The Pentagon

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At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark.”

https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-pentagon-christian-worship-service-30db48b6ceb8af5e6172fb3ba2eafaa0?

ps:Is that what so called Christians do? To pray for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’?? Seriously???

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Next Steps in Iran

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of potential ground operations in Iran, The Washington Post reported Saturday. The news comes after separate reports suggested President Donald Trump is considering several plans to deal a "final blow" to Iran. Plans to install troops on Iranian soil would reportedly fall short of a full-scale invasion. Instead, officials say they would ⁠involve a combination of special operations raids and conventional infantry soldiers. Late last week, Axios reported several options being presented to Trump, including taking over one or more islands critical to Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil typically passes. That includes Kharg Island, Larak, Abu Musa, and several more, or seizing Iranian ships. See a map here. Explore surprising impacts of the Iran war—including shorter showers in Korea and less butter chicken in India—here.

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⚡ Exclusive: Wind projects hit Pentagon wall

Photo illustration: Maura Losch/Axios. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images.

More than two dozen wind farms across the U.S. are being delayed as the Trump administration sits on military reviews that were once considered routine, Axios' Amy Harder writes. Why it matters: The delays are dragging down a race led by tech companies — and backed by President Trump — to build power-hungry data centers to lead the global AI race. At least 30 onshore wind farm projects are affected by the Pentagon paperwork logjam, according to Jason Grumet, head of the American Clean Power Association. At roughly 200 to 300 megawatts each, that's about 7.5 gigawatts of stalled capacity. Even accounting for the variability of wind, those farms could produce enough electricity to power several cities — or multiple large data centers. The reviews are necessary to make sure the wind farms' turbines won't interfere with military radar or aviation systems. Keep reading ...

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🏛️ Dem pushes Anthropic on leaks

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Anthropic needs to explain its recent source code leaks and changes to its internal safety policies, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) wrote to CEO Dario Amodei in a letter shared exclusively with Axios' Ashley Gold. Why it matters: The letter highlights the growing pressure on AI companies from Washington as their tools become embedded in defense and intelligence operations. The letter comes after source material powering Claude Code leaked this week for the second time in over a year. "Claude is a critical part of our national security operations. If it is replicated, we sacrifice the competitive edge we have worked so diligently to maintain in all facets of our national security," Gottheimer writes. Share this story. 🔮 Exclusive: Kalshi, the fast-growing prediction market, is adding Stephanie Cutter, a longtime Democratic strategist who's managing partner of Precision Strategies, as a policy adviser as part of a bipartisan overture. Why it matters: Kalshi, which named Donald Trump Jr. as a strategic adviser last year, is working to educate policymakers about the value of prediction markets. Since opening a D.C. office in January, Kalshi has held nearly 200 meetings with policymakers on both sides of the aisle.

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Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving in the latest departure of a top defense leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday, the first head of a military service to depart during President Donald Trump’s second term but just the latest top defense leader to step down or be ousted.

https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-navy-secretary-phelan-cao-3a871b87f1a31c1c7168f69e8fe4f7b5?

⚓ Surprise Pentagon shake-up

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan in the middle of the massive naval standoff with Iran, Axios' Colin Demarest and Marc Caputo write.

• Why it matters: The ouster of the Navy's top civilian caught many at the Pentagon off guard. It adds to the pile of military officials who have either abruptly exited or been pushed out of their posts under Trump 2.0.

A person familiar with the situation told us: "Phelan didn't understand he wasn't the boss. His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given."

• The same person said Phelan and Hegseth didn't get along.

Hegseth felt Phelan had bypassed the chain of command too often with his direct line to President Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago is near Phelan's mansion, another source said.

• Keep reading.

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Pentagon releases first batch of previously secret files documenting reports of UFOs

The Pentagon on Friday released an initial group of previously secret files documenting reports of UFOs – a move sought for decades by some.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/08/pentagon-ufo-files?

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Palantir's Pentagon fight

Palantir is battling the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency for the ability to bid for a contract to modernize its data analytics system, according to a filing obtained by Axios' Maria Curi.

• Why it matters: Palantir's already massive Pentagon foothold could expand to the agency tasked with providing foreign military intelligence to prevent and win wars.

Palantir argues in its protest that the DIA is wasting taxpayer money, and flouting the law, by refusing to consider a commercial solution for its data analytics modernization.

• The agency launched MARS (Machine-assisted Analytic Rapid-Repository System) eight years ago and has been developing it ever since to replace a Cold War-era system.

The White House wants any company to be able to compete, a senior Trump national security official told Axios.

• "The president has issued several EOs pushing to field the best tech the private sector has to offer," the official said. "I wouldn't be surprised if there's swift action to remedy this and ensure any company that wants to compete is given a fair chance."

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A Pentagon list overhaul puts Mormon church’s Christian identity back in the spotlight  The Pentagon’s revision to its list of Christian religions this week has reignited a nearly 200-year-old debate: Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a Christian denomination? Most Latter-day Saints do see themselves as Christians. But there are many prominent Christian clergy and scholars who disagree, citing core differences in how they view God and the Trinity and revere a scripture that is not part of the two-testament Christian Bible. Read more.

Why this matters: Utah U.S. Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans and Latter-day Saints, challenged the Pentagon’s exclusion of their faith from its list of Christian religions.   It was part of the Department of Defense’s recent effort to significantly pare down a list of more than 200 religious affiliations that troops could choose from, deleting categories such as Unitarian Universalists, pagans, atheists and Wiccans.   The Pentagon responded by removing the Christian label from 20 other traditions, including Catholic, Lutheran and Pentecostal, and stayed away from labeling Latter-day Saints as Christian.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Defense Department slashes its religious designations list from more than 200 choices to 31  Mormon church lowers minimum age for women missionaries to 18  Russell M. Nelson, oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies

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Pentagon releases third batch of declassified UFO files. More than 70 newly released files, spanning the 1940s through this year, contain reports from the public, Defense Department, CIA, and other agencies. Among the more recent files is a rendering depicting an alleged 2022 sighting of an object some have compared to a pale, scaly potato. The Pentagon says it is preparing to release another batch soon. (More, w/images)

Read about five of the biggest revelations here.