US approves potential sale of Indo-Pacific maritime domain awareness to India
The principal contractor for the sale will be Hawkeye 360, the Pentagon said in a statement.
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Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
Pete Hegseth faces hiring woes: At least three prospects say no to joining former Fox host at the Pentagon
The White House wants to hire a new chief of staff and top advisers for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but it's hard to find anyone who wants the job. At least three people have already refused to take jobs under Hegseth, as per reports. These Pentagon jobs are normally considered important and attractive, but not this time. Hegseth fired two of his senior aides in April on live TV, accusing them of leaking classified info in a Fox News interview. After that, his chief of staff was removed, and a press aide quit, saying the office was in "total chaos", as stated by an NBC News report. Vice President JD Vance and Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles are helping Hegseth find new staff, but he and the White House don't agree on who should be hired, Hegseth has rejected some of the White House's picks, and the White House has blocked some of his choices. Some people were not picked for the job because they didn't fully support the MAGA. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo The exit of Hegseth's Team In April, two of Hegseth's close friends, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, were removed from the Pentagon because of a leak investigation. They, along with Colin Carroll, said the process was unfair and that they weren't told what the allegations were. Hegseth later went on Fox News and blamed Caldwell, Selnick, and Carroll for both the leaks and the NYT story, but didn't give any proof, as mentioned by the Fox News. In May, the White House removed Hegseth and his lawyer, Tim Parlatore, from managing the investigation. The job was handed over to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, which showed the White House doubted Hegseth's fairness. Live Events As no proof of leaks was found, officials started thinking maybe the firings were a mistake. Infighting among remaining Hegseth staff continues, and Hegseth is now mostly isolated, working with only a small group of close advisers, as stated by NBC News report. Hegseth's new pick rejected too Hegseth now relies on Ricky Buria, a former military aide who hoped to become his chief of staff. But the White House said no, since Buria was seen as inexperienced and had privately criticized Trump and Vance. The fights inside his office have delayed the 'Golden Dome' missile defense project, Trump's big national defense idea. There's still no Pentagon budget, and Republicans in Congress are frustrated. Some officials, including Vance, are worried this report could hurt Hegseth even more. But Hegseth's allies believe he'll stay in the job despite everything, according to the NBC News report. FAQs Q1. Why is Pete Hegseth struggling to hire staff? Because of past firings, office problems, and fights over who should be hired. Q2. Who decides on Hegseth's new team? Both Hegseth and the White House want a say, but they don't agree.
India.com
2 days ago
- India.com
Why is Trump desperate for a trade deal with China? Know the SHOCKING reasons that brought US to its knees due to...
(File) China Rare Earth Elements: After assuming office for his second Presidential term in January this year, Donald Trump instigated a trade war with China by imposing exorbitant import tariffs on Chinese good. However, nearly six months later, the US President is desperately seeking a trade deal with Beijing to prevent key American industries from collapsing. Here's the reason why Trump made a U-turn on China, and is appeasing the Asian power to seek a China-US trade deal. Why US bent the knee to China? China dominates the global supply of rare earth elements, which are used by the US defense industry to manufacture advanced weapons and defense systems like radar systems, fighter jet engines, etc. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, China controls more than 90 percent of the world's processing and refining of rare earth elements, and also leads in other refining an extraction of other critical minerals like refined gallium, of which it controls 98.8 percent of global production. In recent years, Beijing has leveraged its dominance in critical mineral production and refining as a major negotiating point in trade wars, as well as targeting the defence industries of the US and its allies. The US defense industry is majorly dependent on China for rare earth minerals, but the supply has been nearly halted due to the ongoing US-China tariff war. China has imposed an export ban on rare earth elements to the US, effectively weaking the Pentagon's Pentagon's military preparations and weapons manufacturing capabilities. How China pressured the US into submission? In July 2023, Beijing imposed export controls requiring Chinese exporters to seek permission to ship eight gallium-related and six germanium-related products to other countries. In August last year, the list was expanded to include antimony, and in December, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce imposed export restrictions on gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States, as Beijing anticipated a trade war when Trump assumed office. In April this year, Beijing imposed export restrictions, mandating special export licenses for seven categories of medium and heavy rare earth