Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Hegseth says Wounded Knee soldiers will keep their Medals of Honor

 

at 9/26/25 10:41am

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he has decided that the 20 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for their actions in 1890 at Wounded Knee will keep their awards in a video posted to social media Thursday evening.Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, ordered the review of the awards in 2024 after a Congressional recommendation in the 2022 defense bill — itself a reflection of efforts by some lawmakers to rescind the awards for those who participated in the bloody massacre on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Wounded Knee Creek.While the events of that day are sometimes described as a battle, historical records show that the U.S. Army, which was in the midst of amid a campaign to repress the tribes in the area, killed an estimated 250 Native Americans, including women and children, of the Lakota Sioux tribe, while attempting to disarm Native American fighters who had already surrendered at their camp.“We’re making it clear that (the soldiers) deserve those medals,” Hegseth said in the video, before adding that “their place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate.”After the fighting, Medals of Honor were given to 20 soldiers from the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and their awards cite a range of actions including bravery, efforts to rescue fellow troops and actions to “dislodge Sioux Indians” who were concealed in a ravine.The event also became a celebrated part of the regiment’s history, with their coat of arms still featuring the head of a Native American chief to “commemorate Indian campaigns,” according to the military’s Institute of Heraldry.In 1990, Congress apologized to the descendants of those killed at Wounded Knee but did not revoke the medals.According to Hegseth, the review panel ordered by Austin “concluded that these brave soldiers should, in fact, rightfully keep their medals from actions,” but an official from the defense secretary’s office couldn’t say if the report he was referencing in the video would be made public.President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” that decried efforts to reinterpret American history and, since then, Hegseth has undertaken multiple actions that have subverted the recommendations of a Congressionally-mandated commission that examined the use of Confederate names and references in the military.He reverted the names of several Army bases back to their original, Confederate-linked names, though by honoring different figures.Hegseth also restored a 1914 memorial to the Confederacy that was removed from Arlington National Cemetery. The monument features a classical female figure, crowned with olive leaves, representing the American South, alongside sanitized depictions of slavery.In September, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, also confirmed that a painting of Gen. Robert E. Lee dressed in his Confederate uniform was back on display in the school’s library after being removed in 2022. The portrait shows a Black man leading Lee’s horse in the background, which had been hanging in the library since the 1950s before it was placed in storage.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— New Pentagon strategy to focus on homeland, Western Hemisphere

 

at 9/25/25 5:34pm

The Pentagon’s top national security focus will mirror that of President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, with multiple U.S. officials telling Military Times that the department will prioritize protecting the homeland and the Western Hemisphere.Countering China will remain a key national security interest of the new National Defense Strategy, which is expected to be released soon, officials said. The Pentagon document lays out the military’s plans to increase lethality, deter aggression, confront adversaries and defend America’s borders, a mission one official said was “why Trump was elected.”Republican voters in the 2024 presidential election ranked the economy and immigration as their most important issues, which Trump vowed to address and bring under control. On Jan. 20, on his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order calling on U.S. Northern Command to help “seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking and other criminal activities.”“[Protecting] the border is the top priority for the base, and I think for moderates, too. So this shift is fulfilling that promise,” said one official, who spoke to Military Times on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive policy information. Army poised to expand role in homeland defense, commander saysDefense of the American homeland has historically been the top national security priority for Republican and Democratic presidents alike. To achieve this goal, the Pentagon has used a combination of projecting military power forward to meet threats where they are, building alliances to work together against common enemies, maintaining a strong nuclear deterrent and building a missile defense capability to protect key population centers.After the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, Washington shifted to a counter-terror focus, as near-peer competitor Beijing continued to develop its military.During the first Trump administration, the Pentagon reprioritized to focus on great-power competition with China and Russia over countering terrorism. Keeping its competitive advantage over China and Russia remained the department’s top priority under the Biden administration.One official stressed to Military Times this week that the new NDS will not be a complete shift away from China. Instead, the official said the Pentagon can use this hyperfocus on the Western Hemisphere to better counter Chinese malign activity in Latin America, a region often thought of as “America’s backyard.” “For too long, China, Russia and Iran have been active in Latin America, and Washington’s response has often been somewhere between nonexistent and ineffective,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. However, analysts, including Bowman, caution that if the U.S. only brings a “military hammer” to a region that needs interagency and public-private sector support for its economic challenges, the U.S. “will lose the competition with China in Latin America and waste a lot of money and military resources.” He also warned that defending U.S. vital interests in the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East while adopting a more robust U.S. military posture in Latin America could quickly exacerbate existing shortfalls in U.S. military capacity. “If we take on additional military commitments and requirements and don’t provide the Pentagon commensurate additional resources, readiness will erode. We have seen that movie before, and it is not a good one,” Bowman said.As part of the new strategy, the department will continue to focus more on drug cartels, including cartels that are tied to China, according to a U.S. official. The official added that China has drastically increased its footprint in Latin America, particularly around the Panama Canal, a critical trade route for both Washington and Beijing.“So the strategy is still very keyed in on defending against China,” the official stressed.Michael Shifter, an adjunct professor of Latin American studies at Georgetown University, said the Panama Canal is “clearly” important to Trump. Negotiations are underway to shift two ports there away from Chinese operations to those controlled by the U.S. company BlackRock, and Panama has withdrawn from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has extended Chinese investment to more than 100 nations.With the current administration focused on the illegal drug problem in the region, Shifter hopes U.S. military assistance to Latin America will not repeat the actions of its checkered past. Washington’s war on drugs in the 1980s, along with its determination to keep communism out of the Western Hemisphere, led to policies backing militaries that terrorized local populations and committed human rights atrocities.The last time the U.S. sent ground troops to Latin America was during the 1989 invasion of Panama to depose de facto ruler Gen. Manuel Noriega, who was wanted in the U.S. for racketeering and drug trafficking. Shifter is “very skeptical” whether the U.S. would send ground troops anywhere in Latin America today.“I don’t see that the president wants to risk American lives anywhere, and a lot of people got killed in Panama. If he did it in Venezuela, a lot more people would get killed. I think that would be huge risk that I don’t see Trump being prepared to take,” Shifter told Military Times.Meanwhile, Trump said Friday the U.S. military had carried out its third fatal strike against an alleged drug-smuggling vessel this month.On Wednesday Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro told BBC News that the strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea near the Venezuelan coast were an “act of tyranny.” The strikes, which the U.S. says are meant to stop the flow of fentanyl, have reportedly killed at least 17 people.Shifter said actions like these make people in the region nervous while questioning the strikes’ legality.“[The administration is] trying to say that these are terrorists, like al-Qaida was a terrorist group, but al-Qaida was a military force. These are people that are breaking the law. They’re not terrorists, per se. They’re not attacking the United States like al-Qaida was, and so the legal justification for this is, I think, questionable,” Shifter said.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— Hegseth abruptly summons hundreds of top military leaders to meeting

 

at 9/25/25 1:46pm

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military’s top officers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter.The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. The people, who described the move as unusual, were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, confirmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time zones.The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, comes on the heels of several unusual and unexplained actions that Hegseth has taken involving military leaders.In May, Hegseth ordered that the military cut 20% of its four-star general officers, directed an additional 10% cut from all general and flag officers across the force, and told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions.In February, Hegseth fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top officer, and Gen. James Slife, the Air Force’s second highest officer, without explanation. He also relieved the military’s top lawyers.Since then, Hegseth has fired other military leaders without saying why. Most recently it was a general who led a military intelligence agency whose initial assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites in American strikes angered President Donald Trump.Burrows reported from London.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— Pentagon adds exemptions to requirement for all troops to get flu shot

