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22 Jan 25. DOD Orders 1,500 Troops, Additional Assets to Southern Border. The Defense Department is sending 1,500 active-duty service members and additional air and intelligence assets to the southern border to augment troops already conducting enforcement operations in that region, Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses announced this afternoon via a statement to the media.
The announcement came roughly 36 hours after President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order directing DOD to address the situation at the border.
“On Monday, to protect the security and safety of United States citizens, President Trump declared that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States. The president directed me to take all appropriate action to support the activities of the secretary of homeland security in obtaining complete operational control of the southern border of the United States,” the statement reads.
The Pentagon has since established a task force to oversee the expedited implementation of border-related executive orders; with U.S. Northern Command heading up the effort and being supported by U.S. Transportation Command, the National Guard Bureau, the military services and the Department of Homeland Security.
The 1,500 additional active-duty service members authorized by Salesses will initially be put to work on the placement of physical barriers and other border missions within the next 24 to 48 hours, a senior military official told the media.
The additional active-duty personnel includes 1,000 soldiers, as well as 500 Marines who had previously been on standby in Southern California to potentially help combat the Los Angeles County wildfires that broke out two weeks ago, the senior official said.
With 2,500 active-duty personnel already in the region, the additional 1,500 troops will represent a 60% increase in active-duty forces since Trump was sworn in on Monday, Salesses remarks in his statement.
“We anticipate that overall, on the southwest border, will provide real-time situational awareness of persons, vehicles, vessels and aircraft; and they’ll work with on operator-level maintenance, movement and staging of assets,” the senior military official said.
In addition to the additional active-duty ground personnel, DOD will provide airlift support for flights operated by DHS to implement the deportation of more than 5,000 individuals detained by CBP at the border sectors in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, Salesses’ statement reads.
Transcom is providing two C-130 Hercules and two C-17 Globemaster aircraft to assist in that support, the senior military official said.
Additionally, the official added that there are UH-72 Lakota military helicopters that began flying today in support of CBP.
DOD is also coordinating with the State Department to obtain diplomatic visas and provide host-nation notification for those individuals who are deported, a senior defense official said.
DOD is also providing intelligence analyst support at the border.
“We’re in the process of sourcing those requirements right now,” the senior military official said.
“We also anticipate that there could be some additional airborne intelligence, surveillance and support assets that would move down to the border to increase situational awareness,” the official added.
Regarding DOD’s future activity on the border, the senior defense official said that — while there are no specifics to release at the moment — there will be a number of additional border enforcement missions developing.
“This is going to be a big priority for the department under the acting secretary and the secretary that will be coming on board,” the defense official said.
“In short order, will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with DHS, federal agencies, and state partners to address the full range of threats outlined by the at our nation’s borders,” Salesses’ statement reads.
“President Trump directed action from on securing our nation’s borders and made clear he expects immediate results. That is exactly what our military is doing under his leadership,” the statement concludes. (Source: U.S. DoD)
21 Jan 25. Trump revokes DEIA programmes across US military. Trump and his advisers maintain that DEIA measures were pursued at the cost of meritocratic mobility within the Armed Forces. In the hours after his inauguration, for the second time, President Donald Trump revoked all Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programmes instituted across the federal government, which also extends to the US Armed Forces. The policy comes as part of a series of Executive Orders instituted on 20 January 2025 that roll back many of the policies of his progressive predecessor, Joe Biden. The White House have since stated that these measures were “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” that demonstrated “immense public waste and shameful discrimination.” Trump has also lifted a ban on oil drilling; responded to what he perceives as an immigration crisis in the country; and has seemingly joked that he will establish a new “External Revenue Service” – in contrast to the ‘Internal Revenue Service’ agency – from tariffs on foreign goods. Besides the termination of existing DEIA efforts, the presidential order calls for the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to evaluate the “economic and social costs” of these former measures such as federal employment practices, training, and grants. Despite rollbacks under Trump’s second administration, GlobalData Strategic Intelligence suggests wealth managers are expected to maintain their focus on ESG investing. Such moves are unlikely to have a significant impact on consumers’ attitudes and behaviours. This trend is particularly driven by the preferences of Gen Z and Millennial investors.
