Free Republic

A key lesson of the Ukraine War is that when we deploy certain types of precision guided munitions (PGMs), such as anti-tank missiles or man-portable air-defense systems like Stinger missiles, it takes years to manufacture new ones. We have also learned that the tooling needed to produce various types of PGMs no longer exists—indeed, in some cases entire factories have been dismantled. This means that if we want more PGMs, we will have to start from scratch.Another weakness of our defense manufacturing capability is that we depend heavily on global supply chains. Specialized parts may be produced in the U.S.,...

On May 14, 2025, Governor J. Kevin Stitt signed Oklahoma HB 2818 into law. This type of law is known as a Defensive Display law. It codifies and clarifies actions that are allowed during the defense of self, others, and property while being armed. HB 2818 was passed by the House with a 73-16 vote on March 25, 2025. It passed the Senate 39-7 on May 8, 2025. The law took effect immediately. From oklegislature.gov: 4. For purposes of this subsection, “defensive display of a firearm” includes, but is not limited to:a. verbally informing another person that the person possesses...

During much of the Cold War, America placed a high priority on defense of the American Homeland. Radars, Missiles, and Jet Interceptors were pervasive across the Continental United States. These capabilities withered greatly with the fall of the Wall dividing Berlin and Germany in 1989. Since that time, the American Homeland has been largely barren of defenses against hostile aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, drones, or rockets. The existing missile interceptors in California and Alaska are small in number and the rest of the defenses in the United States are spotty and almost insignificant. President Trump announced an end...

A man attacked a woman with a knife and then fatally stabbed a man before another man shot and killed the knife-wielding suspect in self-defense Tuesday at a South Hill apartment complex, according to the Spokane Police Department. Officers were called about 5:15 p.m. to an altercation at the Hart Terrace apartment building, 3308 E. 11th Ave., police said in a news release. Lt. Jay Kernkamp told reporters Tuesday that officers found two people injured in the parking lot of the complex. Police and other emergency personnel tried to save them, but both died, according to the release. Detectives believe...

In a parliamentary election in Trinidad and Tobago, held on April 28th, 2025, the United National Congress (UNC) party won 26 of 41 seats, returning Kamla Persad-Bissessar to power as Prime Minister after 10 years on the sidelines. From caribbeanamericanpassport.com: At age 73, Persad-Bissessar becomes the first person in the nation’s history to serve non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister, having previously held the office from 2010 to 2015. She remains the only woman to have led the twin-island Caribbean nation.Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar made reform of defense laws and access to legal firearms a core part of her campaign. Law-abiding citizens...

The U.S. State Department has determined and certified Cuba as a "not fully cooperating country" (NFCC) for not helping with counterterrorism efforts after the island nation failed to turn over at least 11 fugitives in 2024 to U.S. custody. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce made the announcement on Tuesday that the certification, which falls under Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act, will result in the prohibition on the sale or license for export of defense services to Cuba. "In 2024, the Cuban regime did not fully cooperate with the United States on counterterrorism," Bruce said in a statement....

U.S. intelligence chiefs ordered agencies to tighten surveillance on Greenland, the first tangible step toward President Donald Trump’s oft-stated goal of bringing the Arctic island under American control, sources leaked to The Wall Street Journal. The directive instructed the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Security Administration (NSA) and the CIA to identify Greenlandic and Danish figures who might back U.S. objectives and to gauge public sentiment toward American resource extraction, the outlet reported Tuesday. Its emergence triggered immediate pushback from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who accused unnamed officials of leaking in order to thwart the administration. “The Wall...

It’s a killer birthday gift. The legal defense fund for Luigi Mangione reached more than $1 million in donations Tuesday, with droves of starry-eyed supporters pitching in to help the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin on his 27th birthday. “Happy 27th Birthday to the man, the myth, the legend. You are so loved. May you stay healthy and strong and keep the fighting spirit inside you,” one anonymous fan wrote while donating $27 on Mangione’s birthday. “This is my 7th donation, and I will keep donating as long as I need to. You are fighting for your life, but know there...

Case: 25-1211201 Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025 Time: 6:59 p.m. Location: 2001 E. Riverside Drive. Victim (deceased): Marcos Valerio-Rodriguez, Hispanic male, 5/27/87 On Thursday, May 1, 2025, at approximately 6:59 p.m., Austin Police Department (APD) officers and Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) responded to a call that reported someone was shot at the Shell station located at 2001 E. Riverside Drive. Officers arrived on scene and located an unresponsive man with apparent gunshot wounds to his torso on the ground in the parking lot. Another man and a woman were also on scene. The injured male was later...

