WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the “Seditious Six,” the Democrats who urged service members to disregard what they called illegal orders from the Trump administration, The Daily Wire has learned. The FBI is now scheduling interviews with the members of Congress involved.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) appeared in a video urging service members and intelligence officers to &#8220;refuse illegal orders.&#8221;
Both the DOJ and the FBI confirmed to The Daily Wire that they are scheduling interviews with these lawmakers. After this story was published, the six lawmakers put out a joint statement accusing the president of &#8220;using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.&#8221;
In their Nov. 18 video, the lawmakers said: &#8220;We want to speak directly to members of the military and the intelligence community who take risks each day to keep Americans safe.&#8221;
<blockquote>
&#8220;We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this constitution. Right now, threats to our constitution aren&#8217;t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home.&#8221;
&#8220;Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our constitution. We know this is hard, and that it&#8217;s a difficult time to be a public servant. But whether you are serving in the CIA, the army, or navy, the air force, your vigilance is critical. Know that we have your back, because now, more than ever, the American people need you.&#8221;
</blockquote>
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the lawmakers should be arrested and tried for &#8220;seditious behavior,&#8221; saying their actions were &#8220;punishable by death.&#8221; The president later clarified that he was &#8220;not threatening death&#8221; to the lawmakers, but rather pointing out the severity of their conduct.
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also denounced the video, calling it &#8220;despicable.&#8221; Hegseth, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despicable-reckless-and-false-hegseth-coins-new-nickname-for-dems-pushing-military-insurrection?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=%E2%80%98Despicable%2C+Reckless%2C+And+False%E2%80%99%3A+Hegseth+Coins+New+Nickname+For+Dems+Pushing+Military+Insurrection">coined the term</a> &#8220;Seditious Six&#8221; to describe the Democratic lawmakers, argued that while the video may seem harmless to civilians, &#8220;it carries a different weight inside the military.&#8221; 
&#8220;This was a politically-motivated influence operation: It never named a specific &#8216;illegal order.&#8217; It created ambiguity rather than clarity,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It used carefully scripted, legal-sounding language. It subtly reframed military obedience around partisan distrust instead of established legal processes.&#8221;
&#8220;In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion,&#8221; Hegseth warned. &#8220;The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command. As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing — sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation. The [Department of War] won’t fall for it or stand for it.&#8221;
On Monday, the Department of War singled out Kelly, stating that it had &#8220;received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.).&#8221; Kelly is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because he is a retired Naval officer.
&#8220;In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures,&#8221; the War Department said. &#8220;This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality.&#8221;
Meanwhile, Kelly and his fellow Democrats argue that the president and the War Department seek to intimidate them from encouraging troops to disobey &#8220;illegal&#8221; orders — though on Monday, Sen. Slotkin <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/23/elissa-slotkin-video-troops-disobey-donald-trump-cannot-name-one-illegal-order-martha-raddatz-abc/">admitted on ABC News</a> that she could not cite any illegal order issued by Trump.
&#8220;If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,&#8221; Kelly said in a post that described his service in the United States Navy. &#8220;I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Donald Trump can try to intimidate me, but it’s not going to work. My job is to defend the Constitution and hold any president accountable. <a href="https://t.co/FzfW8qQz5f">pic.twitter.com/FzfW8qQz5f</a>
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMarkKelly/status/1993173763299721688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
The lawmakers released a joint statement on November 20, saying in response to Trump: &#8220;This isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.&#8221;
“In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated,&#8221; they argued, adding, as they did in the closure of their video: “Don’t Give Up the Ship!”

Mark Kelly 10/28/25

DOJ, FBI Launch Investigation Into ‘Seditious Six’ Democrats, Interviews Set To Begin

Department of War

Donald Trump

Mark Kelly

Pentagon

Pete Hegseth

Just over one month after his landmark meeting with the military&#8217;s top brass, War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an explanation for his crusade against the &#8220;beardos&#8221; who did not adhere to the military&#8217;s personal grooming standards.
Hegseth, who mentioned the &#8220;beardos&#8221; in his speech to the gathered military leaders in late September, said on Wednesday that he was referencing the rapidly growing number of men at the Pentagon who had claimed affiliation with the Nordic Pagan or Old Norse religion in an apparent attempt to skirt the military&#8217;s shaving regulations.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> goes NUCLEAR on &#8216;beardos&#8217;: “Do you know how many troops claim to be Nordic pagan?” <a href="https://t.co/AYUKc6zJbr">https://t.co/AYUKc6zJbr</a> <a href="https://t.co/eQnss2q0Sn">pic.twitter.com/eQnss2q0Sn</a>
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1988659385862848925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I also said we don&#8217;t need to be a military of beardos anymore,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;Do you know how many troops claim to be Nordic Pagan?&#8221;
Over laughter from around the room, he continued, &#8220;No, suddenly it&#8217;s become this real religious, fake religious affiliation inside the Pentagon where troops claim to be Nordic Pagan so they can grow a beard — and no one challenges them on it because no one has upheld standards for a long time. So now a quarter of the platoon is sporting beards because they&#8217;re now suddenly Nordic Pagans. We&#8217;re not doing that stuff anymore.&#8221;
&#8220;There will be some people that say, well, Pete, why would a secretary care about beards and PT standards?&#8221; he added. &#8220;When you let the small things go inside your formations, you create a climate of a lack of discipline, where standards cannot be enforced. If you can&#8217;t enforce them on the small things, it gets far more difficult to enforce them on even more meaningful things &#8230; the entire command structure is flipped upside down.&#8221;
While many men who practice the Nordic Pagan religion do grow beards in order to honor specific gods or simply to express masculinity and status, they are not required to.
Military men are expected to keep their faces clean-shaven both for the uniform appearance and because the issued protective masks — designed to protect service members in the event of a gas attack — may not seal properly if the wearer&#8217;s face is not smooth.

