Latest news with #Hegseth
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hegseth directs reorg of Pentagon testing office, appoints new leader
The Pentagon has appointed a new director of its operational test enterprise and directed a reorganization that would reduce its staff to 30 civilians, 15 military personnel and one senior leader. In a Tuesday memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the move to restructure the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, or ODOT&E, supports the Pentagon's 'America First' defense strategy. 'A comprehensive internal review has identified redundant, non-essential, non-statutory functions within ODOT&E that do not support operational agility or resource efficiency, affecting our ability to rapidly and effectively deploy the best systems to the warfighter,' Hegseth said. The Defense Department estimates the changes will save more than $300 million annually. The Pentagon's test and evaluation office oversees the process for validating weapons and platforms across the Defense Department. While the military services have their own test teams, the DOD-level office sets policies, provides oversight for major programs and serves as an adviser to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, among other responsibilities. One of the office's more public-facing tasks is publishing an annual testing update on the department's major weapon systems, including the F-35 fighter jet, the Navy's Columbia-class submarine and the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon. The report also assesses the health of the test and evaluation enterprise, including its equipment, ranges and other testing facilities. The most recent report was released in January. Raymond O'Toole has served as acting director of the office since January, following two prior tours in the acting role. The memo appoints Carroll Quade, currently the Navy's deputy for test and evaluation, to perform the duties of ODOT&E director effective immediately. 'Mr. Quade will assume all duties of the Director, overseeing the transition and ensuring ODOT&E's statutory requirements remain effective and in compliance with statute,' the memo states. The personnel cuts will come through a 'targeted, deliberate and expeditious' civilian reduction in force, according to the memo. RIF notices will be distributed early next week and personnel who are not retained will be placed on administrative leave. All leadership currently classified as senior executive service will also be put on leave. ODOT&E civilians who are employed by one of the military services will transfer back to those offices. The department did not provide details on how many civilian and military personnel currently reside within ODOT&E and it's not immediately clear how many positions the Pentagon plans to eliminate. Beyond the workforce reductions, Hegseth calls for ending all contractor personnel support within seven days of the memo's release. 'If ODOT&E decides it needs to support contractor personnel after adjusting to its base statutory mission set, ODOT&E may request such contract support with Deputy Secretary of Defense review after an initial 60-day acclimation period,' the document states.
Epoch Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Hegseth Heads to Singapore to Underscore US Commitment to Indo–Pacific
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth set off to Singapore on May 28 for a series of meetings that he said would 'ensure that [the] region understands America will be strong.' 'We seek no conflict with anybody, including the communist Chinese, but we will deter that,' he said at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before departure. 'We will stand strong for our interests. And that's a big part of what this trip is all about.' The defense secretary will attend the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31, where he will meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other officials, as well as several defense ministers from Southeast Asian nations, according to a May 27 Hegseth, in an Allies In recent months, U.S. defense experts and officials have called for stronger U.S. partnerships in the Indo–Pacific to counter the Chinese regime's growing influence. During a congressional Related Stories 5/20/2025 4/22/2025 Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said at the hearing that the Chinese military had achieved 'unprecedented' modernization with respect to weapons and capabilities, posing 'a real and serious threat to our homeland, to our allies and to our partners.' At a separate congressional hearing on May 15, retired Gen. Charles Flynn, who served as the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, echoed Paparo and said the Chinese military of today is 'dramatically different' from when he served. 'Are they rehearsing? Are they preparing? Absolutely,' Flynn 'This is not just a U.S. problem. This has to be a Taiwan problem, a Japanese problem, a Philippine problem,' he said. 'It's got to be the entire first island chain, to include South Korea.' Former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said at the May hearing that the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia (AUKUS) partnership affords an undersea advantage that is 'still 10, 15, 20 years ahead of Beijing,' emphasizing the importance of cementing regional ties. Advancements Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, said that the Chinese military has made strides in space capabilities over the Indo–Pacific, enough to become a 'powerful, destabilizing force.' Saltzman China is also practicing 'dogfighting in space,' Saltzman said, saying his service has seen Chinese experimental satellites conducting 'unusual, large, and rapid maneuvers' in geostationary orbit in recent years. Based on the observation, Saltzman said Beijing 'is resolved to contest [U.S.] spacepower through combat operations.' The Chinese military has also drilled with its most advanced long-range H-6 bombers in the region. Satellite images showed H-6 bombers flying over the disputed Scarborough Shoal ahead of Hegseth's visit to the Philippines in March, and showed two H-6 bombers landing on the disputed Paracel Islands on May 19. Frank Fang and Reuters contributed to this report.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders review of military homeschooling support
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed a review of the Pentagon's support for military families who choose to homeschool their kids, according to a memo released Tuesday. The review, ordered May 15, calls for officials to look at 'current support for homeschooling military-connected families, as well as best practices, including the feasibility of providing facilities or access to other resources for those students.' Hegseth said the evaluation was part of a Defense Department-wide review of educational choices for military families following a Jan. 29 executive order directing the Pentagon to consider using its funding to foot the bill for private, religious or public charter schools for children in military families. He added that ensuring military families receive strong educational support 'maintains morale and readiness, reinforcing the overall stability and effectiveness of our military communities.' The document did not specify when the review is expected to be completed. Roughly 12 percent of active-duty military families homeschooled their children in the 2023-24 school year, double the rate of civilians, at 6 percent, according to a Johns Hopkins University study released in March. That percentage rate has remained consistent even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were temporarily shut down across the country. Homeschooling is seen as a more desirable choice among military families as it can 'stabilize and prioritize their family life' even with frequent moves or family separation due to service members' deployments, the study found. Hegseth in the past has criticized public school education, arguing for more Christian-based teaching. He has claimed the country's public schools are failing to educate students and lack 'virtue and excellence,' according to his book 'Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon Diverts $1 Billion from Army Barracks to Fund Border Mission
