forces. First and foremost, the 2022 report reveals that China could field 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035. This effectively would equal the nuclear arsenal…Patty-Jane Geller -
3 Things Pentagon Worries About in Use of Nuclear Weapons
Under the theory of nuclear deterrence, military strategists’ goal is to make use of nuclear weapons on the battlefield untenable by either side and to avoid escalation to full-scale nuclear war. Considering this goal is particularly timely and poignant as Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to rage after six months, China stokes tensions with Taiwan,…Matt Schoenfeldt -
House’s Bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act Rightly Rebukes Biden’s Pentagon Budget
The House’s July 14 vote to approve the annual defense authorization bill represented a bipartisan repudiation of the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2023 defense budget request. The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes funding levels for defense programs, such as research, procurement, and even pay rates for U.S. troops. Despite growing partisanship and division within the…Conner Bolanos -
Politics at House Hearing Distract From Needed Pentagon Acquisition Reforms
A recent congressional hearing looking into a defense contractor supposedly overcharging taxpayers turned out to be mostly political theater as lawmakers accused the contractor of greed when the real problem is the Pentagon’s flawed contracting practices. The House Oversight and Reform Committee convened a hearing to consider the actions of defense contractor TransDigm Group after…Maiya Clark -
A Challenging 2022 Looms for Pentagon
With inflation surging and dim prospects for a full-year appropriations bill, 2022 is already shaping up to be a challenging year for the Pentagon. Whether buying supplies for a New Year’s Eve party or filling their gas tanks, Americans are noticing that just about everything is more expensive. So, instead of buying a cashmere sweater…Frederico Bartels -
Pentagon Inspector General to Review Vetting of Afghan Refugees
The Department of Defense Inspector General’s Office will review how Afghan evacuees were vetted before leaving their country and upon arrival in the U.S. The evaluation will look into the biometric screening process, the handling of individuals flagged as “security risks,” and the management of “individuals’ ingress and egress to a DoD-managed facility when screening/vetting…Jennie Taer -
Remembering 9/11: A Pentagon Nurse’s Story
Suzanne Bucci arrived at the Pentagon early on Sept. 11, 2001, for a job interview. She hoped to work as a nurse there while her husband, Steven Bucci, was serving as military assistant to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Bucci had not completed the interview process before hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the…Virginia Allen -
Some No-Cost Ways for Congress to Make Pentagon More Effective
It is easy to complain, much harder to offer solutions. Congress loves to criticize the Pentagon’s wastefulness, even though lawmakers create some waste by imposing overly prescriptive rules such as “use it or lose it.” The “use it or lose it” phenomenon occurs at the end of every fiscal year, when the Defense Department rushes…Kaitlyn Romaine -
The Pentagon Can’t Afford to Go Green at Warfighters’ Expense
Can the Biden administration have its climate change cake and eat it, too? With a new goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, vast portions of the U.S. economy and the federal government would have to shrink emissions quickly. But pressed by the need to engage in great power competition, the Department of Defense…Maiya Clark -
EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon Promotes Radical Resources to Kill ‘Extremism in Ranks’
The Defense Department is promoting reading resources on opposing “systemic racism” that include radical authors as part of a program to combat extremism within the ranks of the military. In a virtual meeting for “all hands” last month, the agenda—obtained by The Daily Signal—counted the scandal-plagued Southern Poverty Law Center as a credible resource alongside…Fred Lucas -
Pentagon Makes Unforced Error in New Policy on Transgender Service Members
The Pentagon released a new policy Wednesday describing how the military will now conduct gender transitions for service members currently serving. The policy describes the medical, logistical, and administrative processes involved to switch gender identities. It follows quickly on the heels of President Joe Biden’s executive order that he signed on the fifth day of…Thomas Spoehr -
China Hikes Defense Budget Again as US Weighs Flatlining Pentagon Spending
Trying to preserve a veneer of democratic legitimacy, the Chinese government goes through the political theater of a meeting of its rubber-stamp Congress every March. As part of the process, Beijing releases the figure that will be spent on its military for the year. The Chinese fiscal year runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31,…Frederico Bartels -
Pentagon Prepared to Extend National Guard’s Presence at Capitol
The Pentagon is prepared to extend the National Guard’s presence at the U.S. Capitol for an additional two months, defense officials said Tuesday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to give final approval, though Pentagon officials told The Associated Press that final details were still being discussed. Capitol Police requested last week that the National Guard continue to provide…Andrew Trunsky -
Pentagon’s New Missile Interceptor Could Be a Game-Changer for ICBM Defense
In the wee hours of Nov. 17, as Americans slept, the U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency successfully shot down an intercontinental-range ballistic missile using the Navy’s Standard Missile SM-3 Block IIA interceptor launched from a Navy destroyer. This was a spectacular success for national defense for multiple reasons. Until now, the United States…Patty-Jane Geller -
Too Early to Judge the Fate of Pentagon Reform Efforts
If you hired a trainer to lose 50 pounds, would you fire him after two weeks if you’d lost only 5? Now, imagine being asked to reform an agency of over 2 million employees that operates on a $700 billion budget. Could you do it in two years? Congress seems to thinks so. The need…Frederico Bartels -
Uncertain Times Are When We Most Need Steady Defenders. So Why Hurt the Pentagon Now?
This is one in a series on the importance of achieving peace through strength and keeping U.S. national security strong. Both long have been Heritage Foundation principles and a great foundation for America’s national power. Some voices call for reducing defense spending to focus on the response to COVID-19, but the need to fully fund…Mike Turner -
The Pentagon Has a New Common-Sense Acquisition Framework
Last week, the Department of Defense took a big step to streamline its notoriously burdensome procurement processes. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord issued DoD Instruction 5000.02, which made her new Adaptive Acquisition Framework official policy. The Adaptive Acquisition Framework essentially breaks down the old, one-size-fits-all system of Defense Department procurement…Maiya Clark -
A Win-Win Contracting Tool for the Pentagon and the Private Sector
The Defense Department is taking measures to get new capabilities to warfighters more quickly, and they’re working. One of these tools is called Other Transaction Authority. The Pentagon has made increasing use of this contracting method, which has existed since the space race but was expanded dramatically in the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. The…Maiya Clark