Latest U.S. Department of Defense News
Should women be allowed to fight on the front lines? Trump’s defense pick reignites the debate
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has reignited a debate that many thought had been long settled: Should women be allowed to serve their country by fighting on the front lines? The former Fox News commentator has made it...
Trump's Pentagon pick paid woman after sex assault allegation but denies wrongdoing, his lawyer says
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit, according to Hegseth’s lawyer. Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking...
Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible 'Insider Threat'
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that's associated with white supremacist groups. ...
Trump's pick to lead Defense Department was accused of sexual assault in 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, a popular Fox News host who is Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defense, was accused of sexual assault in 2017 after a speaking appearance at a Republican women's event in Monterey, California, according to a statement released by the city. No...
The last actions the Biden administration will take before Trump takes over the White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — Biden administration officials are working against the clock doling out billions in grants and taking other steps to try to preserve at least some of the outgoing president's legacy before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. “Let’s make every...
Navy didn't understand well-documented risks posed by Hawaii fuel tanks, watchdog says
HONOLULU (AP) — Navy officials “lacked sufficient understanding” of the risks of maintaining massive fuel storage tanks on top of a drinking water well at Pearl Harbor where spilled jet fuel poisoned more than 6,000 people in 2021, a U.S. military watchdog said Thursday. That...
As he fills his new administration, Trump values loyalty above all else
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump spent much of his first term feeling stung and betrayed by those he’d placed in power. This time, he’s not taking chances. As he works to fill his administration a second time, Trump has turned to a head-spinning mix of candidates. Many of those...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was building up a following with his anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, and becoming one of the world’s most influential spreaders of fear and distrust around vaccines. Now, President-elect Donald...
New Pentagon report on UFOs includes hundreds of new incidents but no evidence of aliens
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon's latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin. The review includes hundreds of cases of misidentified balloons, birds and...
Suicides in the US military increased in 2023, continuing a long-term trend
WASHINGTON (AP) — Suicides in the U.S. military increased in 2023, continuing a long-term trend that the Pentagon has struggled to abate, according to a Defense Department report released on Thursday. The increase is a bit of a setback after the deaths dipped slightly the previous year. ...
