Page 2 - Us Army

Trump to finally get chance to top France with grand military parade in DC

Eight years after President Donald Trump was dazzled by a grand military parade down the Champs-lyses in Paris, he is finally getting a chance to try to top the spectacle. His long-delayed dream is expected to be realized Saturday with an extravaganza of American military might featuring tanks and other armoured vehicles rolling through the nation's capital, thousands of soldiers marching the streets and military aircraft flying overhead. In a final flourish, an elite parachute team is to jump from above the White House, land near Trump and hand him an American flag. I think it's going to be great, Trump said this week. We're going to celebrate our country for a change. For Trump, a media-attuned real estate developer who was a reality television star and beauty pageant owner, it's a chance to flex his skills as a showman. But the muscular display of military might also comes as Trump is increasingly flexing the powers of his office, including with the deployment of thousands of ...

Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary: Hegseth

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary but refused to answer repeated questions during a hotly combative congressional hearing Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations. Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee repeatedly got into heated exchanges with Hegseth, with some of the toughest lines of questioning coming from military veterans as many demanded yes or no answers and he tried to avoid direct responses about his actions as Pentagon chief. In one back-and-forth, Hegseth did provide an eyebrow-raising answer. Rep Adam Smith asked whether the Pentagon has plans to take Greenland or Panama by force if necessary. Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency, Hegseth said several times. It is not unusual for the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans for conflicts that have not arisen, but his handling of

Trump's military parade rare in peacetime, but rooted in US tradition

Troops marching in lockstep. Patriotic tunes filling the air. The commander in chief looking on at it all. The military parade commemorating the US Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday will be a new spectacle for many Americans. This will not be the first US military parade. However, it is unusual outside of wartime, and Trump's approach stands out compared to his predecessors. The Army had long planned a celebration for its semi-quincentennial on June 14. Trump has wanted to preside over a grand military parade since his first presidency from 2017 to 2021. When he took office a second time, he found the ideal convergence and ratcheted the Pentagon's plans into a full-scale military parade on his birthday. The president, who is expected to speak in Washington as part of the affair, pitches the occasion as a way to celebrate US power and service members' sacrifice. But there are bipartisan concerns about the cost as well as concerns abo

US troops detain immigrants in border defence zone as military role expands

US troops have begun directly detaining immigrants accused of trespassing on a recently designated national defence zone along the southern US border, in an escalation of the military's enforcement role, authorities said on Wednesday. US Army Lieutenant Colonel Chad Campbell described in detail the first detentions by troops last week of three immigrants accused of trespassing in a national defence area near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Those migrants were quickly turned over to US Customs and Border Protection and are now among more than 1,400 migrants to have been charged with illegally entering militarised areas along that border, under a new border enforcement strategy from President Donald Trump's administration. Troops are prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement on US soil under the Posse Comitatus Act. But an exception known as the military purpose doctrine allows it in some instances. Authorities "noticed three individuals crossing the protective barrier into the .

US has to have relationship with Pakistan, India: American Army general

The United States has to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India, a top US general has said, noting that it cannot be a binary switch where Washington cannot have ties with Islamabad if it has relations with New Delhi. US Army General Michael Kurilla, Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), made the comments during a testimony before the US House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. We have to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can't have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India, Kurilla said. We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has. ISIS Khorasan (ISIS K) is perhaps one of the most active in trying to do external plots globally to include against the homeland. The Taliban is going after ISIS K - they hate each other, and have pushed a lot of them into the tribal areas on the Afghan-Pakistan border, he said at the full Committee Hearing on US Military Postur

Massive military parade celebrating US Army organised on Trump's birthday

The military parade will be organised by the US Army and the America250 commission and is likely to see as many as 200,000 attendees

DC prepares for Trump's parade with 18 miles of fencing, 175 magnetometers

As the nation's capital cleans up from the culmination of World Pride this past weekend, focus now shifts to a very different massive event Saturday's military parade to honour the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump. "We're preparing for an enormous turnout," said Matt McCool of the Secret Service's Washington Field office, who said more than 18 miles of "anti-scale fencing" would be erected and "multiple drones" would be in the air. The entire District of Columbia is normally a no-fly zone for drones. Army officials have estimated around 2,00,000 attendees for the evening military parade, and McCool said he was prepared for "hundreds of thousands" of people. "We have a tonne of magnetometers," he said. "If a million people show up, then we're going to have some lines." A total of 175 magnetometers would be used at security checkpoints controlling access to the daytime birthday festival and the nighttime parade. Metropolitan Police Departmen

WWII bomber crash killed 11; remains of 4 soldiers finally coming home

As the World War II bomber Heaven Can Wait was hit by enemy fire off the Pacific island of New Guinea on March 11, 1944, the co-pilot managed a final salute to flyers in an adjacent plane before crashing into the water. All 11 men aboard were killed. Their remains, deep below the vast sea, were designated as non-recoverable. Yet four crew members' remains are beginning to return to their hometowns after a remarkable investigation by family members and a recovery mission involving elite Navy divers who descended 200 feet (61 metres) in a pressurised bell to reach the sea floor. Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan, the radio operator was buried military honours and community support on Saturday in his hometown of Wappingers Falls, New York, more than eight decades after leaving behind his wife and baby son. The bombardier, 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, was to be buried Monday in Livermore, California, where he grew up in a ranching family. The remains of the pilot, 1st Lt. Herbert Tennyson, and ...

Trump's Golden Dome plan could launch new era of weapons in space

While the world's biggest space powers - the US, Russia and China - have put military and intelligence assets in orbit since the 1960s, they have done so mostly in secrecy

US Defence Secretary directs 20% cut to top military leadership positions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active duty military to shed 20 per cent of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration keep pushing the services to streamline their top leadership positions. Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions. In a memo dated Monday, Hegseth said the cuts will remove redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership. On top of the cuts to the top-tier four-star generals, Hegseth has also directed the military to shed an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or equivalent Navy rank. Hegseth said the cuts aimed to free the military from unnecessary bureaucratic layers. The news of the cuts was first reported by CNN.

