Pentagon firings expand to top military lawyers

A bipartisan group of former U.S. defense secretaries are now asking Congress to investigate the Trump administration's firing of top brass at the Pentagon, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press. Charlie D'Agata reports on another Pentagon purge that could be even more alarming.

Topics

Hegseth Fires Military’s Top JAG Lawyers in Pursuit of ‘Warrior Ethos’

The defense secretary has repeatedly derided the military lawyers for war crime prosecutions and battlefield rules of engagement.
The New York Times - Feb. 23
Trump fires top US military officer in Pentagon shake-up

President removes CQ Brown and other senior leaders who he blames for pushing diversity, equity and inclusion policies
Financial Times - Feb. 22
Hegseth: Fired military lawyers were potential 'roadblocks' to Trump orders

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the three fired judge advocates general (JAGs) were potential “roadblocks” to President Trump’s orders. "It's not about roadblocks to an agenda,” ...
The Hill - 6d
Trump fires top general in Pentagon shake-up

The new defence secretary earlier accused Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown of having a "woke" focus.
BBC News - Feb. 22
Hegseth fires several top military attorneys

Major changes are happening at the Pentagon after a string of firings over the weekend. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired some of the military's top lawyers, cutting the judge advocates general ...
CBS News - 6d
Trump fires nation’s top-ranking military officer in latest job cuts

President Donald Trump fired the nation’s top-ranking military officer, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. It’s the first of many more job cuts expected with thousands of ...
NBC News - Feb. 22
Trump fires top-ranking military officer in an unprecedented move

President Trump fired Four Star Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, the highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. Trump said he will nominate Three Star Air Force Let. Gen. Dan Caine as the replacement. ...
CBS News - Feb. 22
Mattis joins ex-Pentagon chiefs in call for hearings on 'reckless' Trump military firings

Five former Defense secretaries have called on Congress to immediately hold hearings on President Trump’s “reckless” firing of senior military leaders, including the chair of the Joint Chiefs of ...
The Hill - 2d
Pentagon orders transgender troops to be separated from the military

Transgender service members will be removed from the military within 60 days unless they are granted a waiver demonstrating their support of “warfighting capabilities,” according to a policy memo ...
The Hill - 3d
Transgender troops will be removed from the military, Pentagon says

Transgender service members will be removed from the military unless they are granted a waiver, according to a memo the Pentagon filed in court late Wednesday.
NBC News - 3d
Pentagon plans to remove transgender troops from military

The Pentagon issued a memo on Wednesday ordering the removal of transgender troops from the U.S. military. CBS News senior national security correspondent Charlie D'Agata reports.
CBS News - 3d
Transgender military members react to 'jarring' Pentagon memo

Lt. Cmdr. Geirid Morgan told ABC News that as an openly transgender woman, seeing the ban in "black and white" was "jarring."
ABC News - 2d
Hegseth comments on fired Pentagon officials

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth commented on some of the top officials fired by the Trump administration. CBS News' Charlie D'Agata has more.
CBS News - 6d
Firings Expand at Interior Department With Purge of Probationary Workers

More than 2,000 workers at the Interior Department were fired in recent days, according to counts from workers groups and those familiar with the cuts, as probationary workers were targeted across ...
The New York Times - Feb. 19
Transgender service members to be separated from military, Pentagon memo says

Transgender troops will be removed from the U.S. military unless they obtain a waiver, according to the Pentagon's memo.
CBS News - 4d
Trump administration fires key Pentagon officials

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is defending the Trump administration's decision to fire several high-ranking officials at the Pentagon. CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes ...
CBS News - 6d
Trump shakes up top military leadership

Late Friday night, President Trump fired General Charles "C.Q." Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for the firing last year due to Brown's ...
CBS News - Feb. 22
Israeli forces to remain in northern West Bank all year as military operation expands

IDF troops ordered not to allow residents to return to cleared camps as PM delays release of Palestinian prisoners
Financial Times - Feb. 23
Pentagon to fire 5,400 probationary workers, institute hiring freeze

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to come up with plans to cut 8% from the defense budget in each of the next five years, sources familiar with his plans told CBS News.
CBS News - Feb. 21
Trump Fires Joint Chiefs Chairman Amid Flurry of Dismissals at Pentagon

