For soldiers stationed in some of the world’s most expensive areas, an important financial buffer meant to offset high prices may not always reflect the cost of living, a government watchdog found. The Department of Defense uses location-specific surveys and price and military spending data to set cost-of-living allowances, known as COLAs. In a report…
“In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature, and not to the executive,” James Madison wrote regarding Article 1 Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution. “The constitution supposes, what the History of all Governments…
FORT MAGSAYAY, Philippines — As an American reconnaissance drone hummed overhead, soldiers of the U.S. and Philippine armies stormed forward through the jungle terrain, laying down suppressive fire on enemy positions. Finishing off the foe’s stubborn resistance, a Kestrel first-person-view (FPV) drone carrying an explosive payload slammed into the enemy bunker. Afterwards, sweating profusely in…
At a U.S Army training facility in Germany on Thursday, some senior officers highlighted the benefits of American presence in the country, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was reviewing whether to reduce troop numbers in the country. The benefits of U.S. troops here include deterring adversaries, combat training with allies on…
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deflected questions from Congress Wednesday on the future of the Iran war and attacked lawmakers who questioned the conflict’s purpose and goals, calling them “reckless, feckless and defeatist.” A hearing on the Pentagon’s $1.45 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027 became a hotly contested debate on Iran, with House Armed Services…
Operation Epic Fury in Iran has cost American taxpayers roughly $25 billion so far, the Pentagon’s chief financial officer revealed on Wednesday. Acting comptroller Jules Hurst III, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, said that the bulk of the figure has been devoted to ordnance. “Approximately, at this day, we are spending about $25…
The Pentagon is formally seeking congressional authorization to codify the “Department of War” moniker, estimating it will cost taxpayers approximately $52.5 million. The figure is substantially lower than the Congressional Budget Office’s projection in January, which estimated the rebrand could reach as much as $125 million if it were adopted “broadly and rapidly.” In a…
In the afternoon of Aug. 24, 1814, First Lady Dolley Madison wrote in her journal: “We have had a battle…near Bladensburg, and I am still here within sound of the cannon!” Within a few hours, that cannonade would come steadily closer until the British 3rd Brigade marched into Washington, D.C., virtually uncontested and proceeded to…
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Subscribe here. The cruise missile-killing high-energy laser weapon the U.S. Defense Department envisions as part of its “Golden Dome for America” domestic missile defense shield is beginning to take shape. The new Joint Laser Weapon…
On the first day of the Army’s most elite combat engineering competition, the winning team made an error that could have knocked them out of running. For a swimming task, the pair forgot to swim the entire length of the lane, skipping out on 100 meters of the event. Despite being upset and confused, 1st…