 

at 9/25/25 11:13am

The Pentagon has stepped back from the policy that requires all troops to get the flu shot every year by introducing exemptions for reservists and proclaiming that the shot is only necessary in some circumstances for all service members, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.The memo, written by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg on May 29 and sent to all the military services, says reserve troops now will need to be on active duty for 30 days or more before being required to get an annual flu shot. It also says the military will no longer be paying for reservists or National Guard members to get the vaccine on their own time.News of the policy change, which has not been publicly announced by the Pentagon, comes as the Trump administration and its advisers have suggested changes to other vaccination guidance. An influential immunization panel that the administration updated to include anti-vaccine figures decided to not recommend the COVID-19 shot to anyone, while President Donald Trump used his platform to promote unproven and, in some cases, discredited ties between the pain reliever Tylenol, vaccines and autism.Pentagon begins outreach to reenlist troops booted for COVID vaccineAt the Pentagon, the flu shot memo declared that “going forward, the Department will conserve its resources by requiring seasonal flu vaccination for Service members only when doing so most directly contributes to readiness.” However, the document is not clear about the changes because it later says the annual requirement for active-duty troops is still in effect.While the memo was quietly sent months ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew attention to it Wednesday when he reposted a comment from an anonymous account that claimed they “won’t be forced to get a flu shot this fall for the privilege of serving my state and country in the National Guard.”Officials in Hegseth’s office did not answer questions on the conflicting nature of the memo or comment on the post he amplified.The Trump administration also has offered back pay to former service members who refused the COVID-19 vaccine and were kicked out of the military under the Biden administration. Those who declined the vaccination have been able to return to service since 2023, but only 113 of the more than 8,000 discharged service members had chosen to do so.The back pay offer was intended to encourage more to reenlist but met with limited success. Two months later, Pentagon officials said only 13 people — all Army soldiers — had rejoined the military.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— More troops suspended pending investigations into Kirk-related posts

 

at 9/24/25 7:25pm

More than a dozen service members have been suspended or relieved of duties for social media activity related to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.Earlier this month, after Kirk was shot and killed during a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that any social media post celebrating or mocking the assassination of Kirk was “completely unacceptable” and would be addressed “immediately.”Some social media accounts appearing to belong to service members have been identified online by other accounts for comments, including “racists should get shot” and reposts saying, “MAKE NAZIS DEAD AGAIN,” according to a review of X posts by Military Times.Other service members have been targeted online for calling Kirk or his comments “racist” and “sexist” while also explicitly stating that they do not condone his killing. It is not clear whether any of these service members are under investigation.An Army spokeswoman told Military Times on Wednesday that “approximately a dozen Soldiers have been suspended pending review of their social media account activity.”“These numbers are subject to change as commands review social media activity and take appropriate action,” she added.The Marine Corps confirmed to Military Times this week that the service branch has relieved a Marine from recruiting duties after “a social media post that does not align with our core values.” The matter is currently under investigation.The Air Force said it was in the process of taking “necessary administrative and disciplinary actions to hold service members accountable” for inappropriate actions, but declined to say how many airmen were currently under investigation.Similarly, the Navy said it was actively reviewing reports of social media activity that is “misaligned with the Department’s current social media guidance.”“Service members are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice at all times, including behavior conducted in the digital space. Sailors are expected to uphold Navy core values on duty, off duty, and online,” a Navy spokesperson told Military Times.The Coast Guard has also identified a Guard member who carried out “inappropriate personal social media activity” that a spokesperson said was contrary to Coast Guard values.“With the support of DHS, we are actively investigating this activity and will take appropriate action to hold the individual accountable. We recognize the harm such behavior can cause and remain steadfast in ensuring that the conduct of our personnel reflects the trust and responsibility placed in us by the American people,” the spokesperson added.The Uniform Code of Military Justice is a federal law that addresses consequences for violating several principles of the military, ranging from mutiny and disobeying lawful orders to drunk and disorderly conduct and adultery. Prosecutors have previously tried to discipline service members for social media posts under Article 134 of the UCMJ, known as the “General Article,” which criminalizes conduct that is “prejudice[ial] to good order” and serves as a catch-all for a variety of offenses.However, UCMJ violations for social media posts under Article 134 could prove challenging in a court-martial.In 2008, an Army soldier was court-martialed for posting white supremacist views online. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces concluded that the soldier was not violating Article 134 of the UCMJ because speech cannot be in violation “solely because the speech would be offensive to many or most.”“We conclude that a direct and palpable connection between speech and the military mission or military environment is also required for an Article 134, UCMJ, offense,” the court ruled.“If such a … connection were not required, the entire universe of service member opinions, ideas, and speech would be held to the subjective standard of what some member of the public, or even many members of the public, would find offensive,” the court added.The Pentagon could also discipline troops for social media posts by using nonjudicial means, such as letters of reprimand that could impact career advancement.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— Here’s how looming government shutdown could affect troops, families

 

at 9/24/25 11:38am

A possible partial government shutdown next week could delay military paychecks and affect other programs and services for troops and families.Some defense agencies are dusting off previous guidance for operations during such a shutdown in preparation as they wait for further guidance. Meanwhile, House lawmakers are pushing for specific legislation to guarantee military pay during government shutdowns. If the House and Senate don’t approve a short term extension of funding levels by Sept. 30, it could force a partial shutdown of most government activities on Oct. 1, until lawmakers can reach a new funding agreement. Lawmakers are at a stalemate, and are out of town this week. Senators are scheduled to return Sept. 29. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump canceled a meeting scheduled for this week with House and Senate Democrat leaders.A shutdown “will only hurt the most vulnerable in our country, our seniors, our veterans, our military families and increasing security for members of Congress, which is something this White House and the administration supports,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, during a Sept. 22 briefing with reporters. At publication time, no new guidance for operations during a shutdown had been issued by the Office of Management and Budget or by defense officials, and information was not available from OMB or DOD about when that guidance might happen. But based on previous guidance, we’ve compiled some general information about what might and what might not continue to operate.There’s no guarantee that current guidance will mirror past recommendations. Stay tuned for more information.Military personnelActive-duty troops, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty would be required to continue to report for duty in the event of a shutdown, but their paychecks would stop until a new funding deal is reached, based on previous guidance. Military retirees and annuitants would continue to receive their pay, which is funded from a different source. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., has introduced legislation to ensure that troops, including the Coast Guard, would continue receiving pay and benefits in the event of a government shutdown. That authority would continue until regular appropriations are passed into law, or until Jan. 1, 2027. To date, 56 lawmakers have signed on to support the proposed Pay Our Troops Act of 2026. The bipartisan push also would guarantee pay and allowances for civilian personnel at the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security who directly support service members and contractors providing mission-essential support to service members. A shutdown could also delay some specialty pays and stipends.Certain DOD programs and activities may be excepted from being shut down, based on national security requirements to be determined. One example in the last guidance was activities in direct support of military operations and activities, including those forces assigned to combatant commands. The shutdown could also limit permanent change of station moves for military personnel. Previously, moves were primarily limited to troops moving to an excepted activity — activities granted an exemption from the shutdown. Looming government shutdown could hurt military families, veteransCivilian defense workersUnlike troops, not all civilian defense staffers would be required to keep working in the event of a shutdown. DOD Civilian personnel who aren’t necessary to carry out or support excepted activities are furloughed; only the minimum number of civilian employees necessary to carry out those activities would be excepted from furlough.Previously, some DOD civilians were required to work without pay; others continued to work and get paid because they weren’t paid by annual appropriations. Government employees are guaranteed back pay after the shutdown ends, but the situation still causes uncertainty and financial hardship in some cases. This also affects thousands of military spouses who work as civilians for many government agencies. Military medical Previously, inpatient care in DOD medical treatment facilities was excepted from shutdown. Critical medical and dental outpatient care was excepted in medical and dental facilities. Elective surgery and other elective procedures were not excepted, and could be postponed or cancelled during a shutdown.Private sector health care under Tricare would not be affected by a shutdown, and specialty medical care for wounded warriors would continue. But office hours could be curtailed because of staffing issues.Child care and MWRIn the past, Defense Department officials have said child care would be decided base-by-base, depending on installation staffing and demands. Families may not know if their DOD child care facility will remain open until a shutdown happens.Department guidance during previous shutdown threats has also specified that morale, welfare and recreation activities that receive any taxpayer funding will operate during a shutdown if they are deemed necessary to support essential operations. That includes mess halls, physical training and “child care activities required for readiness.”Non-essential activities could be shuttered.Activities and organizations funded entirely by non-appropriated funds, such as many MWR activities and the military exchanges, generally will not be affected. The exchanges are largely funded by sales revenue, not taxpayer dollars, and part of their profits go to help fund some MWR activities.DOD schoolsPreviously, schools around the world operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity have been allowed to continue educating children during a shutdown. However, sporting events and extracurricular activities, including sports practices, weren’t excepted and could only continue if they were fully funded by non-appropriated funds. CommissariesMilitary grocery stores should not be affected unless the shutdown lasts several months. Defense Working Capital Fund activities — which includes the Defense Commissary Agency — were previously allowed to continue to operate until cash reserves were exhausted. For commissaries, that would be about 60 days, unless cash reserves run out before then. Defense officials have also previously provided exceptions for the 58 overseas commissaries, including Puerto Rico and Guam, to stay open, and sites “determined to be in remote U.S. locations where no other sources of food are reasonably available for military personnel.” According to the American Logistics Association, those identified as remote are Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California; Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska; Fort Greely, Alaska; and Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. Those commissaries with exceptions must continue to operate even after working capital fund cash reserves are exhausted.Veterans Affairs operationsUnlike the Defense Department, most Veterans Affairs offices are funded a year in advance. Benefits processing, medical centers and other support services will continue operating amid a partial shutdown.Hours and appointment availability could be changed because of the budget impasse, but VA hospitals will remain open and operational.Some department information hotlines could be shuttered during a shutdown, and some VA central office staff would be furloughed until new funding is approved. But compared to other departments, the impact on overall VA operations would be minimal.We’ve covered just a few of the general impacts here. If a shutdown happens, stay tuned to your installation officials about specific effects.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— Trump says he now thinks Ukraine can win back all land lost to Russia

