Free Republic

Microsoft has relied on engineers based in China for years to help maintain some of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) most sensitive cloud computing systems, potentially leaving them vulnerable to hacking, according to a new investigation from ProPublica released Tuesday. Because U.S. law prohibits foreign nationals from directly accessing federal systems that handle sensitive data, Microsoft has been funneling work through American “digital escorts” — low-paid workers with security clearances but often possessing limited technical expertise — who input commands from more skilled China-based engineers into federal networks, according to ProPublica. The arrangement, largely unknown even within the federal...

"I was close to Chavez, but now he wants me dead." The million dollars from Chavez to Al Qaeda is just the tip of the iceberg in a long series of connections between worldwide terrorist organizations and the Venezuelan strongman, according to one of those who knows most about Chavez and the inside of his presidential palace: His former personal pilot. Major Juan Diaz Castillo is the man who flew the equivalent of Air Force One. In this interview with Venezuela's weekly news-magazine Zeta, he reveals formerly unpublished details of the operations that Chavez had him organize. By Maria Angelica...

The Pentagon has announced sweeping new changes intended to surge the fielding of small drones, including weaponized types, across the entire U.S. military. Most notably, certain types of smaller uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) will now be treated as “consumables,” more akin to hand grenades and other kinds of ammunition, than aircraft, which has broad ramifications. Lower-level commanders will now also be able to procure smaller UASs directly, as well as authorize subordinates to operate them. The new policies rolled out today represent a huge shift that could not come soon enough for the U.S. military, which has continued to move...

Some A-10 Warthogs could get a reprieve from total retirement as Congress moves to reverse some of the Pentagon’s most dramatic Air Force cuts in its proposed fiscal 2026 budget. The Pentagon’s budget, which the department released in June, calls for the Air Force to retire its remaining 162-plane fleet of A-10 attack aircraft in 2026, two years earlier than originally intended. It also calls for canceling the E-7 Wedgetail program in favor of E-2D Hawkeyes and space-based sensors, and cutting the planned purchase of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters down to 24, or nearly in half. The proposed E-7 and...

The timing of Israel’s plan to attack Iran was top-secret. But Washington pizza delivery trackers guessed something was up before the first bombs fell. About an hour before Iranian state TV first reported loud explosions in Tehran, pizza orders around the Pentagon went through the roof, according to a viral X account claiming to offer “hot intel” on “late-night activity spikes” at the US military headquarters. “As of 6:59 pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,” the account Pentagon Pizza Report posted on Thursday. Not confining its analysis to pizza, the...

The Pentagon Pizza Report, a social media account that claimed to have accurately predicted Israel’s initial June 12 military strikes on Iran, posted that local pizza traffic near the Pentagon was "HIGH" within an hour of the U.S. launching attacks against Iranian nuclear sites Saturday night. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social the U.S. military completed an attack on three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," the president wrote in the post. "Thank you for your attention to this matter." Less than an hour...

The Defense Department has cancelled its multibillion dollar Global Household Goods contract (GHC), bringing an abrupt end to a years-long effort that was intended to overhaul the management structure of the system that’s used to move service members’ belongings from one duty station to another, but whose implementation ultimately caused many more problems than it solved. In a statement Wednesday night, the Pentagon said it terminated its up-to-$17.9 billion contract with HomeSafe Alliance for cause. Sean Parnell, DoD’s chief spokesman, said the decision was due to HomeSafe’s “demonstrated inability to fulfill their obligations and deliver high quality moves to service...

~So much for the G7. The war? Well, strange as it may seem on the 24/7 hamster wheel, my view hasn't changed since last week: I am in favour of Israel's victory over Iran - just as the region's Sunni monarchies are. However, I am opposed to any direct American participation because the United States is the most incompetent warmonger on the planet. If that comes as news, well, you haven't been paying attention - since VJ Day. Hilarious headline in today's Spectator: Why is the US so reluctant to fight Iran? Short answer: because it hasn't won anything that...

Robert Salas was one of the men on duty in 1967 that experienced a nuclear silo being shutdown. He was name dropped in the article so he's taken the time to author a rebuttal. He gives his perspective and I tend to think that we should probably read it as it's a good data point to add to the fray. X Post by Robert Salas linking to Google Doc.

The Pentagon deliberately spread UFO conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51 in an attempt to conceal secret weapons programs, according to a newly released report. A report released by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) found that an Air Force colonel visited a bar near Area 51 in the 1980s – providing the owner fabricated material depicting flying saucers around the highly classified military base, according to the Wall Street Journal’s review of the report released in 2024. The Pentagon reportedly intentionally ran a disinformation campaign on American citizens in an attempt to hide the development of the F-117 Nighthawk, the...

