Tag: pentagon

Trump Directs Elon Musk’s DOGE Team to Conduct Comprehensive Audit of Pentagon

President Donald Trump revealed that he has directed Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Pentagon’s funding.

During a press conference with Japan’s prime minister, when asked by a reporter about directives related to Pentagon budget reviews, Trump confirmed his decision.

“Yes, I have [directed Musk to review] Pentagon, Education, just about everything,” Trump said.

Trump continued, “We’re going to go through everything, just as it was so bad with what we just went through with this horrible situation [with USAID]. I guess 97% of the people have been dismissed. It was very, very unfortunate. You’re not going to find anything like that, but you’re going to find a lot.”

It can be recalled that acting USAID Director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly downsizing the bureaucratic agency, retaining only 294 of the agency’s 14,000 employees worldwide. This move cuts 97% of USAID’s staff.

“I’ve instructed him to go check the Pentagon, which is the military. Sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad. But I don’t think, proportionately, you’re going to see anything like we just saw,” Trump said.

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Cut Pentagon Spending!

As Elon Musk runs amok in the U.S. government, claiming to work for government efficiency, I’ve yet to see him tackle the elephant in the room: the Pentagon budget. That budget, nominally at $900 billion, accounts for more than half of federal discretionary spending. If you’re looking to make cuts, that huge target is surely the place to put your crosshairs.

Will Elon Musk and the DOGE dare to target the Pentagon? If he and his DOGE crew have the guts to do so, I have some ideas for them from a piece I wrote for TomDispatch at the end of 2021.

Time to show some guts and make deep cuts, Mr. Musk.

An aside: Remember when the Pentagon budget was *only* $778 billion?

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The Death of DEI? Defense Sec Pete Hegseth Reportedly Cancels “Identity Months”—“We’re not joking around—DEI is gone!”

President Trump’s newly confirmed Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is serious about putting an end to DEI. Today, a January 28 memo was leaked that discussed a “pause” on celebrating “cultural awareness months.”

Here is a portion of a memo that was reportedly being circulated at the DoD:

“Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month.”

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Pentagon’s New Mideast Policy Chief Wants To Scale Down US Presence In Region

The Trump administration has appointed a new Middle East policy chief in the Pentagon who believes the US should scale down its military presence in the region.

Michael DiMino, a former CIA analyst, was sworn in early this week as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. Before taking the job, DiMino was a fellow at Defense Priorities, a think tank that calls itself the “hub of realism and restraint” and advocates for a less interventionist foreign policy.

Jewish Insider reported that DiMino’s appointment has alarmed pro-Israel Republicans due to his views on the region. The report cited comments DiMino made during a webinar last year where he said the Middle East does “not really matter” for US interests.

“Vital or existential US interests in the Middle East are best characterized as minimal to non-existent. And I think if you look at America’s experience as the primary security broker for the region… it has not rendered any lasting political, economic, or security benefits in service of US interests or the American people,” he said.

DiMino has opposed attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities and war with Iran in general and has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq and Syria, citing their vulnerability to attacks.

When President Biden launched a bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthis in January 2024, DiMino opposed it and suggested the US should consider putting pressure on Israel to improve conditions in Gaza since the Israeli onslaught was the reason for the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.

“Any multi-billion-dollar effort to fight a war in Yemen would render no political, economic, or security benefits to the United States. Strategies like ‘buck passing’ and diplomatic engagement are perfectly viable, would do the US no harm, and could resolve the crisis. Continued military action in Yemen, by contrast, presents dubious prospects for success,” DiMino wrote in Responsible Statecraft.

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Pentagon Employees Responsible For Weapons Deliveries To Ukraine Have Been Fired

Ukrainian journalist Roman Bochkala is reporting personnel changes at the Pentagon for the office involved in weapons delivery to Ukraine.

“Everyone who was responsible for Ukraine has been fired or suspended. Or they will be transferred to other positions somewhere. A complete reboot,” Bochkala wrote, reported Ukrainian news entity Focus.

He explained that he received this information from a journalist from The Washington Post, who is responsible for Ukrainian topics and went to the Pentagon to find out what they were hearing about Ukraine.

