The U.S. Senate's move to tighten oversight on OPCON transfer to South Korea sparks debate. While ensuring military readiness is crucial amid regional threats, excessive scrutiny could hinder the necessary evolution of the alliance and erode trust.
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that could bar defense contractors from stock buybacks or dividends without Pentagon approval. The measure, supported by both parties, aims to increase discipline among contractors and faces opposition from industry groups.
US official warns China is rapidly expanding its nuclear capabilities to surpass the US within a decade, citing new missile silos, mobile and submarine forces, and long-range bombers.
Two senior US Republican lawmakers have criticized the Pentagon's decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, warning it risks undermining NATO deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Russia. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker and House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers said the troops should be moved east rather than withdrawn. President Trump indicated further cuts could follow. Germany has said the US military presence is in its interest, while NATO seeks clarification from Washington.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday regarding the Iran war and the Trump administration's $1.5 trillion 2027 military budget proposal. The hearing follows a nearly six-hour House committee session where Hegseth faced sharp questioning over the war's $25 billion cost, the deaths of six U.S. soldiers in Kuwait, and his firing of top military officers including Gen. Randy George. Senators are also expected to probe troop levels in Europe after Trump threatened to reduce U.S. military presence in Germany amid a feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The war has cost $25 billion so far (€21 billion), according to Pentagon figures presented to the House Armed Services Committee.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before Congress for nearly six hours about the Iran war that has cost $25 billion, defending the conflict and his firing of top military leaders against Democratic criticism. Democrats called the war a 'geopolitical calamity' and accused Hegseth of misleading Americans.
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Pentagon CFO Jules Hurst III offered the first official estimate of the cost of the war in Iran at US$25 billion, most of which went to ammunition, with funds also allocated for operations and equipment upgrades. Defense Secretary Hegseth, a former Fox News host, sparked controversy by calling congressional Democrats and some Republicans the biggest adversary.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in his address to the US House Armed Services Committee that his department’s main task is to protect the homeland
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, the first congressional questioning of Trump's defense chief since the war with Iran began two months ago. Lawmakers probed the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget request while the conflict has caused global economic turmoil by restricting Strait of Hormuz shipping. The war has depleted U.S. munitions stockpiles, requiring congressional replenishment funding.
Admiral Samuel Paparo appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Apr. 21 for a posture review for the US Indo-Pacific Command ahead of the fiscal year 2027 defense request. Paparo reportedly disclosed that INDOPACOM is running a Bitcoin node and treating the protocol's architecture as operationally relevant for securing networks and projecting power. In […] The post SoftWar begins: US armed forces once blasted crypto now they are running a Bitcoin node for America’s security appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Admiral Samuel Paparo appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Apr. 21 for a posture review for the US Indo-Pacific Command ahead of the fiscal year 2027 defense request. Paparo reportedly disclosed that INDOPACOM is running a Bitcoin node and treating the protocol's architecture as operationally relevant for securing networks and projecting power. In […] The post US admiral who blasted crypto is now running a Bitcoin node for America’s security appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Republican Senator Deb Fischer, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee, says China must be involved in nuclear arms control treaty negotiations. The US has been trying to bring China into the New Start treaty, which expired in February, but China has refused to participate, insisting it has no intention of engaging in an arms race.