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting At The White House

Pete Hegseth Explains How The Pentagon Came To Be Filled With ‘Beardos’

Pete Hegseth Explains How The Pentagon Came To Be Filled With 'Beardos'

Military

Politics

A senior State Department adviser who had repeatedly met with Chinese government officials was arrested after investigators discovered more than a thousand pages of classified documents at his home, according to the FBI.
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that 64-year-old Ashley Tellis was arrested by the FBI over the weekend and charged with the unlawful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act. Tellis has worked for the State Department since 2001 and has a Top Secret security clearance.
An FBI raid of his Vienna, Virginia, home on October 11 found more than 1,000 pages of documents marked “Top Secret” or “Secret,” according to an FBI <a href="https://ecf.vaed.uscourts.gov/doc1/189114572546">affidavit</a>. The document also said that Tellis had met with Chinese government officials to discuss international affairs and received a red gift bag at one such meeting. 
“We are fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic. The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
Tellis, an expert on India and South Asian affairs, is a naturalized American citizen who was born and raised in India. He had been a contractor for the Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
&#8220;Ashley J. Tellis is a widely respected scholar and senior policy advisor. At the next court hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday and in our related filings on Monday, we will be vigorously contesting the allegations brought against him, specifically any insinuation of his operating on behalf of a foreign adversary,&#8221; lawyers for Tellis said in a statement to The Daily Wire. 
On September 12, the affidavit says that surveillance footage captured Tellis arriving at a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility at a Pentagon building in Alexandria, Virginia, where he “had a co-worker print multiple classified documents for him that day.” Later, after he had left, investigators found a document marked “TOP SECRET” in a file folder at a cubicle used by Tellis, the FBI said. He returned on October 10, allegedly putting the documents into his briefcase before leaving the building. 
In a different instance, Tellis entered a State Department building on September 25 and printed hundreds of pages of secret information on Air Force techniques and procedures, the affidavit says. He also printed additional information on military aircraft capabilities, according to the FBI. 
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“The documents were generally found in four locations: (1) a four-drawer locked filing cabinet in a closet in the basement home office area; (2) a two-drawer locked filing cabinet in the basement home office area; (3) in the vicinity of a desk in the basement home office area; and (4) in three large black trash bags in an unfinished storage room in the basement,” the affidavit says. 
The FBI also said that Tellis had multiple meetings with Chinese officials at Northern Virginia restaurants from September 15, 2022, to September 2, 2025. 
The first meeting occurred at a restaurant in Fairfax when Tellis allegedly arrived with a manila envelope, and Chinese officials arrived with a “gift bag,” according to the affidavit. Tellis left without the manila envelope, the FBI said.
During a different meeting in Fairfax on April 11, 2023, Tellis allegedly discussed Iran-China relations and artificial intelligence. On March 19, 2024, Tellis was overheard talking about America’s relationship with Pakistan with Chinese officials, according to the affidavit. 
At the most recent meeting, Tellis was given a red gift bag by Chinese officials on September 2 in Fairfax, according to the FBI.
If convicted, Tellis could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Profile Shoot Of Ashley Tellis, Senior Associate With Carnegie Endowment For International Peace

State Dept Insider Charged Under Espionage Act After Mishandling Secret Docs, Meetings With China

