Us Pentagon

Pentagon pushes defence cos for weapons production after depleted stocks

The Pentagon is pressing the US defence industry to accelerate production of weapons to help replenish its diminished stockpile of munitions, including those depleted in the ongoing war with Iran. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement Saturday that the department was actively focused on boosting munitions acquisitions to provide "the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands." He confirmed department efforts in the last week to significantly speed the process but insisted it was part of a broader modernisation effort that predated the five-month-old conflict. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry leaders on Wednesday, giving them no more than 21 days to submit plans to "drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities," according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. "Years-long development cycles are not acceptable," Feinberg wrote. "We must dramatically ...

Pentagon asks defence firms to boost production of key weapon systems

There have been growing warnings about the state of US weapons stockpiles as the US military attacks Iran and repels its drone and missile strikes on American bases in the region

Fact-check: Trump's claims on Iran war, weapons, and oil prices examined

The president misleadingly blamed the Biden administration's weapons transfers to Ukraine for current concerns over munitions stockpiles, among other claims about the Iran war

Pentagon changes how it reports soldier casualties in Iran conflict

The changes separated the casualty numbers into two separate web pages, potentially making it more difficult to tally the war's full toll

The Iran war has cost US $37.5 billion: Why the Pentagon wants billions more | Trump | Oil

The Pentagon says the US-Iran war has already cost America $37.5 billion, and it wants another $87 billion from Congress. But as casualties mount and political opposition grows,

Why Moonshot AI's launch has put Chinese startups in US crosshairs

The US concerns come as Chinese AI artificial intelligence (AI) companies rapidly expand their presence in the global market

US war against Iran has cost $37.5 billion, says Defence Secy Pete Hegseth

Hegseth gave the estimate in an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that was focused on President Donald Trump's request for an additional $67 billion in defence funding

Musk's SpaceX in talks to provide computing power to Pentagon: Report

According to the ‌report, SpaceX employees have ​discussed plans to compete more directly with neocloud firms such ‌as CoreWeave by ​selling computing ‌capacity

US Army to build critical minerals processing plants on military bases

REalloys Inc., Titan Mining Corp., ioneer Ltd. and Energy X have reached agreements with the Pentagon to build facilities for processing rare earth minerals, graphite, lithium and boron

White House seeks $87.6 bn for Iran war, farmers' aid and Ebola response

The White House has formally requested USD 87.6 billion mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the US war against Iran, submitting the request to Congress at a politically difficult time as a majority of lawmakers have objected to any further military action. The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental spending request Wednesday. It arrived just hours after President Donald Trump assailed Republican senators during a private lunch -- engaging in a shouting match with one -- over their votes to approve a war powers resolution that would halt further hostilities. The request is mostly for Operation Epic Fury, but it also includes a range of other items including aid to American farmers, help for the Ebola crisis in Africa and other needs closer to home, including restoration projects in Washington, D.C. "I urge the Congress to take action on these important and urgent requests as soon as possible," said OMB Director Russ Vought in a letter to House Speaker Mike ...

Alibaba sues Pentagon in bid to remove 'Chinese military company' label

The Chinese tech giant Alibaba has sued the US Department of Defence, demanding that it be removed from the Pentagon's list of Chinese military companies that prohibits them from landing US defense contracts and carries reputational damage. In the petition filed this week in the San Jose division of the US District Court in the Northern District of California, Alibaba, which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, argued that the designation, announced on June 8, has "no basis in fact or law" and that the Pentagon failed to reach its conclusion through any fair process. It is the latest lawsuit by a Chinese company against the Pentagon over such national security labels. In 2021, with some in Washington seeing China as a growing military threat, Congress asked the department to create a list of Chinese companies directly controlled by the Chinese military and security forces, as well as those it believed had contributed to the country's defense industrial base. The curre

