Pete Hegseth
United States Secretary of Defense
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- yesterday
Report says Netanyahu urged Trump to resume Iran strikes before Israeli election
Axios, Channel 12 and N12 report that Netanyahu and Trump discussed a joint US-Israeli operation against Iran before the midterm votes. The White House calls the report false.
- 2d ago
Susan Sarandon condemns US plan for live-streamed execution at Rome festival
Susan Sarandon called the reported plan to broadcast an execution live on US television a sign of a depraved administration, speaking in Rome on 13 October. She was there to present The Accompanist and receive the Womenlands Excellence Award 2026 at the 24th Alice nella Città festival.
- 5d ago
Pentagon plans livestreamed firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on 8 October that the Fort Hood shooter's firing squad execution will be streamed live. TikTok and Newsmax say they will not carry it, and a UN human rights office has warned that a live broadcast could be considered torture.
- 6d ago
US ambassador praises Kosiniak-Kamysz as Poland and Lithuania push for permanent US troops
Ambassador Tom Rose praised Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on social media, while PiS MP Marcin Ociepa questioned why plans for a permanent US base in Poland have not moved since last year.
- Oct 8
USS Abraham Lincoln returns to San Diego after 322 days at sea and a record Iran war deployment
The carrier docked in San Diego on Thursday, 8 October, with families waiting on the pier. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had visited the flight deck the day before and praised the crew, while the Navy had acknowledged eight suicide attempts on board.
- Oct 8
Trump rules out Iran strikes before US midterms as Tehran rejects talks under threat
Trump says the United States will not attack Iran before the 3 November midterms, while Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian rejects talks held under the threat of force. The Strait of Hormuz remains the main point of dispute.
- Oct 6
Anduril and US Navy commit $6.6 billion to build submarine parts shipyard in Maryland
Defense startup Anduril Industries will invest $3.7 billion alongside a $2.9 billion US Navy contract to construct the Arsenal-2 facility at Sparrows Point for Virginia-class nuclear submarines.
- Oct 6
Pentagon to livestream Fort Hood shooter's firing squad execution on Dec. 3
The Dec. 3 firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed, which death penalty experts said would be the first known broadcast of a lawful execution. Critics include the UN and Republican senator Thom Tillis.
- Oct 5
Trump signs executive order permitting road vehicles to use tax-exempt red diesel
President Donald Trump signed an order in Grand Island, Nebraska, waiving federal penalties on highway use of agricultural dyed diesel through December 31 as fuel prices top $6 a gallon.
- Oct 5
Kaczyński asks Polish defence minister if Trump pressured him over government change
Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński has called on Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz to clarify whether Donald Trump pressured him to alter Poland's governing coalition during a March meeting in Washington.
- Oct 4
Iran demands US fulfill seven conditions before reopening Strait of Hormuz
Tehran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until Washington lifts sanctions, ends its naval blockade, and halts military operations under terms set in the June Islamabad agreement.
- Oct 3
Top US security officials convene at Camp David to review Iran and Yemen war strategy
Vice President JD Vance chaired an unannounced Camp David meeting on 2 October with top national security officials, reviewing potential military operations against Iran and evaluating Saudi requests for strikes in Yemen.
- Oct 1
Polish Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz Confirms March 2026 White House Meeting With Donald Trump
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed holding a direct discussion with US President Donald Trump in Washington on 2 March 2026, following cross-party assistance from the Presidential Chancellery and Law and Justice MEP Adam Bielan.
- Oct 1
Pentagon forms selective NATO group with six allies, excluding UK and France
The US Department of Defense invited six European nations to a working group in Poland while omitting London, Paris, and the Baltic states, drawing concern over potential divisions in the alliance.
- Oct 1
Saudi Arabia mobilizes defense pacts as Houthi missile strikes target Red Sea energy corridor
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a maritime coalition and invoked mutual defense agreements with Pakistan and Turkiye after Houthi missile attacks targeted western Saudi ports and pipelines.
- Oct 1
Pete Hegseth orders 20% cut to US military generals and admirals by 2027
Speaking at the Quantico base in Virginia, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth doubled an earlier reduction target and set a January 2027 deadline for cutting one-star to four-star officer positions.
- Sep 30
Pentagon names Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to lead 120-day future warfare project
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched Project Meridian at Quantico, assigning tech executives Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to review autonomous weapons, AI, and lunar defense over 120 days.
- Sep 30
Hegseth announces 20% cut to US generals and new Autonomous Warfare Command
Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined plans to eliminate 20% of general and admiral positions by January 2027 and establish a four-star autonomous systems command.
- Sep 30
White House approves plans for permanent US military base in Poland after Washington talks
Presidential aide Marcin Przydacz announced White House political approval for a permanent US military installation in Poland following high-level meetings in Washington, with operational planning now moving to the Pentagon and Polish defence officials.
- Sep 30
Boeing wins $20 billion contract to build US Navy sixth-generation F/A-XX fighter
The Pentagon selected Boeing over Northrop Grumman to develop the carrier-based F/A-XX stealth aircraft, securing the company both sixth-generation military fighter programs.
