Recent articles
May 14, 2026
A Top U.S. Commander Dismisses Reports of Civilian Deaths in Iran
Adm. Brad Cooper said a strike on an Iranian school may have been the only civilian casualty incident of the war.
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2026
Gen. Caine’s Silence on Iran War Leaves Questions About Military Strategy
The president’s top military adviser is walking a tightrope as he leads the military through a divisive and unpopular war.
www.nytimes.com
May 6, 2026
Trump Says U.S. Pausing Efforts to Guide Ships Through Strait Blocked by Iran
President Trump said a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would “remain in full force.” The shift came after the defense secretary said U.S. efforts to free trapped vessels would continue.
www.nytimes.com
May 4, 2026
The U.S. Army’s ‘Big Experiment’ in the Arctic Cold
How would soldiers from places like Florida, Texas and Georgia fight and persevere in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees?
www.nytimes.com
May 2, 2026
Hegseth’s and Moulton’s Parallel Lives Collide Over Iran
The defense secretary and Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat, debated the Iran war through the prism of their shared experiences fighting Iraq.
www.nytimes.com
April 30, 2026
Hegseth Cites Falsehood to Defend His Firing of Senior Officers
The defense secretary said at a House hearing that President Barack Obama had fired 197 generals, a figure that the Pentagon previously acknowledged was false.
www.nytimes.com
April 29, 2026
Hegseth Cites Falsehood to Defend His Firing of Senior Officers
The defense secretary said at a House hearing that President Barack Obama had fired 197 generals, a figure that the Pentagon previously acknowledged was false.
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2026
Trump’s Dreams for a Battleship Led to His Navy Secretary’s Ouster
The Navy secretary, John Phelan, was supposed to deliver the first of the president’s ships by 2028. The timeline was nearly impossible.
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2026
Navy Secretary John Phelan Is Leaving the Pentagon and the Trump Administration
John Phelan is leaving the Pentagon after months of tension with Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon leaders. The tumult comes as the Navy has been engaged in war with Iran.
www.nytimes.com
April 21, 2026
Pentagon to Stop Requiring Members of Military to Get Flu Vaccines
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the mandate “overreaching” in announcing the policy change. The vaccine will remain available to service members who want to be inoculated.
www.nytimes.com
April 7, 2026
Trump’s Threats of War Crimes Intensify Pressure on General Caine
The president’s apocalyptic rhetoric clashes with the responsibility of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to protect the military’s honor.
www.nytimes.com
April 5, 2026
A Harrowing Race Against Time to Find a Downed U.S. Airman in Iran
For the Iranians, the Air Force colonel whose fighter jet had been shot down was possible leverage. For the U.S. military, finding him was a moral imperative.
www.nytimes.com
April 5, 2026
U.S. Rescues Downed Air Force Officer Deep Inside Iran, Trump Says
An Air Force officer of a F-15E Strike Eagle shot down on Friday by Iran spent a day in hostile territory with little more than a pistol for protection.
www.nytimes.com
April 4, 2026
Trump Pledged a Quick End to the Iran War, but He Hasn’t Explained How
President Trump bet that American firepower could cow Iran into compliance. So far, Iran’s leaders have been unwilling to quit.
www.nytimes.com
April 2, 2026
Hegseth Fires Army Chief Amid Battle With Its Leaders
Senior Army officers reacted with anger and frustration to news of Gen. Randy George’s dismissal, characterizing it as the latest blow to the service.
www.nytimes.com
March 27, 2026
Hegseth Criticized for Removing Four Officers From Promotion List
Bitter rifts have opened over the defense secretary’s campaign to reverse policies that he says are prejudiced against white officers.
www.nytimes.com
March 27, 2026
Hegseth Strikes Two Black and Two Female Officers From Promotion List
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to remove officers from a one-star promotion list has spurred allegations of racial and gender bias.
www.nytimes.com
March 23, 2026
Pentagon Officials Weigh Deployment of Airborne Troops for Iran War
The combat forces would come from a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours.
www.nytimes.com
March 20, 2026
Hegseth Invokes Divine Purpose to Justify Military Might
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has imbued U.S. military actions with a Christian moral underpinning that suggests they are divinely sanctioned.
www.nytimes.com
March 17, 2026
Aide Accused by Hegseth of Leaking Is Hired for Intelligence Job
Dan Caldwell will serve as an adviser to senior intelligence officials. His hiring signals the end of a high-profile investigation.
www.nytimes.com
March 13, 2026
U.S. KC-135 Refueling Plane Crashes in Iraq, Military Says
The crash was not because of hostile fire or friendly fire, U.S. Central Command said.
www.nytimes.com
March 12, 2026
A Weakened Iran Hits Back by Strangling the Vital Strait of Hormuz
The threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are complicating President Trump’s calculations about how and when to end the war.
www.nytimes.com
March 12, 2026
How Hegseth Came to See Moral Purpose in War as Weakness
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bellicose and vengeful rhetoric describing the military’s war in Iran grew out of his experience in Iraq.
www.nytimes.com
March 3, 2026
Trump Embraces U.S. Military Power After Years of Caution
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq offered a stark lesson in the limits of military force. The Iran attacks suggest an era of postwar wariness is over.
www.nytimes.com