Free Republic

The percentage of high-ranking officer nominations going to women is currently at its lowest level in over two decades.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blocking of promotions for high-ranking women in the military has contributed to the lowest percentage of such nominations for women in at least 25 years, according to a New York Times analysis.Eight of 201 candidates for high-ranking posts this year have been women, or 4 percent — less than half the average percentage of the past 10 years.More women could still be promoted this year. And the number of women nominated for promotion in any year is relatively...

The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing. Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela, where the result was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice! Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well! Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid...

The Defense Department has selected the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech to host a revamped fellowship program for senior military officers — the first universities approved after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth severed partnerships with top universities. The two universities will participate in the new Senior Service College Fellowship, a 10-month professional military education program that will serve as an alternative to traditional war colleges. Additional university partners will be announced at a later date, according to the department. “We are deeply honored to participate in the Senior Service College Fellowship program. The program fits well...

A contentious Senate hearing on a supplemental budget request of nearly $88 billion, largely earmarked to cover the ongoing war on Iran, revealed new figures about the war’s cost to date and the effects of the military’s Project Freedom initiative to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The hearing did little, however, to provide concrete answers on what it would take to end the conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, to defend the request, more than $67 billion...

The U.S. military on Saturday announced the first U.S. troop deaths due to direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, saying two were killed and another was missing in an attack on a base in Jordan.They were killed Friday as the U.S. and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks, a statement said. Four other service members who were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals were later discharged. The dead were not identified. Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have now been killed and over 430 wounded.Minutes earlier, Iran’s supreme leader had warned...

A federal appeals court sided with President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday in a case brought by The New York Times over ​the Pentagon's press access restrictions. Press freedom advocates have criticized policy changes ‌under the Trump administration that limited journalists' access to the Pentagon, saying they suppressed freedom of speech, opens new tab. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said ​the Pentagon's policy requiring government escorts for journalists at the Pentagon ​could stand. It overturned a decision by a judge at ⁠a lower court.

Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao took to social media to report no one from the U.S. Navy’s elite Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron will be reprimanded after a low-altitude pass went viral in Florida on Wednesday. “Flight debrief complete. No reprimands. No firings. No problem. That’s the sound of Freedom! Semper fi and Hooyah,” Cao said in a social media post that included a brief video clip of the jet zooming over the beach. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is encouraging low-altitude military flyovers. The video shows the Blue Angels flying so low over a crowded beach in Pensacola...

After the US launched a third round of strikes against Iran on Sunday morning, Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of war, posted on X: "Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay." The fresh escalation occurred after Iran's IRGC Navy said it attacked a container that was exiting the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorised route and ignored its warnings. In a statement on X, Centcom said a civilian crew member of M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship, was missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engine-room damage.

A group of seven Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), is again demanding unprecedented details and justifications for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s personnel and chain of command decisions, including promotion lists. The senators are pressing for the specific legal authorities, criteria, and processes used, along with any reasons beyond standard military performance, qualifications, or conduct. They also requested demographic breakdowns of promotions and removals to flag and general officer ranks.

Among the latest departures is Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa, who is stepping down after about 18 months. Donahue previously oversaw the final phase of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration.

The U.S. Army's commanding general of forces in Europe and Africa is stepping down after roughly a year and a half at the coveted post, Fox News has confirmed. Gen. Christopher Donahue — who also leads NATO's Allied Land Command — will relinquish his command on July 2, according to a statement from the Army. Donahue's deputy, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, will take over his duties after July 2. Donahue submitted his retirement papers at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has sought to shrink the number of generals and prioritize adding new GI's. He is the latest...

ransomnote: transcript below video MAGA Voice @MAGAVoice·10h HOLY SMOKES: Pete Hegseth just EXPOSED our supposed “Allies” to their face for failing Trump’s true test of Loyalty “and too many failed” “Too many of our allies said no or tried to drown us in arcane legal debates, or criticized us publicly” KEEP EXPOSING THEM June 18, 2026 TRANSCRIPT BEGINS~~~Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War: As President Trump put it, and rightfully so, he gave our allies a test - to support America when we asked for their help - and too many failed it. The United States has defended Europe for generations,...

War Secretary Pete Hegseth had harsh words for NATO allies during an address to his European counterparts on Thursday, announcing a six-month review of U.S. force deployment on the continent. Hegseth said the review's outcome will depend on how quickly European nations act to support themselves militarily. "This will be a real review. It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe," he told NATO officials in Brussels. Hegseth also lashed out at European countries for refusing to assist U.S. forces in...

"TRUMP: “I think [Israel] could do better … I'm not saying they shouldn't protect themselves. I'm saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don't have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better…”

The Pentagon is asking Congress to relax lobbying restrictions for some senior defense officials and civilians formerly employed by the department. A new Department of War (DOW) proposal aims to remove portions of the “cooling off” period that certain former Pentagon officials and civilian employees must wait through before lobbying for the military-industrial complex. The Pentagon is making this move as conflicts around the globe create record-breaking profits for defense manufacturers. The proposal would remove the “one-year restriction on O-7/O-8 military officers and their civilian equivalents and the one-year restriction on all senior officials.” It goes on to note that...

Pete Hegseth has been left humiliated and out of his depth after video footage emerged on X of him clearly struggling to bench press in front of US soldiers. The video shows a sweaty Hegseth clearly having a hard time lifting weights while a soldier spots him from behind. The footage, shared by X account Republicans Against Trump, showed the Defense Secretary during his recent visit to Guantanamo Bay, and was captioned: “What is Pete Hegseth doing?” The thread was filled with replies, some defending Hegseth while the vast majority of people seemed to be agreeing the clip was humiliating....

France taking a leading role in applying Ukraine War pressure on Russia with another seizure of an oil tanker. The tanker "Tagor" taken in the Atlantic Ocean last Sunday more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) off the coast of Brittany. France and other European countries have seized 'shadow fleet' merchant vessels... In what could be called 'economic warfare' French authorities fining Chinese low-cost clothing maker Shein 22 million euros (25.342 million dollars). The fine linked to difficulty for buyers to return clothing and questions over materials used by Shein to make clothing... France's national counterterrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT) probing Israeli...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth traveled to the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, for the second consecutive year, where he delivered remarks today honoring the approximately 160,000 Allied troops — 73,000 of them Americans — who landed at Normandy on June 6, 1944, to liberate Western Europe from Nazi control. The beginning of the Battle of Normandy, more commonly referred to as D-Day, would lead to more than 2 million Allied troops being on the ground in France within three months, followed by the ultimate downfall of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi regime just over eight months later. "Eighty-two...

If you have not read, watched or listened to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s recent commencement address at West Point, you really should make the time to do so. It’s about protecting the lives of you and your family. During his desperately needed remarks, the secretary of war reminded the cadets before him, "The battlefield does not grade on a curve, and you can’t throw your pronouns at the enemy. Combat is the ultimate test, and our best Americans must ace it." Hegseth then rightfully singled out the United States Military Academy by calling out the "woke and weak leaders"...

Two years before Gen. Christopher LaNeve found himself in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s inner circle, he was a division commander known for strictly enforcing the rules, banning cellphones during physical training and insisting that troops use only military-issued gear. It was the kind of hard-line approach that didn’t endear LaNeve to the rank-and-file at the 82nd Airborne Division, many of whom booed when he appeared at the All-American Week events during his last year as commander, according to current and former members of the unit.