Impact on US Armed Forces
As part of the Fiscal Year 2025 President’s Budget request under Biden, published in March 2024, the former government committed $162m to DEIA activities. These costs were met with some derision by the American conservative political institute, The Heritage Foundation, which pointed at the year-on-year growth from $68m in 2022. This investment in the military was met with less consternation than the $1bn funds allocated to DEIA activities for the Department of Education, which the Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman, Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, criticised last month.
Nevertheless, the Biden administration noted that these 2025 funds would ensure that “our entire workforce lives by fundamental values that bolster unit cohesion, fortify individual and collective strengths, promote innovative solutions to complex challenges, and culminate in efficient mission execution.”
Over the past four years the Department of Defense have viewed DEIA as a “vital strategic military resource” since “diverse backgrounds and experiences bring inherently different outlooks and ways of thinking that are key to innovation within organisations.” Meanwhile, Trump and his advisers maintain that this mentality was pursued at the cost of meritocratic mobility within the Armed Forces that the new President says he wants to restore. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
21 Jan 25. Recent DoD News.
- Modernizing and Simplifying Defense Resourcing: Updated and Expanded PPBE Reform Report Released – DoD has released an updated and expanded Department of Defense: Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Implementation Report, which replaces the DoD’s March 2024 Implementation Plan for the Recommendations from the Commission on PPBE Reform’s Interim Report. This report provides an overview of the implementation of 26 PPBE reform initiatives from the Commission on PPBE Reform. These efforts will have far-reaching impact and are designed to be implemented in a phased and iterative manner, with regular assessments and progress updates to ensure the reforms are achieving their intended goals by 2028. Read the Department’s full PPBE reform implementation report here. To learn more about our vision for a modernized PPBE system and how we’re working to maintain U.S. military superiority in a rapidly changing world, visit the PPBE Reform webpage here. The Commission on PPBE Reform’s final report can be found here.
- DoD Releases the Fiscal Year 2024 Strategic Management Plan: Annual Performance Report – Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks approved the FY2024 Annual Performance Report for the DOD Strategic Management Plan for FYs 2022 – 2026. As Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks noted in her letter inside the report, the FY2024 APR highlights the department’s FY2024 Implementation Results, which show how the department has accelerated progress in achieving our strategic priorities and objectives. Over the last two years, DOD Components have focused, in particular, on aligning our strategic ends and our resources. The department has improved oversight and governance mechanisms, streamlined processes, and championed a culture of proactive performance tracking and monitoring to inform executive decision-making. The result is enhanced accountability and visibility, using authoritative data. The department’s Performance Improvement Officer (PIO) led the preparation of the FY2024 APR through coordinated and collaborative partnerships with the DOD components. The report consolidates performance results across all DOD components and communicates overall implementation progress against the SMP’s strategic objectives and performance goals, as well as the Agency’s Priority Goals. For the first time, the FY2024 APR also addresses the statutory requirements in Title 10, U.S.C., § 125a, and includes progress updates on Performance Improvement Initiatives (PIIs). The objectives of PIIs are to: 1) accelerate the implementation of enduring advantages as articulated in the NDS and SMP, and 2) address management priorities, including enterprise-wide reform and transformation. The SMP FY2024 APR is available on the PIO and Director of Administration and Management’s website and also here.