The decision to fire Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., a four-star fighter pilot, upends a tradition in which the Joint Chiefs chairman traditionally remains in place as administrations change.
The New York Times - Feb. 22
Retired general says Trump Pentagon firings 'extremely destabilizing'

Retired Gen. George Casey said Sunday that recent Pentagon firings by President Trump are “extremely destabilizing” to the military. “That’s extremely destabilizing at — at a time that’s a lot ...
The Hill - Feb. 23
Transgender US military personnel must be identified and stood down, says Pentagon memo

Being transgender is not compatible with service, court filing says, foreshadowing removal of people from service within 60 days. Transgender service members will be separated from the US military ...
The Guardian - 4d
Germany needs military service to deter Russia, top general insists

Yahoo News - 1d
Federal employee unions expand lawsuit to Musk firing threat if they don't justify work

A group of federal employee unions Sunday expanded its existing lawsuit to challenge Elon Musk’s threat that federal employees will face termination unless they send an email justifying their work ...
The Hill - 6d
Booker says firing Joint Chiefs chairman sends 'dangerous message' to the military

Booker says firing Joint Chiefs chairman sends a ‘dangerous message’ to the military on political loyalty.
NBC News - Feb. 23
Ex-US defence chiefs urge congressional hearings on Trump’s military firings

Trump’s first defence secretary James Mattis among five to express alarm at ‘reckless’ dismissals of top military figures. US politics live – latest updates Five former US defence secretaries ...
The Guardian - 2d
With Cease-Fire Shaky, Israel and Hamas Consider Both Diplomatic and Military Options

As the first phase of the truce in Gaza ends, the two sides are continuing negotiations but also preparing for a possible return to war.
The New York Times - 6h
Pentagon firings to begin next week in effort to cut up to 8 percent of civilian workforce

The Pentagon seeks to cut more than 5,000 civilian employees on probation status beginning next week in a bid to eventually shave off up to 8 percent of the U.S. military’s civilian workforce, the ...
The Hill - Feb. 21
Democrats and former defense officials rail against 'pure pettiness' of Trump Pentagon firings

Democrat lawmakers and former national security leaders are furious over President Trump’s Friday night massacre of top Pentagon leadership, which they warned was a dangerous polarization of the ...
The Hill - Feb. 23
Top FDA official resigns, warns firings will backfire on RFK Jr.

James Jones resigned as FDA deputy commissioner and said the Trump administration's "indiscriminate" job cuts show "disdain for the very people necessary to implement your agenda."
CBS News - Feb. 20
Pete Hegseth Fires Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Navy’s Top Officer

Adm. Lisa Franchetti spent roughly half of her 40-year career at sea, commanding a destroyer, two carrier strike groups and the U.S. Sixth Fleet.
The New York Times - Feb. 22
Apple expands India manufacturing

Also in this newsletter: better-off Indians’ growing reliance on borrowing, and foreign direct investment shrinks
Financial Times - Feb. 21
New Zealand’s top diplomat tells China sudden live-fire drills represent ‘failure’ in relationship

Winston Peters says he told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi not enough warning was given about recent navy exercises that forced planes to divert. New Zealand’s foreign minister said he had raised ...
The Guardian - 4d
Man disguised as lawyer kills gang leader in court

Police in Sri Lanka say the gunman used a revolver which was smuggled in a hollowed-out book.
BBC News - Feb. 21
Is there no limit to Trump’s ever-expanding presidential powers?

Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to bend the federal bureaucracy to his will.
The Hill - 6d
F.D.A. Expands Access to Clozapine, a Key Treatment for Schizophrenia

Federal regulators will no longer require patients to provide blood tests before receiving the drug from pharmacies.
The New York Times - 5d
Lawyers bid to postpone Lockerbie bombing trial

Abu Agila Masud Al-Marimi's trial was due to begin in Washington on 12 May.
BBC News - 4d
'Indiscriminate’ Pentagon cuts unnerve Democrats

{beacon} Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story 'Indiscriminate’ Pentagon cuts unnerve Democrats Democrats ...
The Hill - Feb. 21