elements (REEs) – samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium – as well as magnets and other finished products containing these REEs to be shipped out of China. China's sweeping restrictions on REEs brought defense manufacturing to a halt in US and its allied countries, as supplies of rare earth minerals required for weapons' manufacturing rapidly thinned out. Why US requires large quantities of REEs? The United States is world's largest arms manufacturer and its defense sector requires a gargantuan amount of rare earth minerals to manufacture advanced modern weaponry such as precision-guided missiles, stealth fighter jets, naval warships, submarines and advanced radar systems. According to various reports, the US-made F-35 stealth fighter incorporates over 400 kg (900 lbs) of REEs in each unit for its jet engines, avionics, munitions and radar systems. The F-47, US' Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter jet, is expected to contain even larger amounts of critical minerals, due to cutting-edge features like unmanned flight, artificial intelligence integration, and next-gen stealth capabilities. Similarly, US navy warships and submarines require giant quantities of REEs, with Virginia-class submarines requiring 4,200 kilograms and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers needing 2,360 kilograms of REEs for their radars, munitions and other technologies. US Predator drones, Tomahawk missiles, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) smart bombs, and advanced radar systems all rely on rare earth elements for propulsion, targeting, and guidance. According to experts, more than 80 percent of the Pentagon's weapon system supply chains contain antimony, gallium, or germanium. Does US have REE resources? While the US does have rare earth resources, those pale in comparison to China's gigantic hold on global refining and processing of REEs. The US accounts for around 15 percent of global production of REEs, but its not enough to meet the rare earth needs of US industries, especially the defense sector. Since 2020, the Pentagon has invested $439 million to build domestic supply chains in critical minerals, and a $35 million contract was awarded to MP Materials in 2022 for a heavy rare earth processing facility. However, its supply chain is still miniscule compared to China, and thus needs to import a major chunk of REEs from Beijing. In 2024, MP Materials announced a record production of 1,300 tons of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide for producing neodymium magnets, while China produced an estimated 300,000 tons of NdFeB magnets in the same year. China's antimony dominance Additionally, the US does not have any mining facilities for gallium, while China reportedly produced 750 of the 760 tons of primary low-purity gallium produced worldwide in 2024 and is known to have production capacity of up to 1,000 tons. China also holds about 48 percent of the world's mined antimony, controls 98.8 percent of refined gallium production, and is responsible for 59.2 percent of refined germanium production. All these critical minerals are used in the manufacturing of advanced weapons, ranging from armor-piercing bullets, night vision goggles and cables, to nuclear weapons and naval warships.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Trump vs Musk: Nasa, Pentagon rattled by ISS threat- officials warn space program caught in feud
Nasa logo, left, and Elon Musk (Image credits: AP) Nasa and the Pentagon moved quickly this past week to contact alternative spaceflight providers after a public spat between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk raised new fears about the government's reliance on SpaceX . The situation escalated when Musk, responding to Trump's threat to cancel SpaceX contracts, said he would halt flights of the Dragon spacecraft, Nasa's only current vehicle for sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Though Musk later walked back the statement, it sent shockwaves through US space and defense agencies. Following the exchange, Nasa and the Pentagon contacted several commercial companies, including Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, about the readiness of their launch systems, according to The Washington Post. Officials at Sierra Space, developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane, confirmed Nasa had reached out and emphasised the agency's interest in avoiding reliance on a single provider. Meanwhile, Boeing's Starliner, originally intended as a backup to Dragon, remains grounded due to technical problems. Officials at Nasa and the Pentagon were alarmed by what they viewed as a sudden and impulsive move, underscoring the vulnerability of depending on a single provider. SpaceX, which holds billions in government contracts, is responsible for ferrying cargo and crew to the ISS and launching some of the military's most sensitive satellites. One Nasa official described the moment as shifting 'from entertaining to terrifying,' while a Pentagon staffer noted, 'This is a real issue, not a TV show.' The feud also appeared to be fueled by the administration's withdrawal of Jared Isaacman's nomination as Nasa administrator. Isaacman, closely linked to Musk, had previously flown with SpaceX. Nasa has long worked closely with SpaceX, despite previous concerns about Musk's behavior. But the latest episode prompted renewed debate about whether critical systems like national missile defense and astronaut transport should be entrusted to a company, or person, capable of making such sweeping decisions unilaterally.