- DoD and U.S. Small Business Administration Publish Names of First 18 Licensed and Green Light Approved Funds for the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technologies Initiative – DoD has published the names of the entire first cohort of Licensed and Green Light Approved funds under the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technologies Initiative (SBICCT Initiative). The SBICCT Initiative is a partnership between the DoD and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to strengthen U.S. national and economic security by attracting and scaling private investment into the DoD Critical Technology Areas (CTAs) and into component-level technologies and production processes. Collectively, this first cohort is projected to invest over $4 bn into over 1700 portfolio companies focused on all 14 CTAs and on strategic component technologies and production processes. These investment funds hail from all regions of the country with offices in 15 states and Washington, D.C. Taken together, this first cohort plans to invest across the full spectrum of stages and strategies of private investment including seed, venture, growth, buyout, direct lending, special situations, and fund-of-funds. Interest in the SBICCT Initiative continues to grow, with over 100 funds having expressed interest to date. The diligence process has commenced on the second cohort of funds that have applied to the SBICCT Initiative, with additional funds expected to file applications at the next filing deadline on March 31, 2025. For more information on the SBICCT Initiative and the application process, please see the Investment Policy Statement here or reach out to to arrange a courtesy call. (Source: glstrade.com)
20 Jan 25. As Commander in Chief, Trump Says He Will Defend Our Country.
“As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do,” said President Donald J. Trump during his inauguration address today as the nation’s 47th president, alongside Vice President JD Vance.
“America will soon be greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” he said. “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.”
“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into,” Trump said.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier,” he added.
The 60th inaugural swearing-in ceremony took place at noon inside the Capitol Rotunda, with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath of office to the new president and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh swearing in the vice president.
In the audience were former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris, members of Congress, all nine Supreme Court justices and family members of Trump and Vance.
Trump thanked Black and Latino voters for helping him get elected and added that on this observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, “we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.”
Trump said he’ll declare “a national emergency at our southern border,” with troops ordered there. Trump also said he’ll reinstate service members who were let go because they objected to COVID-19 mandates, and they will receive full back pay.
Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful,” and Christopher Macchio sang “Oh, America!” and the national anthem during the inaugural ceremony. The U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
The theme of this year’s ceremonies is “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise.”
In addition to the swearing-in ceremony and the inaugural luncheon at the Capitol, the president and vice president are scheduled to review the military parade, which will take place inside Capital One Arena due to frigid weather.
Yesterday, Trump and Vance placed wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
Joint Task Force–District of Columbia supported civilian authorities, including the Capitol Police, Secret Service and D.C. Metropolitan Police, by providing troops for crowd management; traffic control points; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response; civil disturbance response; and sustainment operations. JTF–DC consists of 7,800 troops from about 40 states, territories and the district.
Joint Task Force–National Capital Region orchestrated the military’s involvement in the inauguration ceremony and parade with members from all services participating.
The election of a new president is of particular significance to the Defense Department, as Article 2 of the Constitution directs that the president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces.
President Donald J. Trump joins Grover Cleveland as the only presidents to have served two discontinuous terms. Cleveland was president from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897.
Vice President JD Vance served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, attaining the rank of corporal. His military occupational specialty was public affairs. To qualify for his MOS, he received training in journalism and public affairs at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland. He joins three other vice presidents who are DINFOS alumni: Al Gore, Dan Quayle and Walter F. Mondale.
Today is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as it is observed on the third Monday in January. This is just the second time that the inauguration occurred on the same day as that holiday, the other being in 1997 at the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
Today is cold, but it isn’t the coldest inauguration day. That would be President Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in, which took place in 1985 when the noon temperature was 7 F.
The tradition of National Guard involvement in presidential inaugurations dates back to the early years of the republic when guardsmen escorted George Washington from his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, to the nation’s then-capital in New York City for the first presidential inauguration in 1789. (Source: U.S. DoD)
17 Jan 25. Austin Thanks Service Members, Families During Farewell Address. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., hosted an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute honoring Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III today at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia. Austin spoke from the heart to service members and their families and reflected on 45 years of military service during his speech. Upon graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1975, Austin rose from second lieutenant to four-star general during his military career before President Joe Biden nominated him to be the 28th secretary of defense. He took office in January 2021 and presided as DOD responded to the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party. He worked to build the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to arm that country after Russia’s unprovoked invasion. He worked tirelessly to stop the Hamas attack on Israel from spreading to a greater war in the Middle East. He also put in place programs to improve pay and working conditions for service members and their families. While Austin thanked his staff and co-workers for their support, he aimed most of his remarks at service members. “This business is not just about platforms and procurement; it’s about you,” he said. “We’re not just the most lethal fighting force on Earth. We are also the finest fighting force on Earth, and that is down to all of you.”
