Outside the Beltway

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine bow their head in prayer during the 24th 9/11 Pentagon Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 2025. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine bow their head in prayer during the 24th 9/11 Pentagon Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 11, 2025.

Defense Department Drops 180 Denominations

· Saturday, June 6, 2026 · 16 comments

180 faiths are now “Other” or “None.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine conduct a press briefing on Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2026. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine conduct a press briefing on Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2026.

Hegseth Strikes Again

· Tuesday, June 2, 2026 · 8 comments

More women and minority officers have been removed from the promotion list.

Navy aircraft carrier with jets Navy aircraft carrier with jets

Navy Has Been Escorting Ships Throught the Strait

· Monday, June 1, 2026 · 14 comments

But at nowhere close to the prewar level.

Selling Them The Rope with Which They Will Hang Us

· Thursday, May 28, 2026 · No comments

The apocryphal quotation has proven correct.

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Up Next: Cuba?

· Thursday, May 28, 2026 · 27 comments

It’s certainly looking that way.

The Firingest Ceasefire Ever

· Tuesday, May 26, 2026 · 15 comments

The U.S. hit several targets in Iran as negotiations for a peace deal continue.

Trump Considering Resuming Major Combat Operations Against Iran

· Saturday, May 23, 2026 · 32 comments

The options are not good.

Losing Survivor Benefits Upon Remarriage

· Monday, May 4, 2026 · 5 comments

A reasonable if perverse policy.

The Toothless War Powers Resolution

· Friday, May 1, 2026 · 11 comments

What happens at the 60 day mark of the Iran War? Nothing.

The 79th Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable John C. Phelan, delivers a speech during the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. ship commissioning at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, April 11, 2026. The 79th Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable John C. Phelan, delivers a speech during the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. ship commissioning at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, April 11, 2026.

Navy Secretary Fired

· Thursday, April 23, 2026 · 19 comments

The ousting of top Defense leaders continues.

Trump: ‘A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight’

· Tuesday, April 7, 2026 · 40 comments

The President has threatened massive war crimes.

American Pilot Shot Down Over Iran Rescued

· Sunday, April 5, 2026 · 8 comments

A great thing, precipitated by a questionable thing.

Iran War at 5 Weeks

· Saturday, April 4, 2026 · 20 comments

So much winning.

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George speaks during a transformation panel during the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) 2025 Annual Meeting & Exposition, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Oct. 15, 2025. AUSA provides attendees with insights into U.S. Army priorities, explore cutting-edge technologies, and engage in high-impact networking with key decision-makers. The theme this year is “Agile, Adaptive, Lethal: Winning at the Pace of Change.” Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George speaks during a transformation panel during the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) 2025 Annual Meeting & Exposition, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Oct. 15, 2025. AUSA provides attendees with insights into U.S. Army priorities, explore cutting-edge technologies, and engage in high-impact networking with key decision-makers. The theme this year is “Agile, Adaptive, Lethal: Winning at the Pace of Change.”

Purge of Military Brass Continues

· Friday, April 3, 2026 · 12 comments

Undermining the professionalism of the officer corps.

Iran War One Month In

· Saturday, March 28, 2026 · 17 comments

There’s still no strategy.

Trump Threatens to Obliterate Iranian POWER PLANTS

· Sunday, March 22, 2026 · 9 comments

STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST, naturally.

Trump to Expand and/or End Iran War Soon

· Saturday, March 21, 2026 · 38 comments

The Art of the Deal in action.

Pentagon Wants $200 Billion to Fund Iran War

· Thursday, March 19, 2026 · 19 comments

“It takes money to kill bad guys.”

Iran War: No End in Sight

· Friday, March 13, 2026 · 29 comments

Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine conduct a press briefing on Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2026. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine conduct a press briefing on Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2026.

Pentagon Killed Civilian Protection Program, Leading to Killing Civilians

· Wednesday, March 11, 2026 · 25 comments

Lethality.

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the Dignified Transfer of remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the Dignified Transfer of remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

Iran War ‘Very Complete, Pretty Much’

· Tuesday, March 10, 2026 · 33 comments

An update from the Commander-in-Chief.

Oil well fires rage outside Kuwait City in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. The wells were set on fire by Iraqi forces before they were ousted from the region by coalition force. Oil well fires rage outside Kuwait City in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. The wells were set on fire by Iraqi forces before they were ousted from the region by coalition force.

Iran War Now Targeting Oil and Water Production

· Sunday, March 8, 2026 · 14 comments

Is no one thinking about the end state?

War Powers Catch-22

· Thursday, March 5, 2026 · 13 comments

They have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.

Fort Benning honors the nation's fallen service members with a Memorial Day ceremony at the post's cemetery May 27. The 9 a.m. ceremony at the Main Post Cemetery went forward under bright but partly cloudy skies, with an audience of some 200 Soldiers and civilians seated outdoors. The ceremony included remarks by a speaker, and a wreath-laying in tribute to "all the nation's veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice." The wreath-laying was followed by the firing of a three-volley rifle salute and the playing of "Taps." (U.S. Army photos by Patrick Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Public Affairs) Fort Benning honors the nation's fallen service members with a Memorial Day ceremony at the post's cemetery May 27. The 9 a.m. ceremony at the Main Post Cemetery went forward under bright but partly cloudy skies, with an audience of some 200 Soldiers and civilians seated outdoors. The ceremony included remarks by a speaker, and a wreath-laying in tribute to "all the nation's veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice." The wreath-laying was followed by the firing of a three-volley rifle salute and the playing of "Taps." (U.S. Army photos by Patrick Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Public Affairs)

Four American Servicemembers Killed, Three American Planes Shot Down

· Monday, March 2, 2026 · 13 comments

The nature of war does not change; only its character.

A THAAD interceptor is launched from the Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, during Flight Test THAAD-23, August 30, 2019. label_outline A THAAD interceptor is launched from the Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, during Flight Test THAAD-23, August 30, 2019. label_outline

The Logistics of Massive Air Defense

· Monday, March 2, 2026 · 35 comments

Shooting down cheap drones with expensive missiles is problematic in more ways than one.

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