 

at 9/23/25 6:03pm

UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.Trump posted on social media soon after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly gathering of world leaders.“I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump wrote. ”With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.”The strengthened support from Trump, if it sticks, is a huge win for Zelenskyy, who has urged the American president to keep up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war. It was a departure from Trump’s previous suggestions that Ukraine would never be able to reclaim all the territory that Russia has occupied since seizing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.That had disheartened Zelenskyy, Europeans and Ukrainians and called into question the U.S. commitment to U.N. principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. But now, Trump’s view of the battlefield coincides more with Ukraine’s, Zelenskyy said.“Trump is a game changer by himself,” Zelenskyy told reporters after their meeting.Trump needles Russia about war in UkraineTrump, going back to his 2024 campaign, insisted he would quickly end the war, but his peace efforts appear to have stalled following a diplomatic blitz last month, when he held a summit with Putin and a White House meeting with Zelenskyy and European allies.Trump has acknowledged, including in his U.N. speech to world leaders, that he thought a resolution to this conflict would be “the easiest” because he has had a good relationship with Putin. Trump said he is open to imposing more sanctions on Russia and urged Europe to join in.“Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win,” Trump wrote on social media. “This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’”In his speech to the General Assembly, Trump said the war in Ukraine was making Russia “look bad” because it was “supposed to be a quick little skirmish.”“It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country,” he said. “The only question now is how many lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.”Before meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said the “biggest progress” toward ending the conflict “is that the Russian economy is terrible right now.” Zelenskyy said he agreed with Trump’s call for European nations to further halt imports of Russian oil and natural gas.“We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up,” Trump told Zelenskyy, who replied that he had “good news” from the battlefield.How Trump’s stance has shifted on UkraineBefore his Alaska summit with Putin last month, Trump repeated that any resolution to the war would require “some land swapping.”In talks with Zelenskyy and Europeans just afterward, Trump said Putin reiterated that he wants the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas, according to European officials. Days later, Zelenskyy and prominent European leaders came to the White House.Following those meetings, Trump announced he was arranging for direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy. But Putin hasn’t shown any interest in meeting with Zelenskyy and Moscow has only intensified its bombardment of Ukraine.European leaders as well as American lawmakers, including some Republican allies of Trump, have urged the president to dial up stronger sanctions on Russia.“In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly,” Trump told the General Assembly.However, he repeated his calls for Europe to “step it up” and stop buying Russian oil, the engine feeding Putin’s war machine.Push for sanctions and cutting off Russian oilEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said before meeting with Trump that Europe would be imposing more sanctions and tariffs on Russia and that the bloc would be further reducing its imports of Russian energy.Zelenskyy, speaking at a special U.N. Security Council session on Ukraine, also appealed for stronger U.S. pressure on Russia.“Moscow fears America and always pays attention to it,” said Zelenskyy, who has had strained ties with Trump in previous sitdowns and has previously faced White House accusations that he was partly to blame for Russia’s invasion in 2022.Russia denigrated the Security Council meeting as just the New York stop in the world tour of a “former actor,” a reference to Zelenskyy.“There is no added value for the establishment of peace in Ukraine generated from today’s meeting,” said Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the U.N. “This will merely become yet another shameful episode in the market of hypocrisy.”European leaders have supported Zelenskyy’s diplomatic efforts, with some alarmed by the possibility that the war could spread beyond Ukraine as they are facing what they have called Russian provocations.“I welcome the fact that the president of the United States believes in Ukraine’s ability not only to hold the course” but to prevail, French President Emmanuel Macron said.NATO allies will hold formal consultations at Estonia’s request on Tuesday, after the Baltic country said three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace last week without authorization.Trump said he would back NATO countries that choose to shoot down intruding Russian planes, but said direct U.S. involvement would depend on the circumstances.New strikes in Ukraine as toll of war growsThe full-scale war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, is taking a heavy toll on Ukrainian civilians. Russia said it shot down three dozen Ukrainian drones heading toward Moscow, while Ukraine said Russian missiles, drones and bombs killed at least two civilians.The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also said this month that Ukrainian civilian casualties increased by 40% in the first eight months of this year compared with 2024, as Russia escalated its long-range missile and localized drone strikes.A U.N. Human Rights Office report released Tuesday described the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained by Russia in areas of Ukraine it has captured.“Russian authorities have subjected Ukrainian civilian detainees in occupied territory to torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, in a widespread and systematic manner,” the report said.Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. AP reporters Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations contributed to this report.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— Navy CNO emphasizes better career training in newest message to fleet

 

at 9/23/25 12:02pm

The U.S. Navy’s senior military officer provided updates Monday on how he will leverage the service’s personnel and infrastructure for a war-fighting advantage.Adm. Daryl Caudle, who became the 34th chief of naval operations on Aug. 25, framed his expectations for the enhanced technical competence of service members in an administrative message to sailors.“To keep pace with the proliferation of technology and the global evolution of threats, we are enhancing the quality of our curricula,” Caudle said. “Empowered by timely action and responses from our Navy’s top leaders, we will inculcate a culture of continuous learning that delivers world-class, modernized and battle-ready Sailors.”Caudle outlined his broader vision previously in an Aug. 25 administrative message, as well as a graphic uploaded to X, breaking down his areas of focus into the foundry, fleet and the fight.Incoming chief of naval operations sets new bar for sailor well-beingThe newest message from the chief of naval operations provided a more in-depth look into his goals for the foundry.Caudle emphasized that the Navy’s personnel was its strongest asset for remaining battle-tested against adversaries, and that developing, educating and training service members was paramount to this effort.Caudle announced the Navy will rename the Ready Relevant Learning program to the “Career Training Continuum” for individual training and career-long learning, in keeping with his focus on maintaining battle-ready sailors through modernization and education.Caudle said the Navy would identify and remediate gaps in sailor training. The expansion of technology would help with these efforts, according to the CNO.“I have also directed that our Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) efforts be expanded past the current use cases (e.g., integrated C2X training, Fallon airwing events, etc.) to include a more generalized view of LVC that spans from unit level training to schoolhouse utilization to tailored wargaming,” the administrative message said.Caudle stressed the importance of modernizing shipyards, airfields and barracks, as well as meeting operational timelines through workforce development and top-tier project management.To achieve the latter, Caudle said the service would improve shipyard training and workplace conditions in order to strengthen second and third shifts in public shipyards. The CNO, who listed an increase in on-time delivery and workforce retention as a catalyst, promised a future administrative message on the importance of naval infrastructure in service of war-fighting readiness.Caudle bemoaned the Navy’s current maintenance structure, citing reduced opportunities for sailors to master skills needed to repair naval machinery and vessels at sea.To address this, the CNO said he would pursue the stand-up of Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activities in Norfolk, Virginia, and San Diego.“These facilities will provide our Sailors with hands-on training in advanced ship repair and expose them to modern capabilities such as AI/ML, advanced manufacturing (e.g., 3-D printing, CAD/CAM, etc.), workflow monitoring technologies and robotic systems,” Caudle said.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

