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21 May 25. Task Force Validates Successful DEI Elimination Throughout DOD. A Defense Department task force has confirmed DOD’s successful implementation of a departmentwide directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion offices and initiatives. Having formed at the direction of Hegseth’s Jan. 29, 2025, “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” memorandum, the task force — led by senior civilian leaders from DOD’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness — visited six military installations in April and early May.
During each visit, the RAFF task force validated the implementation of Hegseth’s directive by meeting with personnel across a wide spectrum — from each installation’s most senior military officials down to the most junior enlisted service members, according to Tim Dill, performing the duties of deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
“The secretary’s guidance to eradicate DEI in the department was faithfully implemented across all of our many installations,” Dill said.
Where additional guidance was needed, the department was able to close the loop with each installation within days of visiting each site, he said.
Dill also stressed the task force’s job was solely to validate the proper implementation of the RAFF memo’s guidance.
“Each of the services had already implemented the policies and certified completion to the task force. This was our leadership’s chance to go and validate the completion that had been reported to us,” Dill said.
Between Dill and Jules W. Hurst III, who is performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, a senior DOD civilian participated in every installation visit. Dill said it was important for senior leaders to represent Hegseth’s guidance in person so they could clearly communicate the policy.
“The junior enlisted level is the most likely to lack a full understanding of the intent of the guidance because they’re all the way down at the operator level with a maximum number of layers between them and Secretary Hegseth,” Dill said, adding that’s why he and Hurst took the opportunity to, “be the face of the policy and own the policy.”
Along those lines, Dill said the task force spent a lot of time emphasizing to junior personnel that the RAFF guidance is not intended to deny their unique experiences and cultures. Instead, he said the intent is to focus on warfighting, as the department’s shared mission is what unifies the force.
“[DOD personnel] remain free to participate in any cultural observances in their free time, off installation and out of uniform — we’re not prohibiting any of those activities,” he said.
He further explained that the secretary’s intent is to ensure units — during the workday, on installation — are focused on the tasks that prepare them to fight and win the nation’s wars.
Dill also stressed that the task force worked to quell any misconceptions — particularly in the junior ranks — about the aforementioned intent of the RAFF memo.
As an example, Dill said his team clarified in multiple instances that the guidance in no way impacts DOD policies related to topics like equal opportunity or sexual harassment.
“None of the eradication of DEI in any way touches those other programs or states those programs are no longer important,” he said. On the contrary, he added that equal opportunity is essential to promoting a merit-based policy within DOD. (Source: U.S. DoD)
21 May 25. Nuclear Triad in Need of Modernization. The Air Force Global Strike Team is responsible for the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrence and conventional long-range strike missions, said Air Force Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command, who testified yesterday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Bussiere said the challenge and top priority is sustaining and modernizing legacy weapons systems while caring for the airmen responsible for them and their families.
Modernization efforts include two legs of the nuclear triad: the intercontinental ballistic missiles, the B-21 Raider and B-52J Stratofortress strategic bombers, as well as the nuclear command, control and communications architecture.
Bussiere said other modernization efforts include the MH-139 Gray Wolf helicopter, the survival airborne operations center, weapons generation facility upgrades and long-range standoff weapons.
He said the nation faces a serious nuclear threat, with the challenge of deterring two major nuclear powers, China and Russia, who possess modern and diverse arsenals. He added that North Korea poses an escalating threat, and there is the potential of a nuclear-armed Iran.
“This underscores the importance of fielding a flexible and modern nuclear force to effectively deter them,” the general said. He noted that the increased coordination among these U.S. rivals further complicates a dangerous and unprecedented security environment.
Seeking continued support, Bussiere said, “The Air Force nuclear enterprise is in a critical phase of transition. There is no operational margin remaining, and our resources continue to be stretched, impacting the readiness and well-being of our dedicated airmen.”
Navy Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., director of the Navy Strategic Systems Programs, also testified. He told lawmakers, “The Navy’s nuclear forces — the bedrock of our national security — are safe, secure, effective and credible.”
It is the most survivable leg of the triad, he added.
Wolfe said those nuclear forces are the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles and sea-launched cruise missiles, adding that the Navy is also responsible for the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic program.