The Pentagon is shifting $1 billion meant for maintaining and renovating Army barracks to instead fund its surge of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, a move that coincides with the service's gradual deprioritization of quality-of-life initiatives for soldiers. Redirecting the barracks funding erodes much of the additional money the Army started pouring into living quarters during the previous administration. The funding could be partially replaced by a separate $1 billion in proposed barracks investments across all services in Congress' so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill,' but that legislation, designed to enact President Donald Trump's agenda, would still leave the Army with an enormous financial loss on maintaining living quarters for junior troops. The shift of Army barracks money to the border mission was laid out in a wide-ranging Defense Department plan, sent to Congress on May 8, to move funding between various programs. The service declined to comment on how the cut might affect ongoing projects. Read Next: Hegseth Restricts Press Access at Pentagon, Says Journalists Will Be Required to Sign Pledge The Pentagon has broad flexibility to move money between accounts, a move called 'reprogramming,' without an act of Congress. The diversion of funds away from soldier housing contrasts with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's public persona. Having served 11 years as an Army National Guard officer, Hegseth has frequently portrayed himself as a champion for the rank and file, telling troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, last week, "I've been in your boots." "The message from the commander in chief, straight from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is he has your back," he added. The shift also reflects a change in the Army's priorities. During the previous administration, service planners made a point of tying soldier well-being to the Army's ability to fight. The idea was that quality-of-life issues were part of preparing for war, that when troops and families are taken care of, soldiers are more focused and ready to deploy to combat. Current service leadership has moved away from that framework, scrubbing the Army's mantra of 'People First,' focusing more narrowly on traditional warfighting priorities such as weapon systems and acquisition reform. The funding move is déjà vu for those watching defense budgets under Trump. During his first term, the Pentagon transferred $1 billion from its military personnel budget to fund 57 miles of border wall, siphoning funds away from the pot of money that includes troop pay and enlistment bonuses. At the time, the reprogramming of the money to the border wall drew sharp backlash from Democrats, who accused the administration of sidestepping congressional authority. Trump had also claimed that Mexico would pay for the construction of the wall, though that never happened. "Taking money out of facilities to fund near-term readiness isn't new; it's how the military got into this hole in the first place," Jacob Freedman, who was chief of staff to former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, told "Instead of digging out of it, we're now digging even deeper." Many buildings that house junior enlisted troops are decades old, with persistent issues ranging from mold and pests to failing plumbing and broken HVAC systems. In some cases, those issues have led to soldiers getting sick from constant exposure to mold and other unsanitary conditions. According to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, the Army has a backlog of $20 billion worth of repairs and renovations to its facilities, a figure that continues to climb, worsened by inflation, with the average building being 47 years old. 'It's shameful for the Defense Department to divert resources dedicated to improving living quarters for military personnel for a political stunt,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told in a statement. The Army has acknowledged that some barracks have been allowed to deteriorate due to funding shortfalls and shifting priorities. Maintenance teams have struggled to keep pace with demand, and soldiers have reported lengthy wait times to fix basic issues like non-working air conditioning in the sweltering summer months. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has deployed more than 9,000 troops to the border since January, including part of the 4th Infantry Division with armored Stryker vehicles out of Fort Carson, Colorado. The surge is part of Trump's crackdown on border crossings, which is itself part of a wider national effort at large-scale deportations. The border has always had some level of troops for decades, most notably the Texas National Guard through Gov. Greg Abbott's troubled Operation Lone Star mission. Trump's megabill includes an $11 billion provision to reimburse the state of Texas for its mission that started in 2021. "This, now with the lack of comments on quality-of-life improvements … it really gives the impression it's not a priority," said Rob Evans, who runs Hots & Cots, a Yelp-style app for troops to review barracks and dining facilities. Related: Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers' Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army
The Hill
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Hegseth orders review of military homeschool support
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed a review of the Pentagon's support for military families who choose to homeschool their kids, according to a new memo released Tuesday. The review, ordered on May 15, calls for officials to look at 'current support for homeschooling military-connected families, as well as best practices, including the feasibility of providing facilities or access to other resources for those students.' Hegseth said the evaluation was part of Defense Department-wide review of educational choices for military families following a Jan. 29 executive order directing the Pentagon to consider using its funding to foot the bill for private, religious or public charter schools for children in military families. He added that ensuring military families receive strong educational support 'maintains morale and readiness, reinforcing the overall stability and effectiveness of our military communities.' The document did not specify when the review is expected to be completed. Roughly 12 percent of active-duty military families homeschooled their children in the 2023-2024 school year, double the rate of civilians, at 6 percent, according to a Johns Hopkins University study released in March. That percentage rate has remained consistent even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were temporarily shut down across the country. Homeschooling is seen as a more desirable choice among military families as it can 'stabilize and prioritize their family life' even with frequent moves or family separation due to service members' deployments, the study found. Hegseth in the past has criticized public school education, arguing for more Christian-based teaching. He has claimed that the country's public schools are failing to educate students and lack 'virtue and excellence,' according to his book 'Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation.'
