#defense-secretary-hegseth

#defense-secretary-hegseth

Sen. Rick Scott insisted on spending cuts to offset the new enforcement funding, while Sen. Tommy Tuberville emphasized the need for military funding and other GOP priorities.

O'Donnell criticized Hegseth for using the phrase 'leave no man behind,' stating that it reflects an old school mentality that ignores the presence of female soldiers in the military.

Retired Army Special Forces officer Mike Nelson criticized Hegseth's rhetoric, stating, 'That's a necessary end to achieve goals through military force - you have to kill people to achieve them. That's not the end. It's a weird obsession with death for the sake of it.'

The conversation reveals that the ongoing conflict raises critical questions about the motivations behind US foreign policy, particularly regarding Israel's role in shaping military strategies.

Trump's removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi illustrates his growing frustration with his inability to implement his agenda, particularly regarding the Epstein case.

Hegseth stated that current policies have essentially turned US military installations into gun-free zones, leaving those who live and work on the installations vulnerable. He emphasized that the war department's uniformed service members are trained at the highest standards and are entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms.

The Pentagon blackballed its own newspaper from covering its own press conference? Reminder, Stars & Stripes employees are US Army civilians. Their editorial independence is protected by Congress specifically to prevent political leaders from feeding troops propaganda.

Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of killing more than 1,300 civilians and striking over 10,000 civilian sites during the first 12 days of the war. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Tuesday as the "most intense day" of U.S. attacks on Iran to date.

In military terms, this means that even those who have surrendered will be killed, explains Jacqueline Hellman, an expert in international law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The statement "alludes to a practice that is expressly prohibited," she told DW, adding that, as mere rhetoric, this is not punishable. But, she explained, such a statement could be classified as a war crime if it is formulated as an order and results in corresponding actions by the armed forces.

The MAGA crew does relatively little reporting, so most coverage of the US military is now happening from outside the Pentagon's five walls. Journalists from some traditional outlets were allowed to attend this morning's press conference with Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine. But Hegseth only answered Q's from his chosen outlets.

But logistical consistency, like coherence and gravitas, does not characterize the new NDS. It is a document that supposedly nests within the National Security Strategy, explaining at greater length the implications of overall policy for the armed forces. The 2026 version does not do that. Rather, it restates some of the basic priorities of the Trump administration but for the most part confines itself to flattery of the president, insults, and bombast.