“So, there will definitely be changes. A new format of relations. It’s all a bit disturbing. But somehow it will happen,” Bochkala emphasized.

The head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, David Arakhamia, stated that 
negotiations with Trump’s team could take place in early February.

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Dem Megadonor Reid Hoffman Scrubbed From Pentagon Board Website Ahead of Trump Inauguration

Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman appears to have quietly left a premier Pentagon advisory board after the election of Donald Trump, raising questions about whether he quit the organization on his own or was forced off because of his work to keep Trump out of the White House.

Hoffman joined the Defense Innovation Board, chaired by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, in October 2022. The group provides advice to the Pentagon on how to implement new technologies into the military and work more efficiently with private companies.

Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn, was listed as a board member until at least Nov. 27, according to archived versions of its website, but is no longer listed there. If Hoffman was forced off the board, it would be the latest example of a federal agency cleaning house ahead of Trump’s second term. Trump has said he will not allow Democrats or Republicans afflicted with what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to work in federal agencies. In December, the FBI quietly shut its Diversity and Inclusion office.

Hoffman’s position on the board caused outcry from Republicans over his ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his funding for controversial political projects to help Democrats. And in July, Hoffman came under fire after he said he hoped his political tactics would make Donald Trump an “actual martyr.” Days later, a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

The National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative legal group, called for Hoffman to “be dismissed” from the board because of what it called Hoffman’s “irresponsible and dangerous remarks” about Trump.

The Defense Innovation Board noted that request at its July 17 board meeting, according to board records. Bloomberg discussed the attempted assassination, though he did not speak about Hoffman’s remarks or acknowledge the National Legal and Policy Center complaint, according to a transcript of the meeting.

The Pentagon, the Innovation board, and members of the board did not respond to requests for comment about Hoffman’s departure.

“I think Reid Hoffman saw the writing on the wall and resigned from the board, on which he should not have been on in the first place,” said Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Went MIA Twice Last Year And Didn’t Tell Congress

Lloyd Austin transferred his responsibilities as defense secretary to a subordinate on two separate occasions last year and didn’t inform Congress as required by federal law, according to an explosive inspector general report released Wednesday. The revelation marks another instance in which Austin has been caught going MIA while leading the Pentagon.

Released by the office of the Department of Defense (DOD) inspector general, the report primarily focuses on a controversy involving Austin that arose in January 2024. The defense secretary was admitted to Walter Reed’s ICU on Jan. 1 after reportedly “experiencing severe pain,” which seemingly stemmed from an “initial medical procedure” he underwent on Dec. 22, 2023, according to The Guardian.

The report confirms Austin’s procedure was related to a prostate cancer diagnosis.

As I previously wrote in these pages, the American people, Congress, and high-ranking Biden administration officials — including President Biden — were unaware of Austin’s absence for several days. Even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks — whom Austin transferred his responsibilities to and was vacationing in Puerto Rico at the time — was also unaware of the situation until she was briefed on the matter days after Austin was admitted to the ICU.

But it appears that wasn’t the only instance in which Austin failed to properly notify relevant authorities about transferring his duties to Hicks.

According to Wednesday’s IG report, the Pentagon “did not report two [Assumption of Functions and Duties] AFDs, occurring on June 17, 2024, and June 21, 2024, to the Comptroller General and Congress” as required by federal law and DOD policy.

The DOD IG noted how both transfer of power notifications “stated that the reason for the AFD was travel” and that Hicks “was serving as the Acting Secretary of Defense.” While the directives “did not indicate the expected duration of the transfer” of authority, “the June 17 AFD lasted 1 hour and the June 21 AFD lasted 35 minutes,” according to the report.

“However, although these AFDs were reported to the [White House Situation Room], they were not reported to the Comptroller General and Congress,” the analysis reads.

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Pentagon Contractor Fired After Undercover DoD “Stop Trump” Exposé

A top advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon has been fired after an undercover investigation caught him on camera admitting he’s working with generals on a ‘stop-Trump’ effort.

Former FBI Special Agent Jamie Mannina – an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, was confirmed as having been let go following an undercover exposé by James O’Keefe’s OMG Media.