Like the Air Force, Wolfe said modernization and sustainment of those forces are critical to ensuring continued readiness, and the Navy relies on a relatively small number of skilled employees to make it happen.
“It is critical that my command is able to appropriately staff its workforce with these highly specialized technical experts,” he said. “People are as foundational to our nuclear deterrent as the strategic weapons themselves.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
21 May 25. DOD Information Leader Describes Network as Critical Weapons System. The Department of Defense Information Network is a central resource and critical weapons system for defending the homeland, deterring China and rebuilding the military, said Army Lt. Gen. Paul T. Stanton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and commander of the Joint Forces Headquarters-DODIN, during a hearing today before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee in Washington.
“Our mission never rests. It’s hard to imagine any aspect of planning, preparing or executing modern warfighting that does not include data production, consumption, transport or analysis,” he said.
Stanton added that DODIN and DISA are responsible for securely delivering real-time, globally accessible information to the warfighter.
“We ensure the right data is at the right place, at the right time — empowering commanders to make better and faster decisions than our adversaries,” he explained. “We are warfighters, supporting warfighting.”
The general said both organizations maintain distinct responsibilities yet support one another to balance performance and security. They organize, observe and maneuver within cyberspace to defeat enemy aggression and preserve functional operations, ensuring the mission is accomplished.
“Success in warfighting requires forces that are manned, organized, trained and equipped to operate effectively at both the individual and collective levels. Cyberoperations require combining skill sets such as host network and data analysis towards mutually supporting outcomes. Each must do his or her part with confidence and competence,” he said.
Stanton said both organizations prioritize limited resources against critical systems while preserving freedom of action and imposing costs on the adversary. He noted that continuous modernization remains a priority.
“We actively field emerging technologies and iterate within our development process,” he said. “We design for extensibility with the understanding that technology and the operating environment will inevitably change.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
21 May 25. Pentagon announces it has accepted jet from Qatar that will be used by Trump once it is modified. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar that President Donald Trump will use once the Pentagon upgrades it to include “proper security measures and functional-mission requirements,” according to a Defense Department spokesperson.
“The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of the United States.”
A person familiar with the discussions, however, countered that the deal has not yet been finalized and that the talks between the legal teams are ongoing.
Parnell did not address whether the administration had paid for the jet and referred any additional questions about the transfer to the US Air Force. CNN has reached out to the Embassy of Qatar in Washington for comment.
Asked on Wednesday about reports that the Pentagon had accepted the jet, Trump told reporters that Qatar is “giving the United States Air Force a jet, okay, and it’s a great thing.”
Qatar’s prime minister told Bloomberg on Monday that “this plane story is a Ministry of Defense to the Department of Defense transaction that is done in full transparency and very legally, and it is part of the cooperation that we have always been doing together for decades.”
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On Tuesday, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin told lawmakers that Hegseth had directed the Air Force to start planning to modify the plane.
“The Secretary of Defense has directed the Air Force to basically start planning to modify the aircraft,” Meink said. “We are postured to do that.”
An Air Force spokesperson told CNN that “as directed by the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force is preparing to award a contract to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft for executive airlift. Details related to the contract are classified.”
The active discussions about transferring the jet from Qatar to the Trump administration, which were first disclosed publicly earlier this month, have sparked a political furor as Democrats and several influential Republicans, who are normally staunch supporters of the president, said they opposed the potential deal on ethics grounds.
Trump has repeatedly touted the plane as a possible replacement for Air Force One, and on his social media site Truth Social he described it as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE,” from Qatar.
But CNN reported on Monday that it was the Trump administration that first approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring the Boeing 747.
After Trump took office in January, the Air Force contacted Boeing and was told the company would not be able to deliver the new jets it was building to replace the aging presidential planes for another two years.
The Trump administration, however, wanted a replacement plane much faster, and the Air Force was exploring different options for doing so. At the same time, Trump tasked his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff with finding a list of viable planes, a senior White House official told CNN.
After the Air Force’s engagement with the company, Boeing provided US defense officials with a list of its other clients around the world with planes that could work in the meantime, and Qatar was one of them, CNN reported.
The Pentagon launched the discussions with Qatar after learning that the White House supported the idea, and Witkoff helped facilitate the initial conversations, the White House official said. But the Air Force was initially under the impression that any transaction with the Qataris would involve a sale of the plane — not a donation, defense officials said.