Communist China

Crime

State Department

Virginia

The Secretary of War and the President of the United States spoke before hundreds of top U.S. military leaders on Tuesday.
This event had been touted for a few days in advance. The idea was to have all the top U.S. military brass gather at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. 
There was a lot of speculation about the meeting. Was it going to be an announcement about Ukraine? Or China? Or was it going to be about Venezuela?
It turns out, it was going to be a speech from Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, and a speech from the President of the United States, about recalibrating our military approach, particularly internally.
Pete Hegseth has spoken about this a lot over the past few years. I recorded an episode of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhVMY0AxZd0">Sunday Special</a> with Pete Hegseth about a year ago. He had a new book out, “The War on Warriors,” in which he wrote about wokeness in the military, lowered standards in the military, and the fact that more militaries around the world were not fearing us as much because we had implemented all of these left-wing ideologies within the military. This has legitimately been a big bugaboo of Hegseth’s for years.
Well, now he has the opportunity to change all of that because, of course, he sits atop the Department of War.
The event, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/30/hegseth-military-meeting-trump-generals/">The Washington Post</a>, was organized by Hegseth&#8217;s team at the Pentagon. He summoned generals and admirals from command posts throughout the world to Virginia.
General Dan Caine, Trump&#8217;s hand-selected Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told attendees in his opening comments that the event was an unprecedented opportunity, and an honor for assembled senior officers and their top enlisted advisers to hear directly from the military civilian leadership. 
Hegseth was going after wokeness in the military again, and he railed against what he called “Fat dudes and men in dresses.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2290-warfighters-hegseth-trump-launch-assault-on-woke-military"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-974957 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
So, optically, yes, I understand the Left being very, very upset about it. But it happens to be something that the American people agree with, along with the people who enlist in our military. Journalists around the nation are very, very upset about what Pete Hegseth did yesterday because they believe the military should be a place for social engineering, as opposed to a place for warfighters.
Well, Secretary Hegseth was a grunt. He&#8217;s a person who served in the trenches, and on the front lines. And that means he is significantly more in touch with the feelings of people who actually serve in the military, than certainly the people in the world of journalism — and truthfully, more than many of these sorts of political generals who have spent the last 40 years rising in the ranks.
Which means that recalibrating along those lines is actually not a bad thing at all.
As Secretary Hegseth <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/defense-secretary-hegseth-addresses-senior-military-leaders/666410">said yesterday</a>:
<blockquote>Frankly, it&#8217;s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it&#8217;s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It&#8217;s a bad look. It is bad. And it&#8217;s not who we are. So, whether you&#8217;re an Airborne Ranger or a “Chairborne Ranger,” a brand new private, or a four star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass the PT test.</blockquote>
This, apparently, was very upsetting to folks. 
He also went after what he called “Dudes in dresses,” which was a specific reference to the fact that under the Biden administration, there were legitimate videos of troops doing drag as an attempt to drive people into the military. I can&#8217;t think of anything that would drive the types of young men who want to join the military away from the military more than men in drag.
Honestly, that does not seem like a recruiting pitch for the U.S. military. And you can see it in the numbers. The Biden administration was having a very, very difficult time fulfilling its recruiting quotas. From literally the minute Pete Hegseth was announced as Secretary of Defense, those numbers began to rise.
Hegseth then <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/defense-secretary-hegseth-addresses-senior-military-leaders/666410">said</a>: 
<blockquote>This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct, and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department, to rip out the politics. No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions. No more debris. As I&#8217;ve said before and will say again, we are done with that sh**.</blockquote>
People are apparently angry about this. And there&#8217;s also a fair bit of gaslighting going on here. 
So the way that this works is that when the Left takes over an institution, they skew that institution. And then, when somebody who is not on the Left takes over the institution and says, “We&#8217;re going to unskew it,” the Left then says, “How dare you do this? How dare you politicize?”
They do this with so many institutions in American life. For example, take higher education, a domain once designed to actually create better American citizens, people who are supposed to be in touch with their civilization. They took an institution that was supposed to be at least titularly nonpartisan and made it highly partisan in favor of the Left.
And then people get into power who are not on the Left. And they say, &#8220;Let&#8217;s shift it back. Let&#8217;s shift it back toward the center.&#8221; And the Left says, “How dare you touch our hallowed institutions? How dare you attempt to change the underlying politics of that institution?”
The same thing in the military. There is an attempt by the Left to hijack the military and use it for a wide variety of social engineering causes, ranging from climate change to DEI to gender identity.
And now, when the Right takes over and says, “Hey, we&#8217;re not going to do any of that stuff, we&#8217;re actually going to go back to the status quo where the military was about winning wars,” the Left responds, “How dare you? How dare you politicize? How dare you intervene? How dare you get involved in politics?” This is an exercise in gaslighting.
The Left is perfectly willing to gut these institutions and wear their faces around like a mask from “The Silence of the Lambs.” But the minute the Right says, “Let&#8217;s restore those institutions to what they were before,” the Left then claims politicization.
It’s nonsense.

President Trump And Pete Hegseth Address U.S. Senior Military Leaders At Quantico

Hegseth To Top Military Brass: No More Dudes In Dresses

American General

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Opinion

Transgender

U.S. Military

Washington D.C.

Woke Culture

In 2001, I was a young, brand-new private who had joined the Army to provide a better life for his family. I also had hopes of using the military to pay for my education. But when I woke up on the morning of September 11 at Fort Benning, Georgia, I did not immediately realize how my life was about to change.
After breakfast chow, we loaded our belongings onto a truck and then marched over to our basic training unit. We arrived around 0900. My uncles had warned me about the initial “shark attack” by the drill instructors once we arrived. The first week would be the hardest. I was already so nervous I could hardly connect to what was happening. Yes, we did get yelled at when we arrived, but it was not nearly as bad as I had been led to believe.
After we received our bags and platoon assignments, we were escorted to our bays and assigned bunks. Before they left, the drill sergeants asked if anyone had family in Washington, D.C. or New York City. Since none of us really knew each other, the bay was quiet. Then, a few soldiers did leave. One drill sergeant who stayed with us did not smoke us or push us to exhaustion, instead, he just kept saying over and over: “We are going to war.”
At first, I thought it was just infantry motivation, the kind of thing I had heard about from older family members who served. I hadn’t yet connected the dots.
It was not until lunch that the rumors really started to circulate. The soldiers who had been pulled aside earlier were allowed back in, and the “private network” immediately began spreading word: the Pentagon had been attacked, and the World Trade Center had fallen.
My first thought was that they were just trying to mess with us and get us ready for the next 22 weeks of OSUT (One Station Unit Training). But since the drills were not yelling at us like we expected, that thought began to subside.
After lunch we were marched back to the bays. Then, all four drill sergeants left, putting a brand-new soldier PG (Platoon Guide) in charge to keep us busy. A short while later, they rolled in one of those old box TVs and turned on the news. We sat there and watched everything unfold.
That night, they let us call our families. I remember my grandmother being terrified that I might go overseas in a week. We were instructed to reassure our families that we would not be going to war anytime soon. But like me, my family did not yet fully understand military life.
We were a motivated group of over 300 infantry soldiers. Only one soldier failed to graduate due to injury and not a single one went AWOL. At graduation, our drill sergeants told us that was something to be proud of.
Looking back, so much about that first week stuck with me. We were supposed to be bussed to our unit, but the contractor could not bring the buses onto post, so we marched. There were no “shark attacks,” instead the drill sergeants were glued to the news in the day room that morning. The very next day, they had us standing at a gate with “black rubber ducks” (rubber M-16 rifles), staged way behind the real soldiers, Humvees, and Bradleys, as part of a show of force.
The week of September 11, 2001, was the beginning of a journey I could never have imagined. Over the next 22 years of active duty service, I came to believe deeply that Americans are strong and that we live in one of the greatest countries in the world. I have visited the World Trade Center many times, both at the temporary memorial and the new one. I have stood at the Pentagon memorial and a few years ago I saw the 9/11 Boots of the Fallen memorial at the Pentagon before they were removed. Each visit reminded me of how much was lost and how much unity we found in the days that followed.
One of the most troubling truths is that it took something so horrific to bring America together. In the days following the attacks we leaned on each other and stood united. We remembered what it meant to be one people. Today, it often feels like we are further apart than we were before that tragic event. Maybe it is because of technology, or the way people can now speak without consequence, spreading lies and division.
Still, I choose to hold onto hope. Hope that we can find our way back to that same spirit of unity, where truth matters, where respect is given freely, and where we see the best in one another once again. The challenges ahead may be different, but so is our strength when we remember that we are stronger together.
* * *
Eric Arellano enlisted in the U.S. Army as an 11C Indirect Fire Infantryman, but reclassified as a 68P radiography tech after an injury sidelined him. He retired as a Sergeant First Class (E7) in 2023 after serving 22 years. Both of his sons and his son-in-law have also served in the military. Eric lives in Texas with his wife, Victoria.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Ft. Benning (GA) Recruits May Be Training For Iraq

