Pentagon readies 1,500 soldiers to possibly deploy to Minnesota, officials say www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

About 1,500 soldiers w/ 11th Airborne Division in Alaska have been placed on prepare-to-deploy orders with a mission in Minnesota in mind, defense officials tell me tonight. Unclear if some or all of them ultimately will go. News reported tonight by ABC News, too.

Good Saturday evening to you. Lots going on. As always, I'm reachable at [email protected], here by DM, or on Signal at danlamothe.30 for tips as I cover the Pentagon. Tell me what you're seeing, with thanks.

NEW: Trump officials extend National Guard’s D.C. mission through 2026. H/T earlier reporting from @halbritz.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

And so concludes another week w/ no routine news briefing at the Pentagon. The last on-camera briefing was held for the "new" right-wing press corps more than a month ago, on Dec. 2. The press space has been mostly vacant since the traditional press corps departed in October.

Our colleague @hannahnatanson.bsky.social is diligent, generous and resourceful. Proudly stand with her today.

Trump officials eye West Potomac Park for Garden of Heroes This area has long been relied upon by sports leagues of all kinds -- everything from softball to cricket. Such a move could upend that and eliminate some of D.C.'s only athletic fields. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Good Sunday evening to you. Lots going on. As always, I'm reachable at [email protected], here by DM, or on Signal at danlamothe.30. Tell me what you're seeing, with thanks.

And so concludes another week w/ no routine news briefing at the Pentagon. The last on-camera briefing was held for the "new" right-wing press corps more than a month ago, on Dec. 2. The press space has been mostly vacant since the traditional press corps departed in October.

NEW: The fleet of U.S. warships assembled in the Caribbean Sea during the run-up to Saturday’s capture of Nicolás Maduro has begun to thin, officials said Wednesday, though the Trump administration is expected to continue military operations in the region. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

The U.S. government assesses that about 75 people were killed during Saturday’s military raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, including dozens of fatalities that resulted from a gun battle at his compound in Caracas, U.S. officials said. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Wide right. An old phrase with new meaning. Brutal. But what a game.

NEW: This @washingtonpost.com account of Maduro’s capture is drawn from interviews with senior administration officials and other people familiar with the operation, as well as public remarks Saturday by Trump and his top aides. wapo.st/4aESWUB

Key Resolve is yet another one, that one in South Korea, as a Marine noted for me on another app. Lots of resolve going on around here.

The Venezuela operation name -- Absolute Resolve -- joins a list that also includes: Inherent Resolve (counter-ISIS campaign in Middle East), Atlantic Resolve (Rotational Army mission in Europe) Classic Resolve (1989 effort in the Philippines) Lots of resolve around here.

And it’s the official airfield of the United States military Academy at West Point

Appears that Maduro has landed in Newburgh, N.Y., home to Stewart Air National Guard Base. It's about 60 miles north of Manhattan, in a town of about 30,000.

New year, same deal: Your tips about all things ongoing on the U.S. defense beat appreciated on Signal at dan.lamothe30 Or reach out through email at Dan.Lamothe (at) washpost.com and we can take it from there. Please and thank you.

Trump’s remarks that the United States will need to “run” Venezuela immediately raise questions whether he will order U.S. military deployments to provide security. Such operations have a history of being unpredictable and dangerous for U.S. forces involved.

New year, same deal: Your tips about all things ongoing on the U.S. defense beat appreciated on Signal at dan.lamothe30 Or reach out through email at Dan.Lamothe (at) washpost.com and we can take it from there. Please and thank you.

Trump: “We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact.” That statement is false in several regards. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

First ship in this new battleship will be called the USS Defiant. Typically, that also would be the ship class's name.

POST EXCLUSIVE (GIFT LINK) Miller and others wanted to strike cartels in Mexico. But as the administration hardened the border, Mexico curbed cartel action, leaving them to look for other targets @ellenwapo.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social and @danlamothe.bsky.social report wapo.st/4p66tIm

My generation got to know him as one of three CNN reporters coming live from their Baghdad hotel room during the start of the first Gulf War. It was a new kind of war, carried live on air and he was one of the voices that brought it to us. RIP

"Hegseth’s decision ... is a glimpse into the depth of the administration’s concern that becoming too transparent about what is happening on the high seas could turn the American public against the strikes." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...

