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The Pentagon announced Monday that it intends to pay for hormone treatment for transgender troops. The change was one of several proposed in a package of reforms. Written public comments about this proposed new rule can be made in the Federal Register until April 1. Tricare coverage for gender dysphoria treatments would be available to troops, their family members and retirees, including psychotherapy and hormone replacement therapy. "This rulemaking proposes to remove the categorical exclusion on treatment of gender dysphoria. This proposed change will permit coverage of all non-surgical medically necessary and appropriate care in the treatment of gender dysphoria,...

Wartime U.S. presidents have taken keen personal interest in picking the most lethal gun for the military. But in President Obama's first foray into small-arms procurement for the armed forces, his Jan. 4 executive order on gun control directs the Pentagon to find ways to make not so much more lethal firearms, but safer ones. His direct order has brought a few snickers among retired combatants who argue that the commander in chief is issuing his directive at a time of more pressing small-arms priorities. The military, critics say, fields a flawed personal rifle and has spent more than a...

As part of his commitment to build the military "force of the future," Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday announced a series of "family-friendly" initiatives to attract and retain "the best America has to offer." "We are not Google. We are not Walmart. We're war fighters. But that doesn't mean we should not be challenging ourselves just like the private sector," Carter told reporters at the Pentagon. [...] The Defense Secretary outlined the following initiatives: [...] Making military workplaces more accommodating to women when they return from maternity leave: The focus here is to make it easier for new mothers...

Two weeks ago, the US military was humiliated by the Iranians before a worldwide audience. The surrender of two US Navy vessels of war and their crews to the Iranians without firing so much as a shot and the subsequent and sickening apology by the commanding officer, speaks volumes about the current fighting spirit, training and state of readiness of the US military in 2016. The conduct of the US Navy officer in charge, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter was nothing less than a complete and utter disgrace. No doubt the order to surrender...

A friend told me a co-worker and her family lost TriCare Coverage without notice in early January. When she investigated, she was told a “glitch” in the interface between DEERS and TriCare caused the problem and a quarter-million families were affected. There was no projected date for the problem to be resolved. I have heard squat about this in the media.Looking to my FreeRepublic family to report if you know of anyone caught up in this latest guberment snafu. It is being pursued through Congressional and American Legion contacts.

All military branches required to 'address the impacts of climate change' A new directive issued by Pentagon leaders mandates that the agency work to "assess and manage risks associated with the impacts of climate change," according to a copy of the Jan. 14 directive issued by Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work. As the Obama administration focuses on a larger effort to push its climate change agenda, the Pentagon will now "address the impacts of climate change." This includes engaging in "deliberate preparation, close cooperation, and coordinated planning" to "improve climate preparedness and resilience," according to the directive. The partnership...

Today, my former boss, a retired Army Intelligence officer sent me a copy of a memorandum for record concerning the US Army’s most recent lactation and breastfeeding policies, signed by the new Secretary of the Army, Eric K. Fanning and dated November 10, 2015. My first reaction was to pop a couple Tums even before starting to read it. As I scanned the document, I realized how far the Army has fallen on its sword. The sword of feminism, the sword of lunacy has completely eviscerated the lean green machine, so that it is the US Army in name only...

Rep. Duncan Hunter has had enough of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' strong support for opening all Marine combat posts to women, declaring him "a greater threat to the Marine Corps than ISIS.” The Republican congressman and Marine veteran from California, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is furious with Mabus for pushing through an end to the ban on women serving in all combat positions over the Marine Corps' objections. Particularly, he's taking exception to memo Mabus sent to the Marines Corps this week, instructing it integrate Marine boot camp, which has been separate for men and women, and change...

Chuck Hagel Breaks His Silence A glimpse inside the Obama inner circle's culture of deceit and delusion. December 22, 2015 Ari Lieberman I've never been a big fan of former Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, but one cannot help but feel some sympathy for a man who had to endure two years of fecklessness, incompetence and back-stabbing in the Obama White House. It would have been enough to drive any sane person stark, raving mad. Hagel announced his resignation in November 2014 (he stayed on a bit longer until replaced by Ashton Carter), but the brutal reality is that...