The Morning America Was Attacked, I Became A Soldier

9/11

U.S. Army

The terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, were a wake-up call for America, and I sincerely hope it is not one we as a nation have forgotten. There are still folks out there who hate our freedoms and our way of life.
We are no longer protected by oceans and geographical distance from potential enemies. We must always remember we are a nation at risk and be prepared for the next attack. I do believe in peace through strength.
I was the Assistant Division Commander for the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division on the 11th of September in 2001. I was in the middle of packing to head to the airport when my wife Sarah asked me to turn on the television. Those TV images are still etched in my mind today, even though the event occurred 24 years ago.
<div id="attachment_971107" style="width: 783px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-971107" class="size-large wp-image-971107" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1374462-773x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: (JAPAN OUT) (VIDEO CAPTURE) (Series 1/4) Hijacked United Airlines flight 175 flies towards the south tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 in New York City. The plane is one of four hijacked that morning and is the second plane to be flown into the World Trade Center buildings. (Photo by CNN via Getty Images)" width="773" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1374462-773x576.jpg 773w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1374462-300x224.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1374462-768x572.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1374462.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 773px) 100vw, 773px" />CNN via Getty Images</div>
In the past, I deployed to Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Kosovo. Since the attacks on 9/11 I deployed to Iraq three times in varying capacities. And clearly, I am not alone. All uniformed military have had shared similar experiences. As I reflect back on that time, we went from a nation enjoying peace and prosperity to a nation at war.
In order to maintain our freedoms we need a strong military. We cannot afford to let the Department of Defense become a bill payer for programs not directly tied to our national security. We need to ensure all branches of our military are a ready fighting force — well equipped, well trained, and prepared to rapidly respond to any threat at a moment’s notice.
We also must actively support our nation’s veterans and their families because they sacrificed much to ensure we have the freedoms we enjoy today. Less than 1% of our country’s population serve in uniform at any one time, but we all enjoy the freedoms provided by that select few. Unfortunately, 76% of our population acknowledges that they have no idea what our veterans are going through because they just don’t know any veterans. That is wrong and must be addressed.
I remain concerned about the future of our great nation and want to ensure our kids and grandkids enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today. As Ronald Reagan reminded us, freedom is only one generation removed from extinction. Let’s use today to reflect on those freedoms and commit to do everything we can to maintain them for generations to come.
* * *
Rick Lynch was privileged to serve 35 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Lieutenant General. During his time in the Army he commanded at all levels, from a platoon of 30 soldiers to a corps of 65,000. His last job in the Army was commanding all U.S. Army installations, with a workforce of 120,000. He now is the President of R. Lynch Enterprises, focused on building concerned, caring, adaptive leaders across our nation. He is the author of &#8220;Adapt or Die,&#8221; &#8220;Work Hard, Pray Hard,&#8221; and &#8220;We&#8217;re Not Robots.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Correction: A previous version stated that the author had deployed to Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Kosovo after 9/11. Those conflicts took place before 9/11. The correction has been made.

World Trade Center Attacked

I Was An Army Commander On 9/11. I’m Still Concerned About America’s Readiness.

I Was An Army Commander On 9/11. I'm Still Concerned About America’s Readiness.