The secretary spoke of lessons he learned from his first platoon sergeant, Army Sgt. 1st Class Fox Ballard. “He taught me that the most important thing you can do is to take care of your people,” he said. “That has always been my North Star.”
Austin said America’s greatest strategic advantage will always be the talents of its people. He said the power of the U.S. military “flows from both our people and our principles,” adding, “We don’t lower our standards for our recruits; we take good people and make them better.”
Noting the unrivaled capabilities and platforms of the U.S. military, Austin said while those are expressions of strength, they are not its foundation. “Every military defends a country, but the United States military also defends a Constitution,” he said. “That isn’t some side point. It’s the oath that I swore when I commissioned to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is what we do, and that is who we are. And I will never stop saying this.”
The secretary said he learned at West Point “to pray that I would choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. I have tried, every day as secretary, to live up to that teaching.”
Austin said he leaves the department with great pride and confidence because of the courage, character, strength, integrity, and commitment of American service members.
“You and your families bear an extraordinary burden to keep your fellow citizens safe, and we must always be honest with ourselves about the sacrifice that this enterprise demands,” he said. “Over the past four years, yellow folders have arrived at my desk again and again. Those yellow folders carry the letters of condolence to the parents of the fallen — to new widows and widowers and to children who will grow up without their mom and dad. I have sat with those letters, and I have thought of them before each decision, and I will hold them in my heart until the day I die. I still mourn for the fallen of Abbey Gate, of Tower 22, of every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and guardian lost in a training accident, and of every American in uniform who gave in to unseen wounds and took their own lives. And I hope that, as Lincoln said, we will all take increased devotion from these honored dead.”
Austin called serving as the secretary of defense the highest honor of his life and the heaviest responsibility.
“This job demands calm judgment and humility,” he continued. “It tests you; it tempers you, and I shouldered it with a deep sense of resolve and duty. I will set it aside with gratitude and confidence. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together at this hinge in history. The world continues to look to America, and we must stand as a beacon of freedom.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
17 Jan 25. The Department of Defense Releases the Fiscal Year 2024 Strategic Management Plan: Annual Performance Report. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks approved the FY2024 Annual Performance Report for the DOD Strategic Management Plan for FYs 2022 – 2026. As Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks noted in her letter inside the report, the FY2024 APR highlights the department’s FY2024 Implementation Results, which show how the department has accelerated progress in achieving our strategic priorities and objectives. Over the last two years, DOD Components have focused in particular on aligning our strategic ends and our resources. The department has improved oversight and governance mechanisms, streamlined processes, and championed a culture of proactive performance tracking and monitoring to inform executive decision-making. The result is enhanced accountability and visibility, using authoritative data. The department’s Performance Improvement Officer (PIO) led the preparation of the FY2024 APR through coordinated and collaborative partnerships with the DOD components. The report consolidates performance results across all DOD components and communicates overall implementation progress against the SMP’s strategic objectives and performance goals, as well as the Agency Priority Goals. For the first time, the FY2024 APR also addresses the statutory requirements in Title 10, U.S.C., § 125a and includes progress updates on Performance Improvement Initiatives (PIIs). The objectives of PIIs are to: 1) accelerate the implementation of enduring advantages as articulated in the NDS and SMP, and 2) address management priorities, including enterprise-wide reform and transformation. The SMP FY2024 APR is available on the PIO and Director of Administration and Management’s website. (Source: U.S. DoD)
