 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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Lawmakers worry US will give up military command of NATO |
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Thursday was the latest GOP lawmaker to warn against the U.S. backing away from NATO military leadership. |
He issued the words of caution after reports that the Pentagon is looking at restructuring U.S. combatant commands and is studying a proposal for Washington to give up its long-held role as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe for the first time in the alliance's 75-year history. "Weakening American leadership won't strengthen NATO or U.S. interests. If we're serious about encouraging more capable European allies, retreating from our position as the leader of the trans-Atlantic alliance would be an odd way to show it," McConnell said in a statement Thursday afternoon. McConnell warned at a press conference in Kentucky earlier this week that Russia and its allies, including China, continue to pose a serious risk to U.S. interests. "What we want to avoid here is a headline that says, 'Russia Wins and America Loses,'" McConnell told local reporters on the same day President Trump had a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called on Congress to increase defense spending and for the United States to increase its commitment to NATO. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) a day earlier also pushed back on the possibility that the United States might give up military command of NATO. "We are very concerned about reports that claim [the Defense Department] is considering unilateral changes on major strategic issues, including significant reductions to U.S. forces stationed abroad, absent coordination with the White House and Congress," they said in a joint statement. While the GOP chairs said they support Trump's efforts to prod European allies to increase their defense spending, they warned that Congress must be a part of any major changes to combatant commands. Read the full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future: |
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Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said he thinks the hiring of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is an example of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) amid backlash surrounding the removal of Jackie Robinson's military career from the department’s website. "Pete Hegseth is the head of the Defense Department. He has served our country with honor. I am not trying to knock him or denigrate him in any way, we got to root … |
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced the Pentagon is canceling more than $580 million in grants and contracts deemed "wasteful spending." In a new memo, Hegseth asserts the programs are "inconsistent with the priorities” of the department and don't align with President Trump's priorities. The cuts are part of the Trump administration's work with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which … |
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A State Department spokesperson said Thursday that Ukraine and Russia are "just a breath away from a full ceasefire" after three years of war. "We are just a breath away from a full ceasefire, and then we can begin to talk about not just peace for a week or six months, but an enduring peace that the people of Ukraine and Russia and the world can rely on, and that is what America has helped facilitate, and that’s what … |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in Mississippi today to visit various national defense installations.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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DOJ creating path for people with criminal convictions to again own guns |
The Justice Department (DOJ) plans to create a process for those with criminal convictions to restore their gun rights, sparking alarm it will return firearms to those convicted of violent crimes. The interim rule, posted in the Federal Register Thursday, follows a February executive order from … |
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Events in and around the defense world: |
- The Peterson Institute for International Economics will have a virtual discussion on "Can Sanctions Change a Country's Policy? The Case of China and Russia," at 8:30 a.m.
- The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association will hold its DOD Cyber Workforce Summit, at 8:45 a.m.
- Atlantic Council will host a conference on "U.S.-Turkey Relations Under the New Era," with Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Sedat Onal, at 9:30 a.m.
- The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association will have a discussion on "Hacking Bureaucracy," at 11:30 a.m.
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Insulting, exhausting, traumatic: The death benefits battle between the VA and families of vets who die by suicide (CNN)
- The last Houthi attack was months ago. But the US military has now launched an open-ended campaign in Yemen. (Military.com)
- Pentagon reviews plans to cut Guantanamo troops handling migrants (The Associated Press)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Senate Republicans want Elon Musk to stop talking about Social Security, and the Department of Government Efficiency to leave it alone. Musk's statement … Read more |
| The United Kingdom updated its advice for travel to the United States on Thursday, warning of harsh consequences for British passport holders who violate … Read more |
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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