Pentagon seeks $80 billion from Congress to cover mounting Iran war costs

The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly USD 80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the US war against Iran, adding to what is already a sizable military spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump. The White House Office of Management and Budget has yet to make a formal request to Congress. But Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, including Monday evening. A top deputy defence secretary told senators about the Iran funding request last week, according to two people familiar with the situation but not authorised to discuss it publicly. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the developments. Push for Pentagon money faces skeptical lawmakers --------------------------------------------------------- The push for billions of dollars in Iran war funding comes at a fraught political moment. Lawmakers are skeptical of the deal Trump struck with Iran to bring an end to the war, and wary of next steps. The White House has reques

Pentagon chief urges Europe to take lead as he pushes a 'Nato 3.0' reboot

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that America's allies in Europe must take the lead on the defence of their own continent and help turn NATO into "a read hard-line military alliance." At a meeting of NATO defence ministers, Hegseth called for a reboot of the 32-nation organisation to turn it into a "NATO 3.0" capable of deterring any threat. His remarks came a few weeks after the United States told its allies that it would no longer supply certain warships and aircraft if one of them comes under attack. European allies and Canada are trying to work out how to plug the gaps. "NATO 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that (NATO) needs to go back to a real hard-line military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defence of Europe," Hegseth said. As part of that, he told reporters, the United States would be investing $1.5 trillion in its own defence in 2027, sending "a message

China condemns US move to blacklist major tech firms over military links

The list includes a broad swathe of China's top technology firms key to advancing Beijing's military and industrial prowess, reflecting Washington's security concerns

Don't know if Claude AI used in strike at Iran school: Anthropic CEO

Dario Amodei said the use case in this instance didn't violate the company's policies, arguing military decision makers make terrible mistakes even at the best of times

Why the US now sees China's tech giants as a national security risk

The Pentagon's latest designation of Alibaba, BYD and Baidu reflects a broader US concern that technologies such as AI, batteries and cloud computing could strengthen China's military capabilities

Pentagon names WuXi AppTec on Chinese military firms list, raising concerns

Any restriction that stems from the designation could have broader implications because WuXi AppTec helps conduct research and development efforts on behalf of many US drugmakers

US Pentagon adds Alibaba, BYD and Baidu to list of Chinese military firms

The Pentagon has added several prominent Chinese businesses, including tech giant Alibaba, electric car maker BYD and search engine Baidu, to its list of Chinese military companies, preventing them from getting US defense contracts. The list, updated and published Monday by the Pentagon, now sanctions well-known, non-state-owned Chinese companies that are not traditionally considered to be in the defense or security sector. It reflects growing wariness of Beijing's strategy of tapping the strength of non-state businesses for military purposes. Created in 2021 by a congressional mandate, the list seeks to identify Chinese companies that the Pentagon considers to have links to the Chinese military -- not only those directly controlled by the Chinese military and security forces but also those contributing to the country's defense industrial base. When updating the list last year, the Pentagon said the Chinese military sought to acquire advanced technologies and expertise developed by

US Defence Dept slashes its religious designations list from 200 to 31

The Department of Defense has announced that a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognises. The new list of 31 is down from more than 200 previously recognised traditions that troops could choose from. The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans. "This decrease in religious affiliation codes is not designed to make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief, nor is it intended to provide a list of officially approved' religions," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement. "Rather, it is designed to allow chaplains to quickly look at the religious composition of their units and determine how they structure resources to best provide for warfighters of all faith groups." Parnell added the department values the free exercise of religion and chaplains facilitate service members' "ability to freely exercise their religion of choice, or no religion at all." The list creates bro

'Now a classified space': Pentagon bars journalists from its press office

In another of a series of moves restricting media access at the Pentagon, the Defense Department has declared that its press office is now a classified space inaccessible to journalists. On X, acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the move, saying there was "nothing controversial" about it and that it came because speechwriters, who use classified material, were now occupying the space. "The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility," Valdez wrote. "These speechwriters routinely handle classified material as a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There's nothing controversial about that." The latest move, first reported by The Washington Post, took place against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the U.S. media and the second Trump administration, which has played out both in the public ar