17 Jan 25. Modernizing and Simplifying Defense Resourcing: Updated and Expanded PPBE Reform Report Released. The Department has released an updated and expanded Department of Defense: Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Implementation Report, which replaces the DoD’s March 2024 Implementation Plan for the Recommendations from the Commission on PPBE Reform’s Interim Report. The future of the Department lies in the continued ability to outpace global competitors and the flexibility to deliver results at the speed of relevance. The Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process has been a cornerstone of the Department for over 60 years. However, in response to the evolving geopolitical and national security landscape, the Department must continue to enhance the PPBE process through improving agility, flexibility, and responsiveness, to better support the National Defense Strategy, defend the nation and its interests, and improve capability delivery to the warfighter. This report provides an overview of the implementation of 26 PPBE reform initiatives from the Commission on PPBE Reform. These efforts will have far reaching impact and are designed to be implemented in a phased and iterative manner, with regular assessments and progress updates to ensure the reforms are achieving their intended goals by 2028. The success of PPBE reform relies on sustained cooperation and transparency with all stakeholders, including Congress. The Department is committed to collaborating with Congress to address legislative barriers and looking forward to the coming conversations to ensure that the PPBE process is modernized and simplified to meet the demands of the 21st century. Read the Department’s full PPBE reform implementation report here to learn more about our vision for a modernized PPBE system and how we’re working to maintain U.S. military superiority in a rapidly changing world. The Commission on PPBE Reform’s final report can be found here: https://ppbereform.senate.gov/finalreport/ (Source: U.S. DoD)
19 Jan 25. Special Operations Force Must Build on Gains Made. The American military has an asymmetrical advantage over any possible adversary with its special operations community, and the processes are in place to keep that advantage going well into the future, said Chris Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. Maier spoke last week and addressed the changes operators are making in irregular warfare that special operators are making. He steps down as the community’s civilian leader on Monday. During the actions following the 9/11 attacks, special operators were often the lead military organization, Maier said. These men and women were the face of counterterrorism and took the battle to those who attacked America. While there is still a counterterrorism mission for the force, it is also transitioning to its role on countering China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Special operations, buy its very nature, is in many countries worldwide and operates at the personal level with military leaders of those countries. That alone is an advantage to the United States, Maier said. These forces understand the conditions on the ground, he said. They know the people involved and the strengths and weaknesses of the forces involved. Their reports can make all the difference for people making decisions at higher echelons. He said this applies not only to a counterterrorism operation in, say, East Africa but also in great power competition with China or Russia. Special operators are now also more and more involved with cyber and space domains. The Chinese and Russians are looking for areas “where they can pick off the strength of our partnerships that we’ve built over years,” he said. Special operators know how the domains fit together, their positions in those domains and how to work the structures in those areas of expertise. While DOD is a big part of the National Security Strategy, it is not the only agency in it, nor, often, the most important aspect of the strategy. “We have a major role to play, but it must be viewed as part of the whole-of-government strategy,” Maier said. As the strategy turns to China and Russia, special operations forces have changed from being the ‘supported’ element to being the ‘supporting’ element. Maier said. There are obviously aspects of the national competition that do not entail the military at all — economic aspects, law enforcement polices, diplomatic moves and more. China operates in these areas and more, and irregular warfare is one of the arrows in the quiver. Special operators are working hand-in-glove with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to deter China and prevent the nation from making a miscalculation. They are also working with NATO allies and others to counter Russia.
Maier said this must become a trademark of special operations — they must work closely with allies and partners. They must capitalize on the contacts they have forged in the past to bring alliances into the future.
Maier said the U.S. special operations force is the most capable in the world. Moving forward, they must work more closely with experts within DOD on space and cyber capabilities.
“We have that reach-back now, but must develop it more,” he added.
Special operations must also work outside the department to bring in the expertise inherent in other parts of the U.S. government, he said. This could entail everything from tapping experts in the Department of Agriculture to weather forecasters to hydrologists and more.
Special operators also must be bridges to compadres in allied and partner nations. “Special operators have this in their DNA,” Maier said. “We’ve done that since the forces stood up, and now we are getting back to it again.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
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