New York City

Radical Islamic Terror

In a show of grit and camaraderie, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled the &#8220;Pete and Bobby Challenge&#8221; on Monday with a Pentagon gym showdown.
The duo released a high-energy video urging Americans to test themselves with 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups against the clock—a fitness feat that saw Hegseth, 45, narrowly edge out the 71-year-old Kennedy, while military personnel in the room crushed the same routine.
&#8220;We had our Pete and Bobby challenge today, 50 pull-ups. 100 push-ups. You try to get under five minutes,&#8221; Kennedy explained, calling the five-minute goal the top standard. “Pete and I are going to do our part and encourage America’s youth to do this challenge&#8230;in any order you want in less than 10 minutes.”
Hegseth, a battle-tested veteran, completed the challenge in 5:25, while Kennedy, who wore blue jeans, finished in 5:48.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump set the example by putting forth efforts to make America healthy again.
That’s why we are introducing the Pete and Bobby challenge.
100 push-ups. 50 pull-ups. 10 minutes. <a href="https://t.co/ppRrwqSUm0">pic.twitter.com/ppRrwqSUm0</a>
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1957557737073557664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s all about making America healthy again. We&#8217;re going to be fit, not fat,&#8221; said Hegseth. &#8220;We want recruits that are ready to go.&#8221;
Shot in the Pentagon Athletic Center, the video shows various service members participating in the challenge, with Hegseth exhorting one contender. Turning to the camera, declaring, “The Secretary of Defense shark attack,” then leans down to him, yelling, “You can do better! &#8230; Let’s go!”
After celebrating one participant completing the routine in just 2:43, Hegseth joked, “Maybe we should send the challenge to [Transportation Secretary] Sean Duffy! &#8230; I’m going to throw it on the military side, too. Let’s challenge the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, &#8216;Razin&#8217; Caine! And then my friend on TV, [Fox News journalist] Will Cain. How about the Pete and Bobby challenge, 100 push-ups, 50 pull-ups?”
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“We hope Americans will take this challenge and you’ll pass it along so that we’re fit the way we need to and be healthy and have a healthy fighting force,” Hegseth enthused.
“Let’s make America healthy again,” Kennedy concludes.
“Amen,” Hegseth, a devoutly religious Christian, agrees.
In March, Hegseth issued a <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4118161/rapid-force-wide-review-of-military-standards/">memo</a> ordering a department-wide review of existing standards set by U.S. military branches pertaining to physical fitness. He declared, “We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world&#8217;s most lethal and effective fighting force. Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging.”
In April, Hegseth gave a speech at the Army War College in which he <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/4164715/remarks-by-secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth-at-the-army-war-college-as-deliver/">stated</a>, “To be lethal, you have to trust that the warrior alongside you in battle or the troops fighting in the unit that many of you will lead are capable, truly physically capable of doing what is necessary under fire. You need to be fit, not fat, sharp, not shabby.”

MixCollage-19-Aug-2025-07-42-AM-5614

Hegseth And RFK Jr. Launch ‘Pete And Bobby Challenge’ With High-Energy Gym Showdown

Health

MAHA

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The following is an edited excerpt from a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-250810-member-exclusive?elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Morning+Wire&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">Morning Wire Weekend Edition interview</a> where Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley sat down with U.S. Navy retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. They discussed his recent trip to Taiwan, where he had meetings with senior officials, including the president and senior military leadership. Here are five key takeaways. 

* * *
<h3>1. America Is Taiwan’s Primary Key Ally</h3>
First, they&#8217;re very appreciative of the United States. They understand the United States is their key ally and they make that very clear. No one else sells them weapons. No one else stands by them when they&#8217;re threatened by the Chinese. That doesn&#8217;t mean they don&#8217;t get some rhetorical support from the Australians or the Japanese on occasion or from European countries. But when it comes to ship movements, aircraft movements, it&#8217;s us. So number one, they get that.
<h3>2. Taiwan Will Increase Defense Spending — But Only Buys From America</h3>
Number two, Taiwan understands that we expect them to spend more on their defense. So they&#8217;re taking their defense spending from about 2.5% this year to 3% next year. Then, I think, they&#8217;ll go to 4% and eventually 5%. The irony is, to get the spending up that high, they can only buy the weapons from us. We&#8217;re the only country who sells to them.
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-threats-we-face-how-we-win/id1576594336?i=1000721366067" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h3>3. America’s Foreign Military Sales Program Is A “Dumpster Fire”</h3>
I say this gently, our foreign military sales program is a dumpster fire. As a result, it takes seven years to get them javelin missiles; eight years to get them stinger, man-portable air missiles. These should take two, three years. So, part of the problem is U.S. foreign military sales and delivery. But the Taiwanese are going to do everything they can to get themselves to three, four, and eventually 5% [Defense spending] by the end of the Trump administration. So that&#8217;s a big deal. 
<h3>4. It Could Take Nine Years For American Weapons To Arrive In Taiwan</h3>
Our foreign military sales overseas are hampered by a bureaucratic process inside the Department of Defense and Department of State. They have to work together. They don&#8217;t do a great job. It&#8217;s also hampered by how we integrate with the weapons providers, like Raytheon or Lockheed Martin, and the back and forth with the host country. For example, we recently did a harpoon sale with Taiwan, an anti-ship cruise missile that&#8217;s really critical to the fight. The sale was locked and first approved in 2020. And I&#8217;d say the delivery is going to be completed by 2029, if we&#8217;re lucky. That should take two, three, four years max — not nine years. So, for military sales, we have a backed up docket with Taiwan alone of $12 billion – it was $18 billion just four years ago. This is way too much. Countries cannot rely on us for timely delivery of weapons if it takes five, seven, or nine years to get weapons.
<div id="attachment_960047" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-960047" class="size-large wp-image-960047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-864x576.jpg" alt="KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN - JULY 14: Taiwan President, Lai Ching-te, inspects the Han Kuang 41 exercise - Naval defensive mine-laying drill on July 14, 2025 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Taiwan. Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercise kicked off July 9 as the island steps up preparations against a potential invasion by China. Touted as the largest and longest iteration to date, this year’s drill will span around 10 days—roughly double the length of last year’s exercise. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Annabelle Chih/Getty Images</div>
<h3>5. Taiwan Must Prepare For Non-Military Attacks</h3>
Taiwan really understands that, in addition to preparing for the most likely, most dangerous scenario of a cross-strait invasion, they also have to prepare for another most likely scenario  — China attacking their societal resilience, their financial systems, their communication systems, their energy systems with diplomatic, economic, cyber and influence operations, not military attacks. While the CCP would hope to break the societal resilience of Taiwan. Taiwan has to fight that. They need to make a lot of investments in that kind of domestic resilience. And then the United States can help as well.
* * *
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-250810-member-exclusive?elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Morning+Wire&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">Catch the full interview with retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery on Morning Wire.</a></h3>