President Trump unveiled his 2026 budget outline Friday, proposing cuts totaling $163 billion to education, housing, medical research, foreign aid funding, energy and environmental protection — while seeking to boost defense spending to more than $1 trillion. The $163 billion cut in non-defense discretionary spending is a 22.6% reduction from current levels, ... The proposed cuts to government funding are in line with Trump’s greater mission to cut bureaucracy via the Department of Government Efficiency — and DOGE ... The defense budget calls for the elimination of “woke” and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs; a down-payment on a “Golden...

While the memo didn't strictly forbid “fun” it did attempt to ban dominos, cards, and video game tournaments before the Army made an about-face last week. ... The Army has canceled a memo that would have directed a defense contractor to cease providing ping-pong and other “recreational activities other than sports and fitness” for soldiers at Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring, Kuwait, said Lt. Col. Christina Wright, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Central Command. “All activities remain in place,” Wright told Task & Purpose on Monday, in response to a query about the letter of technical direction, or LOTD. “The...

According to a Space Force press release, which went out on May 6, another payload aboard the X-37B will be an experimental system designed by the Naval Research Laboratory that is capable of capturing solar power and beaming that energy back to Earth in the form of microwaves. Naval Research Laboratory’s head of beamed power has explicitly stated in the past that this system has enormous implications when it comes to long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition, it could allow satellites to provide reliable power anywhere on the planet or even to spacecraft or other satellites in orbit. In...

Thursday, April 17, the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department responded to a shooting on Chestnut Bluff and Maury City Road. According to the sheriff’s department, John King III was shot and killed in the 6000 block of Chestnut Bluff-Maury City Road. We learned on April 18 that it appeared to be domestic violence-related, and no charges were filed at the time. Wednesday, we spoke with District Attorney General Frederick Agee. He told us this was self defense and that his office would not be pursuing any charges. “She is six months pregnant and there were two other children in the household,”...

SALT LAKE CITY — Four people involved in an apparent robbery attempt at a hotel, resulting in the shooting deaths of two of their friends, have been charged. But no charges were filed against the alleged gunman. "We have charged all the appropriate people with criminal charges in this case," the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office told KSL.com on Thursday. Tiffani Marie Papach, 40, of West Jordan, and Kendra Diane Mitchell, 38, of Salt Lake City, were charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. Kevin Leroy...

Washington -- The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a “full-blown meltdown.” The interpersonal drama is not - at least yet -...

Two separate pieces attempting to lather up more Pete Hegseth controversy were published on Sunday, another coordinated campaign to take him down.There needs to be a rule that says “chaos” should be accompanied by a definition of the word anytime it’s used in a news article intended to get people upset about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. My guess is that if such a policy were in place, all articles about him and the alleged “chaos” happening at the department would never make it to print.The New York Times and Politico on Sunday published separate pieces attempting to lather up more...

Left-wing actor John Leguizamo, star of John Wick and Disney’s Encanto, recorded a series of videos for his fans and followers of himself reading a political manifesto called Project 2029, he says was written by Liz Cheney, as a path forward for democrats after their defeat last November. “This is from Liz Cheney. She had to do it, because, well, dear Democratic Party: I need more form you. You keep sending emails, begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time,” Leguizamo began in a video posted to the leftist echo chamber Bluesky on Thursday. Liz Cheney...

A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks. Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth. "We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time," a defense official told Fox News Digital.

The entire staff of the Defense Digital Service (DDS), the Pentagon’s decade-old technology development office, is leaving by the start of May, with nearly all individuals resigning, a current member of the office confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday. The mass exodus, first reported by Politico, means the service will effectively shutter in less than a month. Of the 14 members of the office, a dozen including Director Jennifer Hay have requested the Trump administration’s deferred resignation option and plan to leave by May 1. Two other staffers are also leaving in that time frame. “Although DDS was excited to...

A second member of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's inner circle has been placed on leave after an investigation into leaks of potentially sensitive information. Darin Selnick, the Defense Department's deputy chief of staff, was suspended from duty and escorted out of the building. This came on the heels of another Hegseth aide, Dan Caldwell, being escorted out of the Pentagon; see Hegseth Advisor Who Was Included in Leaked Signal Text Chain Escorted From Pentagon, Placed on Leave – RedState.Selnick is a retired Air Force officer and, like Caldwell, was part of a group Hegseth brought with him from Concerned...