— Hegseth terminates women’s advisory group, slams ‘divisive agenda’

 

at 9/23/25 11:22am

The Pentagon has announced plans to terminate a 75-year-old advisory committee serving female service members, citing a “divisive” and harmful agenda — days after a previous memo established plans for reactivating it.A Sept. 17 memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and reviewed by Military Times directs the “formal disestablishment” of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.“After further review, I have determined that the reinstatement of the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services (DACOWITS) should not proceed,” Hegseth wrote in the memo, addressed to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and the director of administration and management. “The Department’s Advisory Committee Management Officer will terminate the DACOWITS in accordance with the requirements of [the Federal Advisory Committee Act]. In addition, the DACOWITS Sponsor will take appropriate action to realign resources associated with the DACOWITS, such as the reassignment of personnel, conclusion of contracts, and the archiving of DACOWITS’ records.”A Sept. 8 memo also signed by Hegseth and reviewed by Military Times had directed the phased return to service of DACOWITS and 39 other advisory groups placed on hiatus, including the women’s advisory committee that an internal email had previously recommended for closure.Earlier this month, the Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment about the move to keep the committee. But on Tuesday, officials provided a statement about Hegseth’s termination decision that called DACOWITS “divisive” and criticized its “agenda.”“After further review, Secretary Hegseth has decided to terminate the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in the statement. “The Committee is focused on advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness, while Secretary Hegseth has focused on advancing uniform, sex-neutral standards across the Department.”A senior staff member with the office of Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., a former Air Force officer who has advocated for DACOWITS and service-level groups supporting efforts to develop policies and equipment that account for women, said the office had submitted numerous questions to the Pentagon about the termination memo.The agenda of the most recent public DACOWITS meeting, held in December 2024 before quarterly meetings were paused, addressed recruiting and service propensity statistics; flexibility and permeability for transfers between services; the integration status of women serving on submarines; data on eating disorders and physical fitness, issues regarding menopause, perimenopause and hormonal imbalances; and the reintegration to service of troops who’d given birth.A 70-year report on the committee’s work, published in 2020, highlighted how more than 1,000 DACOWITS recommendations made since 1967 had informed Defense Department policy, with a 97% full or partial adoption rate as of 2019. Major themes since the 2010s, according to a data analysis, have been prevention of sexual assault and harassment, gender equality and integration, career progression and women’s health and wellbeing.

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— Taliban rejects Trump’s bid to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan

 

at 9/22/25 9:50am

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — The Taliban government on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan left the sprawling military facility in the Taliban’s hands.Trump on Saturday renewed his call to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram, even saying “we’re talking now to Afghanistan” about the matter. He did not offer further details about the purported conversations. Asked by a reporter if he’d consider deploying U.S. troops to take the base, Trump demurred.“We won’t talk about that,” Trump said. “We want it back, and we want it back right away. If they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m going to do.”On Sunday, chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected Trump’s assertions and urged the U.S. to adopt a policy of “realism and rationality.”Afghanistan had an economy-oriented foreign policy and sought constructive relations with all states on the basis of mutual and shared interests, Mujahid posted on X.Trump says US working to take back Bagram Air Base from TalibanIt had been consistently communicated to the U.S. in all bilateral negotiations that Afghanistan’s independence and territorial integrity were of the utmost importance, he said.“It should be recalled that, under the Doha Agreement, the United States pledged that ‘it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs,’” he said. The U.S. needed to remain faithful to its commitments, he added.Mujahid did not reply to questions from The Associated Press about conversations with the Trump administration regarding Bagram and why Trump believed the U.S. could retake it.‘Ceding Afghan soil is out of the question’Earlier Sunday, the chief of staff at the Defense Ministry, Fasihuddin Fitrat, addressed Trump’s comments. “Ceding even an inch of our soil to anyone is out of the question and impossible,” he said during a speech broadcast by Afghan media.In August last year, the Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of their takeover at Bagram with a grand military display of abandoned U.S. hardware, catching the eye of the White House. Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for his “gross incompetence” during the withdrawal of U.S. forces after the country’s longest war.Trump last week during his state visit to the United Kingdom hinted that the Taliban, who have struggled with an economic crisis, international legitimacy, internal rifts and rival militant groups since their return to power in 2021, could be game to allow the U.S. military to return.“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said of the Taliban. While the U.S. and the Taliban have no formal diplomatic ties, the sides have had hostage conversations. An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist was released by the Taliban in March.The Taliban also said they reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.They gave no details of the detainee swap, and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or the results described in a Taliban statement. The Taliban released photographs from their talks, showing their foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler.Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

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— Trump administration plans nearly $6B in arms sales to Israel: Report

 

at 9/19/25 5:59pm

The Trump administration has told Congress it plans to sell nearly $6 billion in weapons to Israel, a fresh surge of support for the U.S. ally as it faces increasing isolation over its war in Gaza.It includes a $3.8 billion sale for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters, nearly doubling Israel’s current stocks, and a $1.9 billion sale for 3,200 infantry assault vehicles for the Israeli army, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been made public.The weapons would not be delivered for two to three years or longer.The huge sales come as U.S. plans to broker an end to the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas have stalled and after Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, drew widespread condemnation among U.S. allies in the Middle East.The U.S. has kept up its support despite growing international pressure on Israel and attempts from a growing number of U.S. Senate Democrats to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel.The State Department declined to comment on the sales, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.Israel has launched a new offensive, pressing forward with plans to take over Gaza City, as a professional organization of scholars studying genocide has said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.The U.K, which last year said it was suspending exports of some weapons to Israel out of concerns they could be used to violate international humanitarian laws, recently barred Israeli government officials from attending the country’s biggest arms fair.Turkey also said it was closing its airspace to Israeli government planes and any cargo of arms for the Israeli military, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a speech condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza as disproportionate.Trump said Friday that he plans to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington next week, with plans to discuss the purchases of Boeing aircraft and a deal for F-16 fighter jets.The Biden administration paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns about civilian casualties, but Trump lifted that hold when he took office in January.The Trump administration has already approved about $12 billion in major military assistance to Israel this year. Most recently, the U.S. in June approved a half-billion-dollar arms sale to Israel to resupply its military with bomb guidance kits for precision.This latest request from the Trump administration was sent to Congress about a month ago.The amount of the $6 billion package was confirmed by two other people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it because the plans were not public.Congress routinely conducts informal reviews of such arms sales at the committee level, sending the requests back to the State Department for the more formal process.These sales are part of a 10-year agreement between the U.S. and Israel that is nearing its end.Price reported from Porto, Portugal. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

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— Senate rejects competing funding bills, increasing shutdown risk

