Us Pentagon

US sends largest force of warships, aircraft to Middle East in decades

The Pentagon is sending the largest force of American warships and aircraft to the Middle East in decades, including two aircraft carrier strike groups, as President Donald Trump warns of possible military action against Iran if talks over its nuclear program fall apart. "It's proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal," Trump said Thursday. "Otherwise bad things happen." Trump likely will have a host of military options, which could include surgical attacks on Iran's air defenses or strikes focused on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, experts say. But they warn that Iran could retaliate in ways it hadn't following attacks last year by the U.S. or Israel, potentially risking American lives and sparking a regional war. "It will be very hard for the Trump administration to do a one-and-done kind of attack in Iran this time around," said Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group. "Because the .

Pentagon threatens to cut off Anthropic in AI safeguards dispute: Report

The Pentagon is pushing four AI companies to let the military use their tools for "all lawful purposes," including in areas of weapons development, intelligence collection and battlefield operations

Pentagon likely let CBP use anti-drone laser before airspace closure

The Pentagon allowed US Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details. The confusing arc of events began as the FAA announced on Wednesday that it was shutting down all flight traffic over the city on the US-Mexico border for 10 days, stranding some travellers, but the closure ended up only lasting a few hours. The Trump administration said it stemmed from the FAA and Pentagon working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border. One of the people said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, which decided then to close the airspace to ensure commercial air safety. Others familiar with the matter said the technology was used despite a meeting scheduled for ..

US army puts 1,500 troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota

The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be ready in case of a possible deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities have been conducting a massive immigration enforcement operation, two defence officials said Sunday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said two infantry battalions of the Army's 11th Airborne Division have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. The unit is based in Alaska and specializes in operating in arctic conditions. One defence official said the troops are standing by to deploy to Minnesota should President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely-used 19th century law that would allow him to employ active duty troops as law enforcement. The move comes just days after Trump threatened to do just that to quell protests against his administration's immigration crackdown. In an emailed statement, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell did not deny the orders were issued and said

FBI searches journalist's home as part of classified documents probe

FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter's home on Wednesday as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified information, the Justice Department said. Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Donald Trump's transformation of the federal government, had a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch seized in the search of her Virginia home, the Post reported. Natanson has reported extensively on the federal workforce and recently published a piece describing how she gained hundreds of new sources leading one colleague to call her the federal government whisperer. While classified documents investigations aren't unusual, the search of a reporter's home marks an escalation in the government's efforts to crack down on leaks. The Post was told that Natanson and the newspaper are not targets of the probe, executive editor Matt Murray said in an email to colleagues. Nonetheless, this extraordinary, aggressive action is deeply concerning

Pentagon embracing Musk's Grok AI chatbot despite rising global outcry

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok will join Google's generative AI engine in operating inside the Pentagon network, as part of a broader push to feed as much of the military's data as possible into the developing technology. Very soon we will have the world's leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department, Hegseth said in a speech at Musk's space flight company, SpaceX, in South Texas. The announcement comes just days after Grok which is embedded into X, the social media network owned by Musk drew global outcry and scrutiny for generating highly sexualized deepfake images of people without their consent. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked Grok, while the U.K.'s independent online safety watchdog announced an investigation Monday. Grok has limited image generation and editing to paying users. Hegseth said Grok will go live inside the Defense Department later this month and ...