Taiwan Holds Defense Drills

‘Nine Years To Get Weapons’: An American Admiral On Defending Taiwan From China

'Nine Years To Get Weapons': An American Admiral On Defending Taiwan From China

China

interview

Military Weapons

Morning Wire

Taiwan

U.S. Navy

Imagine leaving your front door unlocked with a note that reads, “Back in 15. Please don’t steal the silverware.” That, in essence, is what the United States government — yes, including the Pentagon — may have unwittingly done through its long-standing relationship with Microsoft and the tech giant’s disturbingly lax attitude toward cybersecurity oversight.
Microsoft’s China-linked engineers should be setting off DEFCON-level alarms in Washington. Instead, we’ve mostly gotten silence, shrugs, and vague murmurs. According <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-tech-support-government-cybersecurity-china-doj-treasury">to reports</a>, Microsoft gave foreign nationals access to parts of the software that power critical U.S. military infrastructure.
You read that right. Engineers based in China, working for a U.S. tech behemoth under no formal federal contract, had proximity to the digital equivalent of the Pentagon’s control room.
Even worse? Microsoft allegedly failed to tell the Pentagon about it.
This is no small &#8220;oopsie.&#8221; We’re talking about a company that provides essential software infrastructure to every arm of the U.S. government — military included — quietly hiring engineers from a geopolitical rival with a track record of industrial espionage, cyber warfare, and digital sabotage. If you think China wouldn’t exploit this access, you haven’t been paying attention.
Microsoft has since responded to the report from <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/defense-department-pentagon-microsoft-digital-escort-china">ProPublica</a> that exposed the issue. “In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services,” stated Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s chief communications officer.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), however, is now asking some <a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/chairman-cotton-to-hegseth-current-dod-agreements-and-practices-fail-to-account-for-threat-of-china">very pointed</a> questions, and rightly so. Why was this program not disclosed? Why were Chinese nationals permitted to work on products used by the Department of Defense? And who, exactly, at Microsoft thought this was a good idea?
<div id="attachment_954433" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-954433" class="size-large wp-image-954433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 14: U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) questions U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Hegseth, an Army veteran and the former host of “FOX &amp; Friends Weekend” on FOX News will be the first of the incoming Trump administration’s nominees to face questions from Senators. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193887719.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</div>
The problem isn&#8217;t just Microsoft&#8217;s apparent blind spot for national security. The deeper issue is how cavalier we&#8217;ve become with <a href="https://www.spyhunter.com/shm/why-is-endpoint-protection-important/">endpoint protection </a>— that last line of defense between a secure network and total compromise. Whether it&#8217;s a government agency or a private company, relying on outdated firewalls and blind trust in tech titans is like wearing a screen door for armor.
This is the same Microsoft, mind you, that in just the last year alone has racked up a staggering number of <a href="https://www.enigmasoftware.com/cve202553770zerodayvulnerability-removal/">Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)</a>. These aren’t minor bugs; these are gaping holes in the digital fabric — many of which can be exploited with a single click. One CVE alone allowed hackers to access Outlook inboxes without requiring the user to even open an email. Just receiving it was enough. That’s not an email; that’s a digital landmine.
Add in the explosion of <a href="https://www.spywareremove.com/remove-fake-virus.html">tech support scams</a>, the thousands of reported of <a href="https://www.enigmasoftware.com/verificationfailedemailscam-removal/">phishing schemes</a>, and malware attacks that install silently with a <a href="https://www.cyclonis.com/remove-oneclik-malware/">single mistimed click</a>, and we’ve got ourselves a cyber hygiene crisis. Criminals and state-backed hackers alike have figured out that Americans are highly advanced at building systems, but dangerously naive at guarding them.
Want another cherry on this data breach sundae? Microsoft’s move to hire foreign engineers coincided with its transition to a &#8220;cloud-first&#8221; infrastructure. Translation: the very people with questionable loyalties were potentially helping build and maintain systems that store terabytes of sensitive U.S. government data — offsite, off-premises, and off the radar of traditional defense monitoring.
Here’s a scary thought: if you were a Chinese intelligence officer dreaming of getting into Pentagon systems, would you rather recruit a spy, build a malware strain, or just… get hired by Microsoft?
You can’t blame China for trying. The blame lies with Microsoft for leaving the vault open and pretending it’s a broom closet.
The solution isn’t to boycott Microsoft (though the pressure to modernize and secure their systems needs to be immediate and non-negotiable). The real fix lies in overhauling our government’s relationship with Big Tech. We need rigorous vetting of foreign hires working on national security products. We need independent audits of source code, vulnerability testing, and real-time threat modeling. And we absolutely need to build up our domestic cybersecurity talent pool so that we’re not outsourcing our digital sovereignty to countries with conflicting interests.
Most importantly, endpoint security must become as ubiquitous in government as badge scanners and background checks. Every workstation, laptop, mobile device, and cloud node must be locked down with zero-trust architecture, real-time behavioral analytics, and automatic quarantine capabilities. Anything less is an open invitation to espionage.
This isn’t just a Microsoft problem or a Pentagon problem. It’s an American problem. We’re letting convenience and tech monopolies override prudence and national defense. The same way we wouldn’t allow a Chinese company to handle nuclear launch codes, we shouldn’t let their engineers code the operating systems that support those platforms.
Let’s not forget: the Chinese Communist Party plays a long game. They don’t need to hack into Fort Knox if we’re leaving the digital vault open with a &#8220;Welcome&#8221; sign in Mandarin. And Microsoft, by cozying up to foreign nationals while serving American defense clients, has done exactly that.
President Trump built his first administration on the promise of draining the swamp and putting America First. That promise must now extend to cybersecurity. Our digital borders are every bit as vital as our physical ones. It’s time to hold tech giants accountable and ensure our software backbone isn’t quietly being rewritten by our adversaries.
Because when the dragon’s inside the network, it’s already too late to “build” a firewall.
* * *
Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, cybersecurity researcher, founder of <a href="https://www.itfunk.org/">ItFunk.Org</a>, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cybersecurity and politics, is regularly published by many of the largest news organizations in the world.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Microsoft  Zizhu Campus In Shanghai