Via James O’Keefe:

“I’ve been in conversation with a couple of retired generals to explore what we can do,” Jamie Mannina, advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, former FBI Special Agent, and self-proclaimed “spy hunter,” disclosed to an undercover OMG Journalist his plans to utilize irregular strategies to undermine Donald Trump’s presidency.

Mannina also described his “ghost writing” with a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, National Security Leaders for America, saying, “What we were doing was we were trying to explain to the American people the national security consequences of another Trump presidency.” He elaborated on his recent activities, saying, “Since the spring, I was working with these retired generals, retired ambassadors,” adding, “They’re like one, two, or three-star generals and admirals. You probably know maybe four stars.” He acknowledged the organization’s ultimate goal, emphasizing, “This organization tried to defeat Donald Trump.”

Mannina further revealed that he was participating in a “huge meeting with military leaders; in a very secure room called ‘The Tank.’” The Tank is a nickname for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Conference room which is a (SCIF), a Compartmentalized Information Facility. Discussing the focus of these meetings, Mannina shared that “the United States has specialized in artificial intelligence and emerging technology, quantum, [and] cybersecurity.” He elaborated on the potential of quantum technology, stating, “Quantum is incredibly fast, super-computing. That doesn’t yet exist, but will soon exist, and when it does, it will change everything.”

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Former FBI Agent and Pentagon Senior Advisor Outed by O’Keefe Media Group was Allegedly Filmed by ‘Predator DC’ in November 2021 at a 15 Year-old Girl’s ‘Home’

Yesterday, The Gateway Pundit’s Jordan Conradson reported on a new exposé from James O’Keefe’s OMG that showed Jamie Mannina, a former FBI agent, Hillary Clinton campaign staffer and a just-fired Senior Advisor to the Joint Staff of the Department of Defense spilling the beans on high-level efforts to subvert President Trump’s next term in the Oval Office.

Mannina mentioned he worked for a “top consulting firm”, which the video states is Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), one of the largest contractors for the United States government.  In 2022, BAH was the 6th largest government contractor with $5.9 billion in government contracts.

In November 2021, a Predator DC video allegedly shows “Jamie” arriving at a house where he believed a 15 year-old girl was going to engage in sexual acts with him.  The video starts out with the cameraman and hosts hiding in a closet.  You can hear the girl making small talk with “Jamie” when he arrives.

Eventually, she tells “Jamie” that she is going to go put her “school-girl outfit on” and requests that he is already naked when she returns.  “Jamie” responds with reluctance saying that he’d “be happy to” but “we’re just five minutes in.”

Shortly after, “Jamie” is confronted by the camera crew and hosts who tell him, “Jamie, go ahead and have a seat right there on that stool for me.”

“Jamie” says he doesn’t want to be on camera and makes a bee line for the door.  At this point, the hosts, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl introduce themselves.  He responds, “I know who you are” as he begins to leave.

“We’re doing a story on adults who come to have sex with underage teens.  You’ve come here today to have sex with an underage girl.”

“No, I said no, sir,” he responded.  “I said ‘no, I didn’t want to do it.'”

“Jamie” then leaves the home in a black Camaro.

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‘Project Pandora’: DoD Experiments to Control Human Behavior with Microwave Radiation

A declassified collection of documents confirms the U.S. military, in league with the State Department and CIA, conducted experiments investigating the “potential of exerting a degree of control on human behavior by low level microwave radiation.”

The documents comprise a cache of operational procedures, research summaries, appendices, administrative notes, and memorandums outlining ‘Project Pandora.’

Project Pandora was a Cold War-era U.S. research initiative led by ARPA (now DARPA) to investigate the biological and behavioral effects of low-level microwave radiation, including its potential for surveillance, psychological influence, and non-lethal weaponization, with experiments involving animals, and human testing.

It was suggested at one section of the cache that Pandora would include the use of “various basic wave forms” on “biological tissue,” including a “program that might look at possible behavioral implications from the point of view of a weapon or interrogation device.”

Such a program was to “be handled on a SECRET level.”

The cache document has resurfaced amid bombshell reports that the Pentagon approved the use of directed-energy weapons (DEWs) on American citizens, as well as speculation that DEWs were used in relation to the recent Los Angeles fires.

The resurfaced document confirms the DoD has been developing such technology for decades.

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