Beyond the ethical and legal questions, retrofitting and installing the required security and communications equipment on a second-hand plane from another government, even a friendly one, is a monumental task.
It could take two years and cost multiples of what the plane itself is worth, current and former officials have told CNN. US spy and security agencies tasked with the overhaul would need to essentially strip the aircraft down to its frame and rebuild it with the necessary equipment.
(Source: CNN)
20 May 25. Air, Space Force Leaders Stress Modernization, Readiness. Senior leaders from the Department of the Air Force testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a posture hearing in Washington today.
During their testimony they outlined key priorities, including modernization, readiness and maintaining strategic superiority in air and space.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, who holds a doctorate in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman highlighted the critical need for investments to address current challenges and future threats, especially from strategic competitors like China.
“The Department of the Air Force is at an inflection point,” Meink said. “We are engaging in a fast-paced race for technological superiority against a well-resourced, strategic opponent.”
Speaking about the increased pace of modernization, Allvin stressed the urgency of ensuring airpower dominance.
“We now operate in a world where the is not only rapidly modernizing its military, but doing so with a clear intent to coerce its neighbors and reshape the international order,” Allvin said. “The United States must maintain airpower dominance if we are to safeguard our security, deter aggression, and prevail in conflict.”
Key modernization initiatives highlighted during the testimony included the development of the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet platform, the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and crucial upgrades to existing platforms like the F-35 Lightning II and F-15 Eagle fighters.
Allvin detailed the innovative acquisition strategy for the F-47, designed to avoid costly delays experienced with previous platforms.
“We now have more control over the project,” he said. “Upgrades can come at the speed of software, not hardware, allowing us to rapidly integrate advanced systems, benefiting both taxpayers and warfighters.”
On the topic of nuclear modernization, Meink and Allvin emphasized the priority of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile system, the B-21 Raider long-range strike bomber and revitalization of the B-52 Stratofortress fleet, essential to strategic deterrence.
When asked about the Sentinel program’s timeline and budget stability, Meink explained the Air Force would “balance … requirements to generate readiness today with the imperative to rebuild our military capabilities to continue deterring adversaries tomorrow.”
Saltzman spoke about the significant growth and increasing importance of the Space Force, underscoring its role in America’s broader strategic defense posture.
“Space has become the backbone of our national security, and today’s joint force relies on the assumption that space power will be available when needed,” he said.
Addressing new mission responsibilities, including critical space-based elements of the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, Saltzman warned of the increasing gap between resources and mission demands.
“Despite dramatic rises in threats and increasing importance, the Space Force has experienced shrinking resources,” he said. “This disconnect creates risk for our nation.”
The Air Force also faces significant readiness challenges, particularly with maintaining aging aircraft fleets. Allvin noted mission capability rates, with older aircraft like the F-16 Fighting Falcon achieving approximately 62% mission readiness, still below ideal targets. He emphasized the necessity for sustained investment in modernization to maintain operational readiness and effectiveness.
Personnel issues, including recruitment and retention, were also highlighted. Meink and Allvin cited challenges stemming from budgetary pressure and emphasized the need for enhanced support structures to ensure service members and their families are adequately cared for.
“Our airmen and guardians are our greatest asset,” Meink said. “We are committed to enhancing recruiting, expanding training opportunities and strengthening family support structures to ensure we maintain our nation’s competitive edge.”
In response to congressional concerns regarding strategic vulnerabilities, particularly the potential overconcentration of U.S. military assets in locations like Guam, Allvin assured the committee the Air Force is actively diversifying its posture to improve resiliency.
“Guam is not the ultimate destination for Indo-Pacific posture,” Allvin said, describing ongoing efforts to distribute forces across the region.
Wrapping up their testimony, the leaders reiterated their commitment to maintaining superiority across air and space domains amid evolving threats, requesting continued support from Congress to ensure U.S. readiness today and strategic advantages tomorrow.