 

at 9/19/25 12:03pm

The Senate rejected competing measures on Friday to fund federal agencies for a few weeks when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1, increasing prospects for a partial government shutdown on that date.Leaders of the two parties sought to blame the other side for the standoff. Democrats accused Republicans of not negotiating with them to address some of their priorities on health care as part of the funding measure, even though they knew some Democratic votes would be needed to get a bill to the president’s desk.Republicans said Democrats were making demands that would dramatically increase spending and were not germane to the core issue of keeping agencies fully running for a short period of time while negotiations continued on a full-year spending measure.“The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process. And the Democrat bill is the exact opposite,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said shortly before the votes. “It’s what you might call, not a clean CR, a dirty CR — laden down with partisan policies and appeals to Democrats’ leftist base.”The Democratic proposal would extend enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax breaks and spending cuts bill enacted earlier this year.“The American people will look at what Republicans are doing, look at what Democrats are doing, and it will be clear that public sentiment will be on our side,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who has repeatedly threatened a shutdown if health care isn’t addressed.The Senate action came after the House earlier in the day passed the Republican-led funding bill. The measure would extend government funding generally at current levels for seven weeks. The bill would also add about $88 million in security funding for lawmakers and members of the Supreme Court and executive branch in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.The vote was 217-212. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the lone Democratic member to support the bill.House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said he knew he had few votes to spare as he sought to persuade fellow Republicans to vote for the funding patch, something many in his conference have routinely opposed in past budget fights. But this time, GOP members see a chance to portray the Democrats as responsible for a shutdown.“The ball is in Chuck Schumer’s court. I hope he does the right thing. I hope he does not choose to shut the government down and inflict pain on the American people,” Johnson said.President Donald Trump had urged House Republicans to pass the bill and put the burden on Democrats to oppose it. GOP leaders often need Trump’s help to win over holdouts on legislation.“Every House Republican should UNIFY, and VOTE YES!” Trump said on his social media site.Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said that in opposing the continuing resolution, Democrats were working to protect the health care of the American people. He said that with Republicans controlling the White House and both branches of Congress, “Republicans will own a government shutdown. Period. Full stop.”The Senate moved quickly after the House vote to take up the measure plus the Democratic counter. Both fell short of the 60 votes needed for passage. Now, it’s unclear how things will shake out.Senators could then potentially leave town until Sept. 29 — one day before the shutdown deadline. The Senate has a scheduled recess next week because of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. Meanwhile, Johnson said Republicans were discussing whether to stay back in their home districts through the rest of September, essentially forcing the Senate to approve the House-passed measure or risk a shutdown. He said lawmakers have a lot of work to do in their districts.Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are watching Schumer closely after his last-minute decision in March to vote with Republicans to keep the government open. Schumer argued then that a shutdown would be damaging and would give Trump and his White House freedom to make more government cuts. Many on the left revolted, with some advocates calling for his resignation.The vote in the spring also caused a temporary schism with Jeffries, who opposed that particular GOP spending bill and said he would not be “complicit” with Schumer’s vote.The two Democratic leaders now say they are united, and Schumer says things have changed since March. The public is more wary of Trump and Republicans, Schumer says, after the passage of Medicaid cuts.Most Democrats appear to be backing Schumer’s demand that there be negotiations on the bill — and support his threats of a shutdown, even as it is unclear how they would get out of it.“Look, the president said really boldly, don’t even talk to Democrats. Unless he’s forgotten that you need a supermajority to pass a budget in the Senate, that’s obviously his signal he wants a shutdown,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.While the Democratic measure to fund the government had no chance of passage, it does give Democrats a way to show voters their focus on cutting health care costs. Unless Congress act, tax credits going to low- and middle-income people who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will expire. That will mean a big increase in premiums for millions of Americans.“There are some thing we have to address. The health insurance, ACA, is going to hammer millions of people in the country, including in red states,” said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. “To me, that can’t be put off.”Republicans have said the tax credit issue can be dealt with later this year. They’re also using Schumer’s previous arguments against shutdowns to make the case he’s playing politics.“Democrats voted in favor of clean CRs no fewer than 13 times during the Biden administration,” Thune said. “Yet now that Republicans are offering a clean CR, it’s somehow a no-go. It’s funny how that happens.”Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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— Trump says US working to take back Bagram Air Base from Taliban

 

at 9/18/25 1:33pm

President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that he is working to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years after America’s chaotic withdrawal from the country left the base in the Taliban’s hands.Trump floated the idea during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he wrapped up a state visit to the U.K. and tied it to the need for the U.S. to counter its top rival, China.“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said of the base in an aside to a question about ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.While Trump described his call for the U.S. military to reestablish a position in Afghanistan as “breaking news,” the Republican president has previously raised the idea. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether it or the Pentagon has done any planning around returning to the sprawling air base, which was central to America’s longest war.During his first presidency, Trump set the terms for the U.S. withdrawal by negotiating a deal with the Taliban. The 20-year conflict came to an end in disquieting fashion under President Joe Biden: The U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed, a grisly bombing killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 others, and thousands of desperate Afghans descended on Kabul’s airport in search of a way out before the final U.S. aircraft departed over the Hindu Kush.The Afghanistan debacle was a major setback just eight months into Biden’s Democratic presidency that he struggled to recover from.Biden’s Republican detractors, including Trump, seized on it as a signal moment in a failed presidency. Those criticisms have persisted into the present day, including as recently as last week, when Trump claimed the move emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine in February 2022.“He would have never done what he did, except that he didn’t respect the leadership of the United States,” Trump said, speaking of Putin. “They just went through the Afghanistan total disaster for no reason whatsoever. We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram Air Base — one of the biggest air bases in the world. We gave it to them for nothing.”It is unclear if the U.S. has any new direct or indirect conversations with the Taliban government about returning to the country. But Trump hinted that the Taliban, who have struggled with an economic crisis, international legitimacy, internal rifts and rival militant groups since their return to power in 2021, could be game to allow the U.S. military to return.“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said of the Taliban.The president repeated his view that a U.S. presence at Bagram is of value because of its proximity to China, the most significant economic and military competitor to the United States.“But one of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “So a lot of things are happening.”While the U.S. and the Taliban have no formal diplomatic ties, the sides have had hostage conversations. An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist was released by the Taliban in March.Last week, the Taliban also said they reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.The Taliban gave no details of a detainee swap, and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or the results described in a Taliban statement. The Taliban released photographs from their talks, showing their foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler.Officials at U.S. Central Command in the Middle East and the Pentagon, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, referred questions about reestablishing a presence at Bagram to the White House.

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— Mass deportations ensnare immigrant service members, veterans

 