Stephen Miller to Vanity Fair photographer: “You know, you have a lot of power in the discretion you use to be kind to people.” Photographer to Miller: “You know, you do, too.” www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/... @shaneisland.bsky.social

Yes. Three ships with the ARG/MEU. About 4,000 there. Four ships with carrier group, including the Ford. That's about another 6,000. Then the last four on the list, deployed independently and in addition to the two task forces.

The Navy presently has 11 warships in the southern Caribbean Sea area, officials say. They are: USS Iwo Jima USS Fort Lauderdale USS San Antonio USS Gerald R. Ford USS Bainbridge USS Mahan USS Winston S. Churchill USS Stockdale USS Thomas Hudner USS Lake Erie USS Gettysburg

Trump calls for a "blockade" of Venezuela. Lots of questions here -- about legality, about end game, about growing risks to U.S. sons and daughters in uniform.

Exclusive: Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, people familiar with the matter said.

Unique, exclusive reporting like this aided by sources who share what they see. Reach out on Signal at danlamothe.30 any time with tips. Thanks.

How are the house snd senate armed services committees going to react to this?

For a generation of wars in the Middle East, Central Command was the main effort and dominated Pentagon discussions about resources. Under this plan, it wouldn't even be a combatant command. Sign of the times.

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in a major consolidation sought by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

INBOX: "Today, Congressman Pat Ryan launched a national push to remove Secretary of Defense Hegseth, debuting FireHegseth.com. Since Trump and MAGA refuse to hold Hegseth accountable, Ryan is making the comprehensive case against Hegseth’s tenure as Secretary of Defense, and includes a petition..."

"The investigation, which included several interviews with TSA staff and police officers, found Mace told officers 'I’m sick of your s---,' said that they were 'f---ing idiots' and 'f---ing incompetent' and yelled ... that she is a 'f---ing representative.'" www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The show is up and it’s SPICY! Ft. @danlamothe.bsky.social on leaving the pentagon, @annamerlan.bsky.social on the new pentagon press corps and Laura Poitras on her new movie “Cover Up.” Oh and pod bonus @micahloewinger.bsky.social spoke with Cam Higby about his new role. pca.st/episode/f23f...

NEW: ‘Signalgate’ report contradicts Pete Hegseth’s claim of ‘total exoneration’ www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

NEW: The New York Times got a State Dept. cable telling diplomats to destroy visas that had been approved and printed to give to Afghans. And diplomats are told to do scheduled interviews but not grant visas. US shuts all legal entry routes for Afghans. Our story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/u...

The Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee promises tonight to conduct "vigorous oversight" to determine what happened in boat strikes following new reporting today from the @washingtonpost.com raising questions about orders issued in the operation.

And so concludes another week w/ no routine Pentagon news briefing or gaggle. Previously: March 17: Sean Parnell, Lt. Gen. Grynkewich June 22: Pete Hegseth, Gen. Caine June 26: Hegseth, Caine July 2: Parnell Aug 7: Kingsley Wilson Aug 14: Wilson

Today's shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was horrific. It also has triggered a wide array of unverified rumors, allegations and theories. We're all making sense of this together. But best to share information with care.

1) @washingtonpost.com reported Thursday on a controversial policy downgrading how nooses and swastikas are labeled in the Coast Guard. 2) Admin officials attacked The Post, falsely alleging the reporting of "fake crap." 3) The CG said it would review policy language. 4) The CG reversed course.

If you are in the Coast Guard and received an email from Adm. Lunday tonight about the service's new policy on hate symbols, we'd love to see it. Please and thank you. Dan.Lamothe (at) washpost.com

Exclusive: The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols. The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”

WAPO SCOOP: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols wapo.st/3Mbd9a6

This is not the first time that gunfire has been aimed at U.S. personnel in Port-au-Prince this year, but it is the most significant, I'm told.

NEW: U.S. Marines in Haiti exchanged gunfire this week with suspected gang members, U.S. military officials said Saturday, in an incident that highlights the precarious security environment in the island nation. wapo.st/3LFc3Dw

Trump, in comments tonight, says he has "sort of made up my mind" about how to proceed with Venezuela, without specifying what he meant. Comes after days of deliberations that include an array of military options, officials say.

NEW: Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine returned to the White House on Friday for a second consecutive day of deliberations centered on potential military action in Venezuela, as U.S. forces in the region prepared for possible orders. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...