“No other service can match what the Air Force delivers: effects anywhere on the globe, at any scale, on minimal notice,” Allvin concluded. “With your support, we can ensure the Air Force remains the cornerstone of American power through the 21st century.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
20 May 25. Secretary Hegseth Statement Directing DOD Review of U.S. Military Withdrawal From Afghanistan. Three and a half years ago the Biden Administration’s disastrous and embarrassing withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and 170 civilians in a suicide bombing at the Kabul International Airport’s Abbey Gate. President Trump promised accountability for what transpired during that military withdrawal, and I am committed to delivering on that promise. We have an obligation to the American people and to the warfighters who fought in Afghanistan to get the truth – and we will. Today, I am directing the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell to convene a Special Review Panel for the Department into the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Sean Parnell spent 485 days serving in Afghanistan. Sean was wounded in action along with 85% of his platoon and lost countless friends to the War on Terror. It is fitting that he will lead the effort to reexamine previous Abbey Gate investigations conducted by U.S. Central Command during the Biden Administration. In addition, Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a combat-decorated Marine officer who spoke out about the Afghanistan withdrawal, and Jerry Dunleavy, an author, journalist, and investigator who helped lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s investigation into the Afghanistan withdraw, will serve on the Special Review Panel. Sean and his team will look at the facts, examine the sources, interview witnesses, analyze the decision making, and post-mortem the chain of events that led to one of America’s darkest moments. Sean and his team will provide updates at appropriate times to keep the American people informed of our findings and any directed actions resulting from our review.
A link to the memorandum can be found here: https://media.defense.gov/2025/May/20/2003719398/-1/-1/1/DEPARTMENTAL-REVIEW-OF-THE-US-MILITARY-WITHDRAWAL-FROM-AFGHANISTAN-IN-2021.PDF (Source: U.S. DoD)
20 May 25. Service Leaders Discuss Transformation. Military leaders discussed transformation the services face amongst the growth of national security threats yesterday during a Council on Foreign Relations panel in Manhattan, New York.
“The battlefield is changing as fast as the technology in your pocket and we know we have to change,” said Gen. Randy A. George, Army chief of staff.
For example, with the proliferation of drones, there’s no longer any way to hide on the battlefield, he said
George said part of the Army’s way of transforming, an effort known as “transforming and contact,” is getting innovation advice from junior soldiers, instead of just using the traditional top-down approach.
“Our soldiers have a really good mindset for innovation,” he added.
Some of the other ways the Army is transforming is slimming down its headquarters staff, making smarter investments in systems and weaponry and prepare standing up a mobile brigade combat team, George said.
Gen. Eric M. Smith, Marine Corps commandant, told the panel he is “not interested in going back and fighting the last war.”
Range of weaponry and detection of enemy formations will be paramount in the next fight. That’s why the Marine Corps is heavily investing in drones and sensors, he said.
Adm. James W. Kilby, acting chief of naval operations, said the quality of sailors, Marines and naval vessels is high. However, the quantity of ships and the ability to produce them are real concerns.
“I’m disappointed with our ability as an industrial base to react to that quickly,” Kilby said. “Virtually every one of our shipbuilding classes is behind schedule for a number of reasons.”
The Navy plans to build a hybrid fleet that includes not only traditional ships, but also unmanned surface and undersea ships, as well as aerial vehicles, the admiral said. This approach is needed because the Navy can’t afford to produce the number of ships it needs.
He pointed out that experimentation will occur regarding integrating those manned and unmanned vessels into an efficient and effective strike group.
Gen. David W. Allvin, Air Force chief of staff, said his service is taking a similar approach as the Navy, by building a hybrid fleet of aircraft, to include the unmanned YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A.
He said these are meant to operate in tandem with manned airplanes, in human-machine teaming.
The Air Force has excess infrastructure it hopes to reduce to better allocate that money to those warfighting efforts, Allvin said.
“We’re seeing an increase in threats directly to the homeland, maybe in a way we haven’t faced in a generation,” said Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, Space Force chief of space operations. “And, it’s our job to think about the worst day that the United States would face where the adversaries use these exquisite weapons and start to target the homeland.”
The Space Force is invested in building the Golden Dome, a defense system that will be designed to protect the homeland. Saltzman said that’s why it’s worth the cost of building it.
Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, Coast Guard acting commandant, said the U.S. is an Arctic nation and its ability to defend that region is vitally important.
