SecDef has ordered a pause on offensive cyber and info operations while the US & Moscow are in talks over Ukraine, though planning for operations continues, according to sources. While such a pause is not unusual, the move comes as Trump warms to Putin. wapo.st/4kjGtrI

NEW: The Trump administration's termination of a sensitive program tracking the mass abduction of Ukrainian children may have compromised the database, rendering it inadmissible in court U.S. lawmakers tell me washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

SCOOP: The Trump admin is evaluating plans for the Pentagon to take control of a buffer zone along a sprawling stretch of the southern border and empower active-duty U.S. troops to temporarily hold migrants who cross into the U.S. illegally, officials say.

X has purged community notes from this Pentagon account that posts about transparency and accountability. 1: At 12:06am 2: At 9:44am

Scoop: Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, officials say washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

"A drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan last year was most likely preventable, according to a military investigation that determined numerous failures — from complacency and indecisiveness to outright negligence ..."

More than 2000 pages of an Army investigation revealed bravery and leadership failures at Tower 22, when a drone slipped through to kill 3 U.S. soldiers washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Many lawyers who argue for Trump at Supreme Court are heading for the exit At least half of the front-line attorneys in the solicitor general’s office plan to leave, per people familiar, as Trump’s emergency requests pile up.  By Ann Marimow washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/…

The Deputy Attorney General has fired Peter Carr, a longtime career public affairs specialist at DOJ. Carr previously served as a spokesman for both Special Counsel Robert Mueller and Special Counsel Jack Smith. Most recently he handled the national security portfolio for NSD

President Trump last night issued a memo to have the military to take more active role in immigration enforcement along the border, particularly in an area known as Roosevelt Reservation. Details about this plan first appeared in a Washington Post scoop I wrote last month.

US troops deployed for Trump’s border mission killed in vehicle rollover The fatalities are the first since Trump ordered the domestic deployment of thousands of service members as part of his crackdown on illegal migration By ⁦⁦Dan Lamothe⁩ washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Tice family says U.S. had knowledge of Austin’s location for years U.S. officials have long said their effort to track down Austin Tice, the journalist abducted in Syria in 2012, yielded no reliable information as to his whereabouts. wapo.st/44eWQQN

Hegseth escalates targeting of race, gender in military’s academic settings as Pentagon’s war on DEI grows By ⁦Andrew deGrandpré⁩ washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

In pro-military Nebraska, a lawmaker’s stand over Hegseth tests the GOP washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration plans to spend up to $250 million of foreign assistance funds to remove and return people who fled active conflict zones, including 700,000 Ukrainian and Haitian migrants By Adam Taylor and Martine Powers wapo.st/3Fm4Ipq

Pentagon says it has accepted Qatari luxury jet for Air Force One use washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghans’ deportation protection - from me & ⁦Emily Wax⁩ washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

NEW: Within Pete Hegseth’s divided inner circle, a ‘cold war’ endures A deep dive on who the defense secretary has left in his inner circle, where personality conflicts, raised voices, and paranoia are all common. MORE ⬇️

Scoop: Trump’s AF1 deal with Qatar has not been finalized despite the administration's claims. Qatar is asking the US to clarify that the deal for the luxury jet was initiated by the US and that Qatar is not responsible for any future transfers of the plane

Exclusive | Federal Authorities Probe Effort to Impersonate White House Chief of Staff - WSJ wsj.com/politics/polic…