Category: Department of Defense

Ukraine Delegation in Arizona Seeks Broader US Support as War Escalates with Russia

PHOENIX—Ukraine member of parliament Dmytro Liubota scrolled through dozens of personal cell phone images showing bombed-out buildings in the Kharkhiv region where he lives. Some buildings were still on fire; many had gaping holes or whole parts blown away. In several photos, pieces of Russian missiles lay in the streets. The missile attacks are an…


Sexual Assaults in the US Military Increased 13 Percent in FY 2021

A House Democrat asked the U.S. military’s top enlisted leaders what they were doing about sexual assault in the military after an annual report showed the problem is getting worse. She made clear that she was not pleased with their answer. “No disrespect, but that’s an unsatisfying answer,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) told Master…


Top Military Enlisted Say Housing and Pay Issues Hurt Recruitment, Retention

The military’s top enlisted members say poor housing, health care, childcare, and pay problems are deleterious to recruiting and retention. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) claimed that a plan promoted by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to freeze discretionary spending at FY 2022 levels would only make things worse. “We can’t take a…


Deputy US Defense Secretary Praises All-Volunteer Military, Even With Recruiting Woes

The all-volunteer military force remains the best model for the United States, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said Tuesday in a keynote address she delivered at a conference at Georgetown University observing the 50th anniversary of the end of the draft. The U.S. military draft ceased in 1973 in the wake of the end of…


Some Troops Who Refused COVID Vaccine Could Still Face Punishment, Defense Officials Say

Department of Defense (DoD) leaders defended actions that mandated the COVID-19 vaccine and led to the dismissal of approximately 8,000 troops, while Republican lawmakers questioned the impact on military readiness and national defense during a House Armed Services Committee’s personnel subcommittee hearing on Feb. 28. More than 2 million troops – 96 percent of the…


No Evidence US Weapons Being Diverted, Misused by Ukraine: Pentagon

Defense Department officials assured members of Congress on Feb. 28, that there was no evidence to suggest the misuse or diversion of weapons the United States had provided to aid Ukraine in its war with Russia. “The U.S. government has not seen credible evidence of any diversion of U.S. provided weapons outside of Ukraine,” noted…


Oversight Republicans Request Transparency on $113 Billion Given to Ukraine

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Oversight Committee Republicans have called for transparency regarding the $113 billion in taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine. The committee sent a letter to the Department of Defense, Department of State, and Agency for International Development on Feb. 22, asking them to provide documents and information to…


LIVE 3 PM ET: Pentagon Holds a Press Briefing (Feb. 22)

U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh holds a press briefing at 3:00 p.m. ET  on Feb. 22. The Epoch Times will livestream the event. …


Pentagon Holds a Press Briefing (Feb. 22)

U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh holds a press briefing at 3:00 p.m. ET  on Feb. 22.   …


Fentanyl Overdoses Among Service Members Is ‘Serious Problem,’ Pentagon Says

Substance abuse and drug overdose deaths are “serious” problems among U.S. service members, the Pentagon acknowledged this week. The Pentagon responded to a group of five senators who brought forth concerns about the fentanyl crisis among U.S. service members after Rolling Stone reported “at least 14 and as many as 30 American soldiers had died…