Free Republic

The U.S. Marine Corps is set to celebrate its 250th anniversary at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California, led by Vice President JD Vance. Vance is set to lead the festivities as the first former Marine to hold his office on Saturday. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan and Marine Corps Commandant General Eric M. Smith will be joining the vice president for the event. More than 15,000 attendees are expected, including Marines, Navy sailors, veterans and families are expected at the Red Beach demonstration. The show will integrate Navy and Marine Corps operations across...

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said “firepower” is coming to Ukraine through European nations’ purchases of US weapons, but whether that includes American-made Tomahawk missiles is still not clear. “Firepower, that’s what is coming,” said Hegseth, backing up comments from NATO chief Mark Rutte as the security alliance’s defense ministers gathered in Brussels. He added that “commitments” made by European nations would soon turn into “capabilities” for Ukraine.The weapons purchases are being made under the new Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which has already seen $2 billion pledged for military equipment for Ukraine, with more expected to...