US army's 250th anniversary parade to be held on Donald Trump's birthday

The Army on Friday confirmed there will be a military parade on President Donald Trump's birthday in June, as part of the celebration around the service's 250th birthday. Plans for the parade, as first detailed by The Associated Press on Thursday, call for about 6,600 soldiers to march from Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall along with 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters. Until recently, the Army's birthday festival plans did not include a massive parade, which officials say will cost tens of millions of dollars. But Trump has long wanted a military parade, and discussions with the Pentagon about having one in conjunction with the birthday festival began less than two months ago. The Army's 250th birthday happens to coincide with Trump's 79th birthday on June 14. In a statement Friday, Army spokesman Steve Warren said the Army's birthday celebration will include a spectacular fireworks display, a parade, and a daylong festival on the National Mall.

Army calls for 6,600 soldiers for potential parade on Trump's birthday

Detailed Army plans for a potential military parade on President Donald Trump's birthday in June call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press has learned. The planning documents, obtained by the AP, are dated April 29 and 30 and have not been publicly released. They represent the Army's most recent blueprint for its long-planned 250th birthday festival on the National Mall and the newly added element a large military parade that Trump has long wanted but is still being discussed. While the slides do not include any price estimates, it would likely cost tens of millions of dollars to put on a parade of that size. Costs would include the movement of military vehicles, equipment, aircraft and troops from across the country to Washington and the need to feed and house thousands of service members. High costs halted Trump's push for a parade in his first term, and the tanks and other

Pete Hegseth orders Army to merge commands, cut jobs to reduce costs

The Army is planning a sweeping transformation that will merge or close headquarters, dump outdated vehicles and aircraft, slash as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shift personnel to units in the field, according to a new memo and US officials familiar with the changes. In a memo released Thursday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the transformation to build a leaner, more lethal force. Discussions about the changes have been going on for weeks, including decisions to combine a number of Army commands. US officials said as many as 40 general officer slots could be cut as a result of the restructuring. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. The changes come as the Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by President Donald Trump's administration and ally Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. In his memo, Hegseth said the Army must eliminate wastef

US Army to take over border land for base, may detain migrants: Officials

A long sliver of federal land along the US-Mexico border that President Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, US officials told The Associated Press. The transfer of that border zone to military control and making it part of an Army installation is an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal law that prohibits US troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on American soil. But if the troops are providing security for land that is part of an Army base, they can perform that function. However, at least one presidential powers expert said the move is likely to be challenged in the courts. The officials said the issue is still under review in the Pentagon, but even as any legal review goes on, the administration's intent is to have troops detain migrants at the border. The corridor, known as the Roosevelt Reservation

4th US soldier found dead in Lithuania training mishap, 3 others identified

The final US soldier who went missing in Lithuania has been found dead, bringing to an end a massive weeklong search for the four service members whose armoured vehicle was pulled from a swampy training area, the US military said Tuesday. The bodies of the three other soldiers were recovered Monday after U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities dug the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive Gen. Silvestras ukauskas training ground in the town of Pabrade. The Army released the identities of the three soldiers recovered Monday, but the fourth soldier's name has not been made public as family notifications continue. They were Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois; Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam. The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing a week ago, the Ar

Secret Service shoots armed man near White House while Trump is out of town

An armed man believed to be travelling from Indiana was shot by US Secret Service agents near the White House after a confrontation early Sunday, according to authorities. No one else was injured in the shooting that happened around midnight about a block from the White House, according to a Secret Service statement. President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of the shooting. The Secret Service received information from local police about an alleged suicidal individual who was travelling from Indiana and found the man's car and a person matching his description nearby. As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel, the Secret Service said in a statement. The man was hospitalised. The Secret Service said his condition was unknown. The Metropolitan Police Department will investigate because the shooting involved law enforcement officers. A message left Sunday for the police departm

Ex-defense chiefs ask congressional hearings on Trump firing top officials

Five former secretaries of defence are calling on Congress to hold immediate hearings on President Donald Trump's recent firings of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several other senior military leaders, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. The five men - who represented Republican and Democratic administrations over the past three decades - said the dismissals were alarming, raised troubling questions about the administration's desire to politicise the military" and removed legal constraints on the president's power. Late last week, Trump fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth followed that by firing Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations; Gen. Jim Slife, vice chief of the Air Force; and the judge advocates general for the military services. Hegseth has defended the firing of Brown, saying that other presidents made changes in military personnel and that Trump deserves to pick his own

Transgender ban: US Army halts recruitment, ends gender-affirming care

The decision reverses the policies established under the Biden administration, which had allowed transgender individuals to serve in the military and access medical care

No travel reimbursement for US troops seeking abortion, fertility treatment

The Defence Department will no longer reimburse service members for travel out of state to get reproductive health care, including abortions and fertility treatments, according to a new memo. The directive signed this week eliminates a rarely used Biden administration policy enacted in October 2022, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and more states began to impose increased abortion restrictions. Signed on Wednesday by Jeffrey Register, the director of the Pentagon's human resources department, the memo simply shows red lines crossing out the previous regulation and offers no other guidance. Asked if service members would still be allowed time off to travel at their own expense, the department had no immediate answer. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the policy change shameful. Our service members go wherever they need to in order to bravely serve our country and because President Trump's extremist Supreme Court

American jet crash: Don't believe there's any survivor, says official

28 bodies had been recovered from the river so far, in what was shaping up to be the deadliest US air disaster in more than a decade