at 9/18/25 10:30am

PHOENIX — Leading up to the 2024 presidential election, U.S. Army veteran Sae Joon Park kept in mind a warning from an immigration officer: If Donald Trump were elected, Park would likely be at risk for deportation.Park was 7 when he came to the U.S. from Seoul, South Korea. He joined the Army at 19 and received a Purple Heart after being shot in Panama. After leaving the military, he lived with PTSD, leading to addiction issues.After a 2009 arrest on a drug charge, Park was eventually ordered deported. But because he was a veteran, he was granted deferred action, allowing him to remain in the U.S. while he checked in with immigration officials annually.For 14 years he did just that, while raising children and building a new life in Honolulu. Then in June, when Park went in for his appointment, he learned he had a removal order against him. Instead of facing extended time in detention, he chose to self-deport.“They allowed me to join, serve the country — front line, taking bullets for this country. That should mean something,” he said.Instead, “This is how veterans are being treated.”During his first term in office, Trump enacted immigration policies aimed at a group normally safe from scrutiny: noncitizens who serve in the U.S. military. His administration sought to restrict avenues for immigrant service members to obtain citizenship and make it harder for green card holders to enlist — actions that were unsuccessful.More veterans’ requests for help on immigration are rejected now, data showsNow, military experts and veterans say service members are once again targets of the president’s immigration policies.“President Trump campaigned on a promise of mass deportations, and he didn’t exempt military members, veterans and their families,” said retired Lt. Col. Margaret Stock, a lawyer who helps veterans facing deportation. “It harms military recruiting, military readiness and the national security of our country.”Under the Biden administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a policy stating a noncitizen’s prior military service was a “significant mitigating factor” that must be considered in enforcement decisions. The policy also offered protection to noncitizen family members of veterans or those on active duty.In April, that policy was rescinded and replaced with one saying “military service alone does not automatically exempt” one from immigration enforcement.Both policies barred enforcement actions against active-duty service members, absent aggravating factors. Under the new policy, noncitizen relatives of service members are not addressed.Some service members, like Park, are choosing to self-deport. In other instances, immigrant family members of soldiers or veterans have been detained — including Narciso Barranco, a father of three U.S. Marines who was detained earlier this year in Santa Ana, California.“The people being ripped from our communities are hardworking, honest, patriotic people who are raising America’s teachers, nurses and Marines,” Barranco’s son, veteran Alejandro Barranco, testified in July to a U.S. Senate subcommittee. “Deporting them doesn’t just hurt my family. It hurts all of us.”There is no publicly available data on how many veterans are being affected, though ICE is supposed to track service member removals and the Department of Homeland Security is typically required to share that information with Congress.A 2019 federal report found 250 veterans had been placed in removal proceedings between 2013 and 2018. News21 could find only two DHS reports tracking removals of veterans. One, covering the first half of 2022, said five veterans had been deported; another, for calendar year 2019, said three veterans had been deported.In June, U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat, and nine members of Congress wrote to federal officials seeking the number of veterans currently facing deportation — noting “some estimates” put the overall number of deported veterans at 10,000.Her office did not return messages. DHS and ICE also did not respond to questions.Federal lawmakers have proposed several bills to protect immigrant service members and their relatives. One measure, introduced in May, would give green cards to parents of service members and allow those already deported to apply for a visa.U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and Army veteran, has sponsored some of that legislation. She told News21: “This is about the men and women who wore the uniform of our great nation, many of whom were promised a chance at citizenship by our government in exchange for their service. It’s about doing the right thing.”As of February 2024, more than 40,000 foreign nationals were serving in active and reserve components of the Armed Forces, according to the Congressional Research Service. Another 115,000 were veterans living in the U.S.Serving in the military has long been a pathway to citizenship, with provisions providing expedited naturalization dating back to the Civil War.During designated periods of hostility, noncitizens who serve honorably for even one day are eligible to apply for naturalization if they meet all criteria. The U.S. has been in a period of hostility since 2001.Despite that longstanding policy, the Department of Defense, during Trump’s first term, required service members to complete six months before obtaining military documents required to apply for citizenship.The American Civil Liberties Union sued, and in 2020, a federal judge struck down the change. The Biden administration wound up rescinding the six-month policy.Nevertheless, ACLU attorney Scarlet Kim said: “If you don’t get your citizenship while you’re serving and then you’re discharged … you can potentially become vulnerable to deportation.”That’s the situation facing Army veteran Marlon Parris.Parris, born in Trinidad, has been in the U.S. with a green card since the 1990s. He served in the Army for six years and received the Army Commendation Medal three times, according to court records.Before his discharge in 2007, he was diagnosed with PTSD — which was cited when Parris pleaded guilty in 2011 to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced to federal prison.Upon his release in 2016, the government assured him he would not be deported, according to the group Black Deported Veterans of America. But on Jan. 22, agents detained Parris near his home in Laveen, Arizona. In May, a judge ruled he was eligible for deportation.His wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, told News21 the couple plan to self-deport and bring along some of the seven children, ranging in age from 8 to 26, who are part of their blended family.“I’m not going to put my husband in a situation to where he’s going to be a constant target, especially in the country that he fought for,” she said.A report published last year by the Veterans Law Practicum at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law noted that more than 20% of veterans with PTSD also have a substance use disorder, and that can result in more exposure to the criminal justice system.That situation is “the most common scenario in terms of how deportation is triggered,” said Rose Carmen Goldberg, who oversaw completion of the report and now teaches in the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School.The report stressed that even though deportation does not disqualify veterans from benefits earned through service, “Geographic and bureaucratic barriers may … stand in the way.”In 2021, the Biden administration launched the Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative (IMMVI) to ensure deported veterans could access Veterans Affairs benefits. The program offered parole to those needing to return to the U.S. for legal services or health care.Jennie Pasquarella, a lawyer with the Seattle Clemency Project, said the biggest flaw of the program is that parole into the U.S. is temporary — a “dead end” if a veteran doesn’t have a legal claim to restore legal residency or to naturalize.“We had asked the Biden administration to do more to ensure that there was a further path towards restoring people’s lawful status beyond parole,” she said. “Basically, we didn’t succeed.”In the absence of aid in the U.S., more veterans are turning to help elsewhere.José Francisco Lopez, a native of Torreón, Mexico, and Vietnam War veteran, experienced PTSD and addiction. He eventually went to prison for a drug-related crime and in 2003 was deported.“I almost gave my life in Vietnam, and now they just throw me away like garbage,” he said.ICE is supposed to consider service when deporting veterans. It hasn’t been.For years, Lopez thought he was the only deported veteran in Mexico — until he met Hector Barajas, a deported Army veteran who in 2013 founded the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana.Inspired, Lopez opened his own Support House in Ciudad Juárez.Lopez, 80, is now a legal resident of the U.S. but splits his time between El Paso and Juárez, providing deported veterans housing, food and advice about how to apply for benefits. Since opening the support house in 2017, he’s helped about 20 people.Back in Seoul, Park, 56, is adjusting to life in a country he hadn’t visited in 30 years. When he first arrived, he cried every morning for hours.“It’s a whole new world,” he said. “I’m trying to really relearn everything.”Park’s attorney started a petition to urge prosecutors to dismiss his criminal convictions, to help cancel his deportation order. More than 10,000 people have signed.Park said he’s grateful for the support but has little faith he will ever be allowed to return to the U.S. He said: “This is not the country that I volunteered and fought for.”News21 reporters Tristan E.M. Leach, Sydney Lovan and Gracyn Thatcher contributed to this story. This report is part of “Upheaval Across America,” an examination of immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration produced by Carnegie-Knight News21.

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— Senators seek to make it easier for VA to exhume ‘disgraced’ veterans

 

at 9/17/25 4:49pm

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wants to make it easier to exhume and remove the remains of veterans convicted of serious crimes from national cemeteries. “The burial grounds of our national cemeteries should be reserved for the bravest and most honorable among us,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in a statement announcing the bill introduced Tuesday. The legislation would give the Department of Veterans Affairs extended authority to disinter the remains of any “disgraced veteran” who wouldn’t be deemed eligible for burial under the standards and practices of current law, Cornyn said. Under current law, the VA can only reconsider a veteran’s eligibility for burial in national cemeteries for cases dating back to 2013. Families and victims’ advocates who want the VA to disinter someone buried before that time who had committed a serious crime must advocate for a law to be passed directing each individual’s exhumation and removal. That is “creating unnecessary delays and inequities,” senators stated. The senators’ proposal would give the VA retroactive authority dating back to June 18, 1973, when the National Cemeteries Act was signed into law. A law took effect in 1997 that prohibits the burial of veterans who have committed serious crimes in national cemeteries.A subsequent law allows VA to reconsider a veteran’s eligibility retroactively, but limits these reconsiderations to cases dating back to 2013. “Rather than setting an arbitrary cutoff for disinterment requests, this legislation will help ensure that the process is available to everyone,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in the announcement. There are at least seven outstanding disinterment petitions across multiple states, including Hawaii, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Florida and California, the senators said. Senators from those states are among those who introduced the bill, including Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; Rick Scott, R-Florida; and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a law introduced by Cornyn to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota, a convicted rapist and alleged serial murderer, from the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, where he was buried in 1984. The bill has not yet been considered in the House.Also this year, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., introduced a bill in the House to disinter the remains of George E. Siple, a veteran who was convicted of the 1969 murder of Bertha Smith, and died in prison 30 years later. He was buried in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania, in 1999. Similar bills regarding Siple’s exhumation, including one introduced by Perry last year, haven’t been successful.