Why Microsoft Must Be Held Responsible For Its Pentagon Security Breach

Big Tech

Cybersecurity

Espionage

Microsoft

Tom Cotton

The Pentagon is cutting bureaucratic hurdles to unleash “American drone dominance” and outcompete hostile powers such as China and Russia.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a slate of reforms to jolt U.S. production of drones and equip U.S. service members with the skills to use them effectively. The Department of Defense posted a video on social media Thursday of Hegseth signing orders delivered by drone.
“While our adversaries have produced millions of cheap drones before us, we were mired in bureaucratic red tape. Not anymore,” Hegseth said. 
After noting that President Donald Trump signed an executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/president-trump-signs-executive-orders-on-drones-flying-cars-and-supersonics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> in June to energize the drone industry in the United States, Hegseth said, &#8220;Today, I&#8217;m rescinding restrictive policies that stifle production. And this will unleash American manufacturing and the ingenuity of our war fighters.”
The Pentagon’s newest drone strategy has three main pillars, according to Hegseth. First, the Department of Defense will prioritize buying American-made drones to help expand drone-making on the domestic front.
Second, Hegseth said the military would leverage the United States’ &#8220;world-leading engineers and AI experts&#8221; to arm combat units with drones. And third, the secretary plans to stamp out a risk-averse mindset that he suggested has held back senior military staff from innovating with drones.
“We&#8217;re going to train as we expect to fight,” Hegseth said. “Senior officers must overcome bureaucratic risk aversion in budgeting, weaponing, weaponeering, and training.”
“This is the future. We&#8217;re in the fight. We&#8217;re in the fight to win it. And we’re never going to back down,” he concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance <a href="https://twitter.com/DOGE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DOGE</a> <a href="https://t.co/ueqQPc7rKI">pic.twitter.com/ueqQPc7rKI</a>
&mdash; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1943401411431026977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Hegseth’s orders will allow for the first time commanders with the ranks of colonel or captain to obtain and test drones that meet national security standards, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-tears-up-red-tape-orders-pentagon-begin-drone-surge-trumps-command">Fox News</a>, which first obtained the memos signed on Thursday. The orders also cut through a series of approval processes so that the drones may be tested immediately.
The orders reclassified drones from being durable military assets to consumables, taking them out of bureaucratic tracking systems and allowing faster acquisition. The orders also directed military officials to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration on expanding range restrictions where needed and setting up sites for military training in drone use.
Drones have recently played major roles in the Ukraine-Russia war and in the Middle East. 
Ukraine and Russia used drones to attack and hamper each other’s forces. Israel employed drones as part of its &#8220;Operation Rising Lion&#8221; to damage Iran’s military command structure and nuclear program.

Hegseth Unleashes U.S. Military ‘Drone Dominance’

U.S. Military To Unleash ‘American Drone Dominance’ To Compete With China, Russia