Icebreakers are key to that defense and the Coast Guard is seeking ways to build more of them, as well as its cutter fleet, he said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
16 May 25. Joint Press Statement on U.S.-UAE Major Defense Partnership. In a formal ceremony at the Ministry of Defense Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defense Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, and the Honorable Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish a comprehensive U.S.-UAE Major Defense Partnership.
This LOI represents a shared commitment to develop a structured roadmap that will guide enhanced military-to-military cooperation, joint capability development, and long-term defense alignment between the two nations. The two sides will explore a phased framework for advancing bilateral force readiness, interoperability, and innovation-driven collaboration.
As part of this partnership, the Secretary announced a new strategic initiative between the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the UAE’s Tawazun Council. This collaboration will deepen ties in defense innovation, facilitate joint research and development, and expand industrial and investment partnerships across both defense ecosystems.
Additionally, the UAE was formally welcomed into the U.S. National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) through a partnership with the Texas National Guard. The SPP will bolster military modernization efforts and enhance cooperation in integrated air and missile defense, cybersecurity, disaster response, and operational planning.
The designation of the UAE as a Major Defense Partner reflects a decades-long relationship anchored in mutual trust, shared objectives, and a common commitment to regional and global security. It builds on the longstanding record of both countries working side-by-side to counter threats, stabilize conflict zones, and promote security and prosperity in the Middle East and beyond. (Source: U.S. DoD)
16 May 25. Senior Officials Say Military Intel Budget Request Aligns With DOD Priorities. The Defense Department’s proposed military intelligence program budget for fiscal year 2026 aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s strategic lines of effort both at home and abroad, according to a trio of senior intelligence officials who testified yesterday at a House Armed Services Committee intelligence and special operations subcommittee posture hearing on Capitol Hill.
Dustin J. Gard-Weiss, performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security; Army Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, performing the duties of director of the National Security Agency and acting commander of U.S. Cyber Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen Jeffrey A. Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, explained that the budget request enables the government’s defense, intelligence and security personnel to “confront the array of global threats” facing the United States, its allies and partners.
“These experts comprise the enterprise that provides intelligence, informed insights and options to the secretary of defense, in support of the secretary’s priorities of restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence,” Gard-Weiss told the committee.
He added that the proposed budget reflects the “America first” defense policy and the strategic priorities of both President Donald J. Trump and the secretary.
Additionally, Gard-Weiss said the 2026 budget request reflects focused investments in capabilities and initiatives to support Hegseth’s three priority lines of effort: defending the homeland, deterring China and supporting increased burden sharing with U.S. allies and partners.
In partnership with DOD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Hartman said, NSA is focused on the current priorities of modernizing capabilities, defending the homeland, and the core functions of code-making and code-breaking.
“Both have taken comprehensive and concrete actions in support of homeland defense, including improving support to U.S. government disruption activities with cartels operating in Mexico and along the southern border, and in the development of Golden Dome for America,” Hartman said.
Although the U.S. is facing a threat from transnational criminal organizations, drug traffickers and terrorist groups, Kruse said, DIA is working to counter any challenges.
“Our long-standing cooperation with law enforcement agencies has enabled DIA to respond quickly analytic, collection, scientific and technical capabilities to support, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI,” he said.
Like Cybercom and NSA, Kruse said DIA provides “authoritative intelligence assessments” to assist DOD in designing and deploying the defenses necessary to support the Golden Dome initiative.
He also said DIA is responsible for collecting intelligence in lesser, “low priority” theaters against counterterrorism overseas.
“The challenge that we have is, how balance the remaining capabilities on the lower priority systems while we move out extraordinarily aggressively? And I think when you see the 26 budget come forward, you’ll see DIA and the administration reaching heavily into the current priorities,” Kruse said.
Also overseas, Gard-Weiss said the proposed budget will support deterring China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
” a new generation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities matched to the threat in support of combat-credible military forces in the Western Pacific,” he said.
Additionally, the military intelligence program will prioritize investment in American workers and technology, reflecting Hegseth’s emphasis on strategic discipline and fiscal responsibility.
“The will support ability to execute its programs needed to address these global challenges, and support is critical to achieving the president’s vision of peace through strength and ensuring that our intelligence capabilities remain second to none,” Gard-Weiss said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
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