Defense

WASHINGTON — Machine learning and artificial intelligence technology are fast-moving, complex technologies businesses and government agencies are increasingly putting to use to develop efficiencies of people and processes. Federal IT practitioners, in particular, are seeing the benefits of this technology... Read More

Although still far from happening, United States Space Command leader Maj. Gen. John Shaw said Space Force troops will eventually be sent to space. Shaw’s comments on the Space Force came during the AFWERX Engage Space Conference, which ran from... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is winding down the U.S. military presence in Germany, and relocating some, but not all of those troops closer to the Russian border, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday. The decision marks a major force restructuring... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Thursday passed with a veto-proof majority a Defense spending bill that includes a provision to remove the names of Confederate officers from 10 military bases. All four senators from Kansas and Missouri backed National Defense... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved the fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill on a vote of 30 to 22.  The legislation funds the Department of Defense, including operations and maintenance, readiness activities, research and development, equipment... Read More

WASHINGTON — House appropriators approved a $115.5 billion Military Construction-VA spending bill Thursday on a 30-20 vote, with Texas Republican Will Hurd joining Democrats to advance the legislation to the floor. The rest of the panel’s Republicans opposed Democrats’ decision to add $12.5 billion... Read More

WASHINGTON - Defense policy discussions are attracting most of the attention on Capitol Hill this week as the Senate takes up the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill on the floor and the House Armed Service Committee marks up its version.... Read More

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes the use of active-duty military to police U.S. cities and contain current street protests over the death of George Floyd. "I've always believed and continue to believe that the National... Read More

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 approved a new, independent Space Force within the Department of the Air Force. As this new military branch takes shape, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett and Chief of Space Operations General... Read More

WASHINGTON — The United States has a new military service, the Space Force, but it has never been clear whether or not the country will also have a Space Guard and Reserve. Many observers on Capitol Hill were hoping the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Top members of the House Armed Services Committee assailed Pentagon leaders Wednesday, warning that the administration’s reprogramming of $3.8 billion of Defense Department money for a border wall could damage its relationship with Congress. Echoing a letter they... Read More

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon proposal to cut funding for Stars and Stripes is causing an uproar among media organizations and reporters covering the Defense Department who contend the independent newspaper remains a vital source of information for military personnel stationed... Read More

WASHINGTON — The United States has made “no decision whatsoever” to pull troops out of Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday after a Defense Department memo to an Iraqi military official surfaced discussing moving U.S. forces. The comments came... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon made plans Monday to send an additional 2,500 U.S. Marines to the Middle East, the latest fallout from President Donald Trump’s order to kill a powerful Iranian general last week, but one that could increase the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon should temporarily suspend training for foreign fighters after a Saudi air force officer shot and killed trainees last week at a U.S. base in Florida, two Republican lawmakers said. A top U.S. official said the attack... Read More

WASHINGTON - A high-ranking Defense Department official acknowledged during a Senate hearing Thursday that the U.S. government is considering sending more troops to the Middle East to counter an Iranian military buildup. “We’re concerned about the threat stream we’re seeing,”... Read More

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Mark Esper had a stark warning for attendees at a major U.S. Air Force conference Wednesday morning, telling them "great power competition has once again returned to the global stage" and as a result, "we must... Read More

WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. military installations contaminated with potentially cancer-causing chemical compounds found in firefighting foam is expected to rise as a Defense Department task force continues to assess the problem, the Pentagon said last week. During a... Read More

WASHINGTON —President Donald Trump announced Thursday the Pentagon has established the U.S. Space Command, declaring space as being crucial to the nation's defense. "It's a big deal," the president said during a Rose Garden ceremony. "As the newest combatant command,... Read More

WASHINGTON - With trade tensions between U.S. and China still on a high boil, Australia stands poised to become the Defense Department's primary supplier of Rare Earth metals, a department official said Monday. Rare Earth metals are a collection of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is seeking to recruit private investors to invest in a new generation of American-made small drone technology as an alternative to Chinese models. Ellen M. Lord, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters... Read More