Trump's covert Venezuela strike raises new questions on next steps

The attack is likely to inject additional energy into heated discussions in US Congress about the strategy toward Venezuela, and the debate about how far Trump can go without seeking authorisation

Pentagon announces $8.6 billion Boeing contract for F-15 jets for Israel

The Pentagon said the contract involved foreign military sales to Israel. The U.S. has long been by far the largest arms supplier to its closest Middle East ally

Ready to strengthen communication with India: China slams Pentagon report

A Pentagon report submitted to the US Congress has flagged China's claim over India's Arunachal Pradesh as part of its stated "core interests", underscoring Beijing's broader national strategy

China accuses US of distorting defence policy to strain ties with India

A recent report by the Pentagon said that China 'probably seeks to capitalise on decreased tension' with India to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent a deepening of US-India ties

China's rapid military expansion raises security risks for US: Pentagon

The Pentagon said China's rapid military expansion poses security risks to the US, even as Washington looks to keep ties stable through dialogue and communication

Pentagon report flags China's 'core interest' claim on Arunachal Pradesh

The document outlines that China identifies three "core interests" that are central to national rejuvenation and not open to negotiation or compromise

US launches retaliatory strikes on 70 targets in Syria after Trump threat

The US Central Command said that fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery targeted ISIS infrastructure and weapon sites

Putin's India visit 'result of Trump's gross incompetence': Ex-US official

Michael Rubin further said that the US is being "hypocritical" by "lecturing" India on its purchase of discounted oil from Russia, as Washington itself is involved in trade with Moscow

US Navy admiral denies 'kill all' order amid probe on Venezuela boat strike

A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no kill them all order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinises an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela. Adm Frank Mitch Bradley "was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail, said Sen Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing. Cotton defended the attack, but a Democrat who also was briefed said that while there was no kill them all order from Hegseth, he was still deeply concerned by video of the second strike. What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service, Connecticut Rep Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of .

New York Times sues Pentagon over Defence Secy Pete Hegseth's media rules

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon, attempting to overturn new rules imposed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that have led to most mainstream media outlets being banished from the building. The newspaper said the rules violate the Constitution's freedom of speech and due process provisions, since they give Hegseth the power to determine on his own whether a reporter should be banned. Outlets such as the Times walked out of the Pentagon rather than agree to the rules as a condition for getting a press credential. The Pentagon press room now includes mostly conservative outlets that agreed to the rules, and representatives from those organisations participated Tuesday in a briefing with Hegseth's press secretary. The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes, said Charles Stadtlander, spokesman for the Times. The newspaper filed the case with the U.S. District Court in Washington on Thursday. The Pentagon had no immediate

Hegseth's use of Signal posed risk to US personnel, finds Pentagon watchdog

The Pentagon's watchdog found that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put US personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the report's findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information. CNN first reported the initial findings. The review by the Pentagon inspector general's office was delivered to lawmakers, who were able to review the report in a classified facility at the Capitol. A partially redacted version of the report was expected to be released publicly later this week. The findings ramp up the pressure on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers had called for the independent inquiry into his use of the commercially available app

US steps up investment in rare-earth firms to curb reliance on China

The announcements are the latest in a string of actions taken by the federal government to invest directly in the supply chain of permanent magnet production, an industry dominated by China

New Pentagon policy undercuts trans troops' ability to ask to stay in army

The Pentagon has rolled out a new policy that will severely undercut the ability for transgender troops who have been banned from the armed forces by the Trump administration to turn to boards of their peers to argue for their right to stay in the military, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. If military separation boards decide to allow transgender service members to remain in uniform, commanders can override that decision, according to an Oct 8 memo to all the services from the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness, Anthony Tata. That breaks with longstanding policy that boards act independently. It is the Pentagon's latest step to drive transgender troops out of the armed forces following an executive order from President Donald Trump. He and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in what they say is an effort to make the military more lethal. The adminstration's policies have faced pushback in the .

Pentagon accepts $130 mn donation to help pay US army during govt shutdown

The Pentagon confirmed that it has accepted an anonymous USD 130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown, raising ethical questions after President Donald Trump had announced that a friend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls. While large and unusual, the gift amounts to a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used USD 6.5 billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without compensation. That's what I call a patriot, Trump said during a White House event Thursday when he disclosed the payment from the donor. The president declined to name the person, whom he called a friend of mine, saying the man didn't want the recognition. The Pentagon confirmed it had accepted the donation on Thursday under its general gif