Lawmakers to Scrutinize Hegseth Strike-to-Kill Order
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Republican-led committees in the US Senate and House want a full accounting from the Pentagon after a report revealed that DefSec Pete Hegseth gave an order to kill two survivors on an alleged drug boat that had been struck by a US missile, reports The Washington Post. Drone footage showed two survivors from the original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of the boat after the initial missile attack Sept. 2, The Post reported Friday.
Hegseth denied the story, calling it “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” reports Washington Examiner on MSN.
The sinking of 21 boats and killing of dozens of accused “narco-terrorists” by the US military has sparked a debate among legal experts and lawmakers, reports Air & Space Magazine. The Trump administration asserts the president’s authority to order the strikes in a legal opinion drafted by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel. That opinion has not been made public.
In a YouGov America poll conducted last week, 50% of surveyed Americans said they approved — including 35% who strongly approved — of lawmakers telling members of the military they have a legal duty to refuse to carry out illegal orders, reports The Hill. The poll was conducted after six lawmakers created a video telling service members that they are obligated to refuse unlawful orders.
President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered as “closed in its entirety.” That assertion has raised more questions about the US pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, reports Military.com. It was unclear whether Trump was announcing a new policy or reinforcing the messaging around his campaign against Maduro, which has involved several strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, the West Virginia National Guard soldier shot last week in Washington, DC, died Thursday, reports NPR. An Afghan man who was once part of an anti-Taliban force supported by the CIA opened fire on Beckstrom and Guard member Andrew Wolfe just a few blocks from the White House. Wolfe is listed in critical condition.
West Virginia communities and officials honored Beckstrom and US Air Force Staff Sgt. Wolfe, 24, over the weekend, reports Military Times. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued a proclamation requesting that all West Virginians observe a statewide moment of silence or prayer on Friday afternoon to honor the soldiers. Morrisey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Beckstrom’s death.
National Guard shooting suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder, reports Maryland Matters. Lakanwal, 29, is an Afghan national who worked with US forces entered the country on Sept. 8, 2021, as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
A US Navy salvage vessel is searching the depths of the South China Sea for the remnants of a fighter jet and helicopter that crashed Oct. 26, reports Navy Times. A MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier went down less than an hour apart. All personnel involved in the crash were recovered safely and in stable condition.
LT COL Calischaran James has been relieved of his duties as commanding officer of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 (MALS-36) at Camp Foster, Okinawa, reports Military.com. The action was taken “due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command,” according to a service news release.
The US Navy is canceling its Constellation frigate program following months of cost overruns and delays but plans to keep two vessels that are already being built in Wisconsin, reports Defense News. The Navy will focus on new classes of warships the service can build faster, NavSec John Phelan said, reports USNI News.
The Government Accountability Office is sounding the alarm that a major Coast Guard shipbuilding program is at risk of “costly rework and “schedule delays” due to the service’s choice to begin construction prior to having a stable ship design, reports Breaking Defense. The program in question is the Offshore Patrol Cutter, a new class of ships needed to replace legacy vessels that focus on law enforcement and search and rescue operations, according to the report.
The E-7 Wedgetail built by Boeing is caught in a political tug-of-war, reports The Seattle Times. In June, the contract for up to 26 Wedgetails was canceled by the Pentagon citing program delays and cost overruns. Then, in a November continuing resolution to reopen the government after a 43-day shutdown, Congress allocated about $400 million to keep the E-7 program going. The Air Force agreed to pay $2.6 billion for the first two E-7 aircraft in a deal finalized in 2024.
Enabled Intelligence has been awarded a $708 million artificial intelligence training contract, reports Breaking Defense. Under the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Sequoia program, the startup will provide data labeling to allow AI and machine learning systems to discriminate among objects.
US ArmySec Dan Driscoll has gone from “drone guy” to Ukraine peace negotiator, reports NBC on MSN. Driscoll was planning a trip to Kyiv to discuss drone technology with his Ukrainian counterparts when his mission suddenly got more complex. The White House upgraded his role to international diplomat. Driscoll visited Ukraine last week to meet Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war.
Hackers working for Russian intelligence attacked an American engineering company this fall, investigators at the US cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf, announced last week, seemingly because the company had worked for a US municipality with a sister city in Ukraine. Military.com reports the findings reflect Moscow’s willingness to attack a growing list of governments, organizations, and private companies providing even tenuous support to Ukraine.
The Boy Scouts responded to DefSec Hegseth saying he wants the US military to cut ties with the organization, reports The Hill. “The Scouting movement has had a strong relationship with our nation’s military going back more than a century,” according to the group. “From the tremendous support of the West Virginia National Guard at our National Jamborees to Scout troops that provide stability for the children of military families deployed around the globe, our nation’s military has walked side-by-side with Scouts for generations.” A source told NPR that documents were being prepared at the Pentagon to communicate Hegseth’s decision to Congress.
A Rand Corporation report finds that research into traumatic brain injuries has neglected the effect of TBI on special operations forces, reports Military Times. Special operations personnel “experience higher rates of blast exposure and repetitive neurological stress in both combat and training compared with other service members,” according to the think tank’s report.
Marine Corps Commandant GEN Eric Smith said the Corps hit its fiscal 2026 retention goals just weeks after the target window opened, reports Marine Corps Times. This year’s numbers were met “earlier than ever before,” Smith said.
Contracts:
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $178,360,242 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded, fixed-price incentive (firm-target) undefinitized, advanced acquisition contract (N0001925C0070). This modification adds scope to procure economic order quantity material, parts, and components for four Lot 20 aircraft, 22 Lot 21 aircraft and 22 Lot 22 aircraft for F-35 cooperative program partners and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (59%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in December 2030. FMS customer funds in the amount of $36,360,242; and cooperative program partner funds in the amount of $142,000,000, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 26, 2025)
New South Associates Inc., Stone Mountain, Georgia (W912P9-26-D-A015); Stell Environmental Enterprises Inc., Exton, Pennsylvania (W912P9-26-D-A016); and ERG-Terracon JV2 LLC, Baltimore, Maryland (W912P9-26-D-A017) will compete for each order of the $40,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide multidisciplinary cultural resource-related services for projects undertaken by the St. Louis District, including terrestrial and marine archaeological investigations, historic preservation, architectural history, archival and knowledge management, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act summary and inventory, GIS and GPS services, object and collection moves, and ethnographic and historic studies. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 25, 2030. US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 26, 2025)
M1 Support Services LP, Denton, Texas, was awarded a $115,421,582 fixed-price-incentive-fee task order with cost-reimbursable line items for the T-38 aircraft maintenance program operations and maintenance services and sustainment. The contract provides for B-2 and U-2 pilots with a companion training capability and adversary air assets for the F-22 community. Work will be performed at Beale Air Force Base, California; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Langley AFB, Virginia; Tyndall AFB, Florida; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2030. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three proposals were received. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $115,421,582 are being obligated at the time of award. The Headquarters Acquisition Management Integration Center, Hampton, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA489026F0002). (Awarded on Nov. 25, 2025)
TrillaMed LLC., Bingham Farms, Michigan, was awarded a $14,920,080 firm-fixed-price delivery order (HT9425-25-FE073) against a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, competitively awarded contract to acquire autoclave systems and operating control systems at the US Army Medical Research Institutes for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland. Delivery is expected after award. Fiscal 2025 procurement funding in the amount of $11,974,344 was obligated at the time of the award; as well as $2,945,736 in fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds. The place of performance is Fort Detrick, Maryland. The Defense Health Agency, US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Contracts Branch 3, Fort Detrick, Maryland, was the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 29, 2025)