A tiny Pentagon office had spent months investigating conspiracy theories about secret Washington UFO programs when it uncovered a shocking truth: At least one of those theories had been fueled by the Pentagon itself. The congressionally ordered probe took investigators back to the 1980s, when an Air Force colonel visited a bar near Area 51, a top-secret site in the Nevada desert. He gave the owner photos of what might be flying saucers. The photos went up on the walls, and into the local lore went the idea that the U.S. military was secretly testing recovered alien technology. But the...

The Pentagon is seeking contractors to build and maintain a secure software platform to track data and investigations for its All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which handles reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) that may threaten national security. A new notice reveals plans for a custom case management system on the Defense Department’s top-secret intranet (JWICS). “The intent is to field this capability for AARO personnel at AARO HQ and for use at supporting organizations,” officials wrote. A defense official told DefenseScoop this is AARO’s first solicitation since its 2022 creation. UAP includes UFOs and trans-medium objects. “AARO currently uses...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is pausing helicopter flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon.The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause helicopter flight operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following Thursday’s close calls, two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday. One official said the flights have been paused since Friday.The pause comes after 67 people died in January when a passenger jet collided in midair with a Black Hawk helicopter...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a sweeping purge of senior Pentagon leadership, demanding a 20% reduction in four-star generals and admirals across all branches, according to a memo obtained by CNN. Hegseth’s memo frames the cuts as “critical” for “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” As of February 2025, the U.S. military has 38 active-duty four-star officers across its branches: 11 in the Army, 3 in the Marine Corps, 8 in the Navy, 12 in the Air Force, 3 in the Space Force, and 1 in the Coast Guard.

Former senior defense official Dr. Terry Adirim, who was behind the unconstitutional military vaccine mandate, was reportedly fired from her position in February 2025 shortly after President Trump took office. Dr. Terry Adirim, a senior CIA official and former Defense Department official under Joe Biden, was fired by the Trump Administration after she caused so much harm and damage to the US military and thousands of military men and women who refused to take the COVID jab. Dr. Terry Adirim left her position on February 25 to “pursue other opportunities” outside the department, according to an internal memo sent by...

A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter flying through restricted Washington, D.C. airspace on Thursday triggered urgent evasive maneuvers by two commercial jets inbound to Reagan National Airport. An American Airlines jet collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. Just four months after the deadly incident, it was reported that an Army chopper deviated from its approved flight path, veering around the Pentagon instead of heading directly to the helipad, according to a Friday email from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Assistant Administrator Chris Senn ... The unexpected...

The Pentagon Inspector General expanded his investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the double-encrypted app Signal. Steven Stebbins took over as Acting Inspector General after President Trump fired the previous IG and 17 other inspectors general. Stebbins was first appointed to his position in 2015. Pete Hegseth has been under heavy attack since before his confirmation hearing and the leaks keep coming.

Comedian Bill Maher recently bashed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, calling him the “worst thing to hit the Pentagon” since the September 11 terrorist attack. Maher delivered his hit against Hegseth during his “New Rule” segment on Friday night’s episode of his HBO show. “New Rule: Pete Hegsteth’s parents have to take away his phone. He can have it back when he’s shown us he’s grown up enough to use it responsibly,” Maher said. “I’m not saying Pete makes a terrible defense secretary, but he’s the worst thing to hit the Pentagon since Flight 77,” he added. Bill Maher’s joke...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has formally terminated the service of every member sitting on the Department of Defense’s advisory committees. Based on the information available on the website as of Thursday, the now-defunct panels included several well-known Democrats and Bush-era Republicans. Janine Davidson (Chair) – Former Under Secretary of the Navy under Obama. A staunch Democrat and longtime proponent of Obama-era military reforms, now steering Pentagon policy advice. Michèle Flournoy – Held major Pentagon roles under Clinton and Obama; often discussed as a potential Secretary of Defense under Hillary Clinton or Biden. Colin Kahl – National Security Advisor to...

The Defense Department will resume providing gender-affirming care for service members, a blow to the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate transgender individuals from the U.S. military. A Pentagon memo dated Monday and revealed Thursday states the department will restore surgical procedures and cross-sex hormone therapy to individuals, including dependents of troops, as first reported by Politico. “Service members and all other covered beneficiaries 19 years of age or older may receive appropriate care for their diagnosis of [gender dysphoria], including mental health care and counseling and newly initiated or ongoing cross-sex hormone therapy,” according to the memo, signed by Stephen...