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— Ukraine expects $3.5 billion fund for US weapons, Zelenskyy says

 

at 9/17/25 2:26pm

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine expects there will be around $3.5 billion by next month in a fund to buy weapons from the United States and help sustain its more than three-year fight against Russia’s all-out invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.The financial arrangement known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase American weapons, munitions and equipment.“We received more than $2 billion from our partners specifically for the PURL program,” Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with visiting European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. ”We will receive additional money in October. I think we will have somewhere around $3.5-3.6 billion.”Zelenskyy declined to provide details of what weapons the first shipments would include, but said that they would definitely contain missiles for Patriot air defense missile systems and munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.An end to the war appears no closer, despite months of U.S.-led peace efforts.The Patriot systems are vital to defend against Russian missile attacks. The HIMARS systems have significantly bolstered the Ukrainian military’s precision-strike capability.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Russia’s readiness for peace talks, telling reporters on Wednesday that “we remain open for negotiations and prefer to settle the Ukrainian crisis by political and diplomatic means.”However, Moscow has raised objections about key proposals and negotiations haven’t moved forward.The latest Russian overnight aerial attacks caused disruption to Ukrainian rail and power services, officials said Wednesday. In addition, a Russian glide bomb struck a town in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine, wounding three women and a 3-year-old girl, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said.Meanwhile, a U.S.-Ukraine fund devised to spur investments in the Ukrainian mineral sector is set to launch with $150 million of seed capital, senior Ukrainian officials said Wednesday.The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation agency will commit $75 million to the fund, with Ukraine matching that contribution, Ukrainian Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev said.“This is enough to launch the first significant investments,” Sobolev said, describing the fund as a “beacon” that could draw additional support from other international institutions.The U.S.-Ukraine deal on developing the Ukrainian mineral sector was signed in April. It gives the U.S. preferential access to new Ukrainian mining projects and is meant to spur reconstruction and enable continued military aid to Ukraine from the U.S.Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that the fund would initially focus on energy, infrastructure and critical mineral projects, with a goal of financing three projects by the end of 2026.Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov contributed to this report.

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— Senate Dems raise concerns over Pentagon plan for immigration judges

 

at 9/16/25 3:45pm

Some Democratic senators say they are deeply concerned that a Pentagon plan to allow military lawyers to work as temporary immigration judges will violate a ban on using service members for law enforcement and affect the military justice system.The letter, sent to the military services and provided to The Associated Press, comes two weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges. It is part of the steps the Trump administration has taken to use the military in broader ways than previously seen, particularly in its immigration crackdown, including sending the National Guard into American cities and deploying active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.“These military officers would serve under the command and control of the Attorney General and would execute administrative determinations at the direction of the Attorney General,” according to the letter signed by 12 Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee. It added that “these actions are inherently law enforcement actions that may not be performed by members of the armed forces.”“We remain extremely disturbed about the impacts on readiness of using military personnel to perform what are traditionally Department of Justice functions,” the letter says.The nation’s immigration courts — with a backlog of about 3.5 million cases — have become a key focus of President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration enforcement efforts. Since Trump returned to office, dozens of immigration judges have been fired, while others have resigned or taken early retirement.The senators’ letter, sent to the offices of the top military lawyers for the four services on Monday, is asking the Pentagon to say where the roughly 600 lawyers will be coming from and for insight into what legal analysis the military has conducted into whether the move would violate the Posse Comitatus Act. That law prevents the military from conducting law enforcement outside of extreme emergencies.A Pentagon memo that described the plan said the lawyers should not be detailed for longer than half a year. The memo also showed that Pentagon officials were cognizant of the possibility for conflict with that law and said the Justice Department would be responsible for ensuring that the military lawyers do not violate it.The Democratic senators said they were “deeply concerned” that pulling those lawyers away would have an impact on service members who are going through the military’s judicial system.“These reassignments come at a time only shortly after Congress completely overhauled how the military investigates and prosecutes serious ‘covered’ criminal offenses … by establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel (OSTCs) in each of the Services,” the letter read.Those offices were set up by Congress in 2022 as part of an effort to reform the military justice system by moving decisions on the prosecution of serious military crimes, including sexual assault, to independent military attorneys, taking that power away from victims’ commanders.The offices began taking cases at the end of last year.The letter asks the Pentagon what it will do to “preserve the OSTC’s progress in building specialized trial capacity” and what the services will do to “ensure that diversion of OSTCs, trial counsels, and defense counsels does not create delays or diminish quality in court-martials.” The senators say that the plan is a demonstration of how “the Trump administration views skilled personnel as pawns to be traded between agencies, rather than as professionals essential to their core missions, in order to advance misguided immigration policies.”

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— Navy doctor fired after Hegseth, Libs of TikTok criticize her on X

 

at 9/16/25 2:29pm

A longtime U.S. Navy doctor was removed from her leadership position after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly reposted a social media link chastising her for a position it appears she never held.Janelle Marra was relieved of her duties this month as director of medical services at Expeditionary Medical Facility 150-Bravo in San Diego, California, shortly after Hegseth’s post on X announcing her firing, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Military Times. On Sept. 4, the X account Libs of TikTok, a conservative account with 4.4 million followers on the platform, posted a message along with a screenshot of Marra’s LinkedIn account. The account took issue with information on her profile.The screenshot called attention to Marra’s displayed pronouns, “she/her,” as well as her displayed title of “Navy Deputy Medical Director for Transgender Health Care,” with a caption that asked the defense secretary to look into the role.“Yikes,” the Libs of TiKTok post said in response to Marra’s listed job title.Several hours later, Hegseth reposted the Libs of Tiktok post on his X account with a caption that read, “Pronouns UPDATED: She/Her/Fired.”Pronouns UPDATED: She/Her/Fired https://t.co/j8nboQZO9Z— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 5, 2025That same day, Marra was removed from her leadership position in her Navy unit due to a loss of confidence in her leadership and a potential misuse of social media, the U.S. defense official told Military Times on the condition of anonymity.The Navy initiated an investigation into Marra’s social media practices after the administrative removal took place, the official said. It appears Marra never held the position the Libs of TikTok account asked the defense secretary to investigate. The job was intended to be part of a once-proposed transgender health center within the Defense Health Agency, but the center was never created.“That was a position that DHA solicited for nominations from the services during the last administration,” the defense official told Military Times. “She was nominated for that position.”However, it appears the role was never filled, and the idea for the center was dropped. The Defense Health Agency corroborated the official’s statement.“The Department does not have a Transgender Health Center,” a Defense Health Agency spokesperson told Military Times. “It was considered last year, but the idea was abandoned.”It’s unclear why Marra added the title to her LinkedIn profile. She did not respond to questions following her firing. The Pentagon declined to comment.Col. Bree Fram, a transgender service member in the U.S. Space Force with nearly 23 years in the military, said Marra’s firing was emblematic of a culture of sensationalism and headlines that derive from very little. Fram spoke to Military Times to offer her own opinions, which she noted do not reflect the those of the Defense Department.“To suffer through a firestorm of controversy over something in the past that was assigned to her as a role by the Navy is really disappointing,” Fram said. “When service members are attacked, we would hope that their superiors come to their defense when there is nothing to the allegations that are being made.”Libs of TikTok was founded by Chaya Raichik, an activist who has admitted to being at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has joined ICE ride-alongs with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and has recently used her social media presence to identify and fire individuals who the account accuses of celebrating the murder of conservative media figure Charlie Kirk.President Donald Trump’s administration has taken a hard-line approach on LGBTQ+ issues in the military, issuing an executive order banning all transgender service members and ending gender-affirming care for transgender troops.A Feb. 26 Pentagon memo said individuals with a diagnosis or symptoms of gender dysphoria have medical, surgical and mental health constraints that are “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”Defense officials have said that about 4,000 transgender individuals are currently serving in the military, both on active duty and in the reserves.Transgender service members and legal advocates who spoke to Military Times in April described the rollout of the ban as “utter chaos,” as initial information for voluntary separation showed conflicting deadline dates and cast inaccurate portraits of their service.

