#defense-department

#defense-department

The Department of Defense, which was recently authorized to receive a new annual budget of nearly $840 billion a year and could see a substantial increase to $1.5 trillion under the current Trump administration, has consistently failed to pass an audit since audits became legally required for the military in 2018. Pentagon officials hope the military can get its books in order across the services and pass one by 2028.

"The future of American warfare is here, and it's spelled A-I," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted on X. Driving the news: The Defense Department said Tuesday it will deploy Gemini for Government through the new GenAI.mil platform so employees can use it on their work computers. Pentagon employees can use Gemini in the new platform to "conduct deep research, format documents and even analyze video or imagery in unprecedented speed," Hegseth said in the video.

The Washington Post's media reporter Scott Nover detailed exactly who was left to cover the largest government agency. Pro-MAGA outlets The Federalist, the Epoch Times, and OAN all signed Hegseth's pledge, which said that journalists are banned from soliciting or obtaining any information that is not pre-approved by the Pentagon. Nover reported on the other remaining people in the building: A reporter for the Turkish newspaper Aksam signed the agreement, as did three individuals from the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency and two Turkish freelancers.

Proponents say it's an initiative with a proven track record of success, and that allowing funding to lapse permanently or enact reforms too aggressively will do irreparable damage to the small defense business ecosystem. But critics say it is not fulfilling its mandate, and that changes are needed to bring in new entrants and ensure repeat awardees eventually "graduate" from the program.

The memo arrived around the same time the Defense Department rolled out new media guidelines that require reporters to sign a pledge not to gather any information that hasn't been officially authorized for release, or risk losing their press credentials. Zoom in: The Sept. 15 memo to senior Pentagon leadership, combatant commanders and other national-security leaders lays out what is and what isn't subject to an "enhanced framework for participating in external engagements."

The IT servicing model - where the digital escorts serve as a go-between connecting foreign engineers' tech fixes to the systems that need patching - could open some of the most sensitive U.S. national security and military secrets to China, according to the report.

"Your weekly emails have served as a reminder of the depth and breadth of the Department's mission, and of how it takes a workforce of many talents to achieve our national security mission."

"While the Department remains committed to transparency, the Department is equally obligated to protect CSNI (classified intelligence) and sensitive information the unauthorized disclosure of which could put the lives of US Service members in danger."

The Pentagon Inspector General's inquiry into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth now includes an investigation into a second chat and the unauthorized transfer of classified information.