Trump Relaxes Limits on Counterterrorism Strikes Outside Conventional War Zones
The president has rescinded a Biden-era system that required high-level approval for certain drone strikes and commando raids, reverting to a more permissive system.
Defense Department
Pentagon Sending Combat Forces to Help Secure Border
The troop mobilization indicates that President Trump is breaking with recent presidents’ practice of limiting deployments along the U.S.-Mexico border mostly to small numbers of active-duty soldiers and reservists.
Flow of U.S. Weapons to Ukraine Has Nearly Stopped and May End Completely
The Biden administration saw the $67 billion in military assistance it provided to Kyiv as essential. Trump sees any further aid as leverage.
Former Defense Secretaries Call Trump’s Firing of Military Leaders ‘Reckless’
The five men asked the House and the Senate to hold hearings “to assess the national security implications of Mr. Trump’s dismissals.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth Enters the Sept. 11 Case Fray
The new Pentagon chief got a look at Guantánamo Bay’s most infamous inmate in his recent visit to the wartime prison.
Trump Team Tightens Control Over Government Lawyers Who Might Say ‘No’
At the Justice Department and the Pentagon, the administration is curtailing the ability of lawyers to raise internal objections to the president’s use of power.
Trump Officials Split Over How Hard to Go on Mexican Cartels
A Mexican delegation will meet in Washington on Thursday to finalize a security deal, as White House officials debate a strategy for fighting cartels and stemming the flow of drugs across the border.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defense Secretary, to Visit Guantánamo Bay
Mr. Hegseth served at the U.S. Navy base as a National Guard lieutenant. The base is now being used to hold some migrants who face deportation.
Trump’s Frustration With Generals Led to Picking Dan Caine for Joint Chiefs Chairman
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, a retired three-star Air Force officer, quickly moved up the list of candidates to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Some Agencies Urge Staff Not to Comply With Elon Musk’s Performance Email
The F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and others told employees not to respond to a directive from Mr. Musk to summarize their accomplishments.