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— Troops with medical shaving waivers to face separation, Hegseth says

 

at 9/15/25 5:09pm

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pursuit of a clean-shaven military took its latest step Monday when the Pentagon announced that troops who require medical shaving waivers for longer than a year will face involuntary separation, according to an official memo. The announcement, which is dated Aug. 20, follows a force-wide review launched by the Pentagon in March to assess military grooming and fitness standards. In the memo, Hegseth mandates that troops who seek individual exemptions must receive final waiver approval through their unit commander, which can only be granted after a written recommendation from a medical officer. Service members granted waivers must then “participate in a medical treatment plan,” the memo states. If medical treatment does not resolve the issue and a waiver is required beyond the one-year window, those troops will face separation. “I have full confidence in our leaders at all levels to provide an accurate assessment of whether retention is appropriate,” Hegseth wrote. The Aug. 20 memo, which does not mention whether mustaches will be impacted, is the latest in a series of shaving regulation tweaks by the Pentagon this year.In March, the Marine Corps ordered Marines diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae, which leads to unwanted bumps and painful ingrown hair from frequent shaving, to undergo medical reevaluation within 90 days to determine whether they still required a waiver.That administrative message outlined a phased treatment plan for Marines affected by the condition, with the ultimate goal of “returning service members to grooming standards and ensuring maximum warfighting readiness.”About 60% of Black men are affected by the condition, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Beyond medical reasons, troops in recent years have been able to submit exemption requests citing religious accommodations. The Army, for example, amended its guidelines in 2017 after years of beard-exemption requests and legal pressure from Sikh soldiers seeking to preserve religious traditions while wearing a U.S. uniform.Some of those exemption boundaries, however, were blurred under such rules that failed to specify exactly which religions qualified.In April 2018, a heathen soldier applied for an exemption under the updated policy and was approved for a beard waiver in accordance with his faith. But while Norse paganism encourages beard growing, it doesn’t require it.In 2019, Army Spc. John Hoskins further tested those boundaries — and was denied — when he applied for a beard exemption as part of his strict devotion to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a faith also known as “Pastafarianism.”Hegseth, in the Aug. 20 memo, did not mention whether religious accommodations would be impacted by the new ruling. “The grooming standard set by the U.S. military is to be clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance,” he wrote. “The Department must remain vigilant in maintaining the grooming standards which underpin the warrior ethos.”

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— Trump deploys National Guard to Memphis in ‘replica’ of DC crackdown

 

at 9/15/25 3:37pm

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.Trump made the announcement with Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, calling what’s coming a “replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in Washington.That was a reference to last month, when the president deployed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital and federalized the city’s police force in a crackdown he has since argued reduced crime.Troops in DC encounter few crises, but plenty of walking and yard workTrump said that, in addition to troops, the push in Memphis would involve officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshall’s service: “We’re sending in the big force now.”Shortly before Trump’s announcement, the White House said on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested that the rate had increased since last year, bucking national trends.That’s despite Memphis police recently reporting decreases across every major crime category in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.Despite the overall decrease, Memphis has dealt with stubborn gun violence problems for years. In 2023, the city set a record with more than 390 homicides.Tennessee’s governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis. “Lee said Monday that he was “tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back.”Trump first suggested he’d be deploying the National Guard to Memphis on Friday, drawing pushback from the Democratic leader of Memphis, which is majority Black.“I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday while acknowledging the city remained high on too many “bad lists.”Speculation had centered on Chicago as Trump’s next city to send in the National Guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced fierce resistance from Democratic Illinois J.B. Pritzker and other local authorities.President says he will deploy National Guard troops to ChicagoTrump said Monday, “We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next” but also suggested that authorities would wait and not act immediately there.“We want to save these places,” Trump said. He singled out St. Louis and Baltimore, but didn’t say either place would be getting federal forces or the National Guard.

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— Trump says he’ll send National Guard troops to Memphis

 

at 9/12/25 11:31am

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — President Donald Trump said Friday he’ll send the National Guard to address crime concerns in Memphis with support from the mayor and Tennessee’s governor, making it his latest expansion of military forces into American cities that has tested the limits of presidential power and drawn sharp criticism from local leaders.Speaking on Fox News, Trump said “the mayor is happy” and “the governor is happy” about the pending deployment. The city is “deeply troubled,” he said, adding, “we’re going to fix that just like we did Washington,” where he’s sent the National Guard and surged federal law enforcement.Memphis is a majority-Black city and has a Democratic mayor. Tennessee’s governor is a Republican. Both officials’ offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.Since sending the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., Trump has openly mused about sending troops to some of the nation’s most Democratic cities — including Chicago and Baltimore — even as data shows most violent crime in those places and around the country has declined in recent years.Trump has also suggested he could send troops to New Orleans, another Democratic-run city in a Republican-leaning state.Crime is down, but troops may be comingThe president’s announcement came just days after Memphis police reported decreases across all major crime categories in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year-low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.Asked Friday if city and state officials had requested a National Guard deployment — or had formally signed off on it — the White House didn’t answer. It also didn’t offer a possible timeline or say whether federal law enforcement would be surged in connection with a guard deployment to Memphis, as happened when troops were deployed to Washington.Trump said Friday that he “would have preferred going to Chicago,” where local politicians have fiercely resisted his plans, but suggested the city was too “hostile” with “professional agitators.”Officials in Tennessee appear dividedRepublican state Sen. Brent Taylor, who backs the Memphis troop deployment, said Friday the National Guard could provide “administrative and logistical support” to law enforcement and allow local officers to focus on policework. Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn also voiced her approval.The Democratic mayor of Shelby County, which includes the city of Memphis, criticized Trump’s proposal. “Mr. President, no one here is ‘happy,’” said Mayor Lee Harris. “Not happy at all with occupation, armored vehicles, semi-automatic weapons, and military personnel in fatigues.”Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday that an ongoing FBI operation alongside state and local law enforcement had already made “hundreds of arrests targeting the most violent offenders.” He also said there are record levels of Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers in Shelby County, including a newly announced additional 50 troopers.“We are actively discussing the next phase of our strategy to accelerate the positive momentum that’s already underway, and nothing is off the table,” Lee said in the statement.On Thursday, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he learned earlier this week that the governor and Trump were considering the deployment in Memphis.“I am committed to working to ensure any efforts strengthen our community and build on our progress,” Young’s statement said. What the city needs most, he said, is money for intervention and crime prevention, as well as more officers on patrol and support for bolstering the police department’s investigations.Some Republicans, including Taylor, the state senator, have asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to audit the Memphis Police Department’s crime reporting.Trump’s broader National Guard strategyTrump first deployed troops to Los Angeles in early June over Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections by putting the California National Guard under federal jurisdiction, known as Title 10, to protect federal property from protests over immigration raids. The guard later helped protect officers during immigration arrests.Alongside 4,000 guard members, 700 active duty Marines were also sent, and California sued over the intervention.In Washington, D.C., where the president directly commands the National Guard, Trump has used troops for everything from armed patrols to trash cleanup without any legal issues.Chicago is on edgeTrump’s comments underscored his shift away from threats to send troops into Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, vowed legal action to block any such move.Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, has said a federal intervention is not justified or wanted in Chicago. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi this week accused state leaders of being uncooperative.“We want Chicago to ask us for the help and they’re not going to do that,” she told reporters after an unrelated event near Chicago where federal agents seized vaping products.Even without National Guard troops, residents in Chicago are expecting more federal immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security launched a new operation this week, with federal officials confirming 13 people with prior criminal arrests had been detained. However, it’s still unclear what role that operation would play more broadly.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

As of 9/28/25 3:04am. Last new 9/26/25 5:00pm.