In an unusually scathing memo to Secretary of the Navy Ray Maybus, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has demanded severe changes to the troubled Littoral Combat Ship program. It includes instructions to cut the number of Littoral Combat Ships to be built, and as well as focusing on building one variant, from one shipyard and general contractor. arter has specifically directed Maybus to cut the number of hulls for the LCS program from 52 to 40, and to select a single LCS design-shipbuilder team, instead of the current plan for two completely separate designs and shipbuilders, according to the letter...

The Pentagon acknowledged Wednesday that Defense Secretary Ash Carter used a personal email account to do some of his government business during his first months on the job. Carter's press secretary, Peter Cook, declined to say whether it was a violation of Pentagon email policies. He said work-related messages Carter received on his personal account were "copied or forwarded to his official account so [they] can be preserved as a federal record as appropriate."

The plans of the next president are personal to the officers of the Pentagon, who are threatening to quit if The Donald becomes commander-in-chief. Republican presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to build up the U.S. military if elected president. But it is not clear he will have the experienced commanders within the ranks to do it. In the halls of the Pentagon, there is a different plan afoot for the Trump presidency. Here, officers are privately contemplating what they would do should Trump become their commander-in-chief. And more often than not, they proclaim they will...

HOUSTON, Texas — Presidential candidate Ted Cruz issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s remarks from the Oval Office tonight:“On December 7, 1941, in response to Pearl Harbor, FDR did not give a partisan speech, rather he called on Americans to unite and ‘win through to absolute victory’.“If I am elected President, I will direct the Department of Defense to destroy ISIS. And I will shut down the broken immigration system that is letting jihadists into our country.“Nothing President Obama said tonight will assist in either case.”###

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press has learned that Defense Secretary Ash Carter will order the military to open all combat jobs to women, and is giving the armed services until Jan. 1 to submit plans to make the historic change. Carter's announcement is expected later Thursday. It rebuffs arguments from the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman that the Marine Corps should be allowed to exclude women from certain front-line combat jobs, citing studies showing that mixed-gender units aren't as capable as all-male units.

U.S. taxpayers spent $150 million building fancy, hotel-like "villas" staffed with private security for government employees working in Afghanistan rather than having them live on U.S. military bases at a fraction of the cost, according to the top government watchdog charged with monitoring wartime waste. The lead oversight team auditing U.S. spending in Afghanistan said Thursday the Pentagon's Task Force for Stability and Business Operations spent 20 percent of its budget on private housing and security guards for a "handful" of employees who could have lived on U.S. military bases for little or no extra charge. ****** A former TFBSO...

United State European Command has implemented travel restrictions to France that apply to all Department of Defense personnel. Specifically, unofficial travel (leave, liberty and special pass) to France is prohibited. This EUCOM policy applies to United States military personnel, DoD civilian employees, contractors and command-sponsored dependents and family members. PARIS TRAVEL This prohibition is for unofficial travel to Paris, France, and includes a 50-kilometer radius around the city. For those requesting official travel or emergency leave travel to Paris (or within a 50-kilometer radius of the city), approval from the first general/flag officer (or SES) in the chain of command...

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Ash Carter suddenly fired his top military aide Thursday citing allegations of misconduct, and referred the matter to the department's inspector general. Defense officials would not provide any details about why Army Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis was removed from his job. A senior defense official said Carter learned of the allegations Tuesday night and later informed the inspector general. Carter was surprised by the allegations and met with Lewis Thursday morning, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. "''I expect the highest possible standards of...

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is removing a senior military assistant, Army Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis, from his position after learning about allegations of misconduct, Carter announced Thursday. "I directed that this matter be referred to the inspector general of the Department of Defense for investigation," he said in a statement. A senior defense official would not discuss the nature of the alleged misconduct but said Carter was "very surprised" to learn of the allegations.

American taxpayers are on the hook for a $43 million gas station constructed in Afghanistan -- a price tag that’s about $42.5 million higher than it should’ve been, and the Department of Defense can’t explain why, according to a new government report.

Ridiculously overbudget? Check. Unnecessary? Check. Impossible to support in the long run? Check. Zero accountability? Check and double-check. If a novelist wrote this as a satire of government operations, there wouldn’t be an editor who’d buy it — not for 43 cents, and certainly not for $43 million: Nearly $43 million of U.S. taxpayers’ money was spent on building a gas station in Afghanistan — 140 times more than it should have cost, according to a government watchdog.The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) also said that one of the most “troubling” issues is how the Department of Defense...