Drones

United States

WASHINGTON—The Defense Department is withdrawing the nomination of Rear Adm. Michael &#8220;Buzz&#8221; Donnelly, The Daily Wire can first report, under whose command drag performances took place on board the USS Ronald Reagan.
Donnelly served as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier from April 2016 to September 2018, during which time Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley performed as a drag queen under the name &#8220;Harpy Daniels&#8221; at a department-sanctioned &#8220;Morale, Welfare, and Recreation&#8221; event on the aircraft carrier.
The Defense Department <a href="https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2025-06-24/7th-fleet-nomination-buzz-donnelly-18232720.html">announced </a><a href="https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2025-06-24/7th-fleet-nomination-buzz-donnelly-18232720.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on June 18</a> that President Donald Trump had nominated Donnelly for promotion to vice admiral and an appointment as commander of the 7th Fleet, the largest overseas force that the Navy has.
Following inquiries from The Daily Wire about Donnelly and the drag queen shows he permitted on board the USS Ronald Reagan, a source at the Defense Department said that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is withdrawing Donnelly&#8217;s nomination to lead the 7th Fleet.
Hegseth is looking for a new 7th Fleet commander, the source shared.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This dude got his start doing drag shows on the USS Ronald Reagan in 2017.
The commander of the Reagan in 17, Michael P. Donnelly, is up for promotion now. Thankfully, <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTuberville?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTuberville</a> is holding up his nom over the Pentagon funding abortions.
This is a fight worth having. <a href="https://t.co/WkeZuySz6e">https://t.co/WkeZuySz6e</a>
— William Thibeau (@WilliamThibeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamThibeau/status/1653799409530855424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
Donnelly drew national attention in 2023 when Sen. Tommy Tuberville held up his promotion to rear admiral as part of his blockade on Defense Department promotions. The Alabama Republican was fighting President Joe Biden&#8217;s policy providing three weeks of paid leave and reimbursement of travel expenses for military personnel and their dependents who wanted abortions.
Tuberville argued that the policy was one of many taxpayer-funded Defense Department initiatives unrelated to the agency&#8217;s mission of protecting the United States. He called on the former Navy leadership in a May 2023 letter to name the officers responsible for funding and promoting drag queen performances.
<div id="attachment_945215" style="width: 471px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-pentagon-ditches-admiral-who-allowed-drag-queen-performances-on-aircraft-carrier/231126-n-ty650-1169" rel="attachment wp-att-945215"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-945215" class="wp-image-945215 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-461x576.jpeg" alt="Defense Department photo of Admiral Donnelly. " width="461" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-461x576.jpeg 461w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-240x300.jpeg 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-768x960.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-1639x2048.jpeg 1639w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/231126-N-TY650-1169-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" /></a>Defense Department photo of Admiral Donnelly.</div>
A number of legacy media outlets, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/navy-drag-queen-harpy-daniels-serving-looks-country-n905056">including NBC</a> and the Military Times, had highlighted the drag shows that occurred during Donnelly&#8217;s tour.
&#8220;Navy drag queen &#8216;Harpy Daniels&#8217; is serving looks — and the country,&#8221; NBC headlined their story. The Military Times report was replete with photos of Kelley in drag, including one where he is doing a split in front of his fellow service members.
This type of significant press attention would have been &#8220;a standard reporting requirement directly to Captain Donnelly at the time,&#8221; William Thibeau, director of The American Military Project at The Claremont Institute, <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/19/tuberville-blocking-promotion-navy-captain-who-allowed-drag-shows-uss-ronald-reagan/">told The Daily Signal at the time</a>.
<div class="tds-content">
&#8220;Every military officer takes command of units large and small with the understanding they are responsible for everything that does and does not happen under their command,&#8221; Thibeau explained in 2023. &#8220;It&#8217;s the basic truth of military leadership, whether you command an infantry company or an aircraft carrier.&#8221;
&#8220;The USS Ronald Reagan drag shows of 2017 and 2018 were not random acts of entertainment for sailors, but were sanctioned Navy programs under the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) department of the ship,&#8221; he noted. &#8220;As commander of the ship, Captain Donnelly would have been ultimately responsible for this program.&#8221;
</div>
Donnelly is a 2002 graduate of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and served as commanding officer for Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154), the last commanding officer of USS Denver deployed to Sasebo, Japan, commanding officer of USS Ronald Reagan deployed to Yokosuka, Japan and commander of Task Force Seven Zero/Carrier Strike Group Five.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Testifies In Senate Hearing

EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon Ditches Admiral Who Allowed Drag Queen Performances On Aircraft Carrier

Drag Queens

The Pentagon agreed to purchase $400 million of preferred stock in MP Materials, which operates the only rare earth minerals mine in the United States, the company announced on Thursday.
The mine, located in Mountain Pass, California — 60 miles southwest of Las Vegas — extracts rare earth minerals that are vital for the U.S. military, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/10/pentagon-to-become-largest-shareholder-in-rare-earth-magnet-maker-mp-materials.html">reported</a>. The Defense Department&#8217;s move is part of the Trump administration&#8217;s plan to break its dependence on China for rare earths, a goal that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL1kagSsIk8">discussed</a> in April.
“This initiative marks a decisive action by the Trump administration to accelerate American supply chain independence,” <a href="https://investors.mpmaterials.com/investor-news/news-details/2025/MP-Materials-Announces-Transformational-Public-Private-Partnership-with-the-Department-of-Defense-to-Accelerate-U-S--Rare-Earth-Magnet-Independence/default.aspx">said</a> James Litinsky, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of MP Materials. “We are proud to enter into this transformational public-private partnership and are deeply grateful to President Trump, our partners at the Pentagon, and our employees, customers and stakeholders for their unwavering support and dedication.”
Rare earths are used to produce magnets that are incorporated into critical U.S. military weapons systems, including those for drones, submarines, and the F-35 fighter jet, CNBC reported. Shortly after taking office, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-takes-immediate-action-to-increase-american-mineral-production/">signed</a> an executive order to ramp up American rare earth mining, bemoaning the fact that 70% of the United States&#8217; imports of rare earths come from China. Trump stated that he wants to make the United States “the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.”
China currently produces around 60% of the world&#8217;s rare earths and refines nearly 90%, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-chinas-ban-rare-earths-processing-technology-exports-means">according</a> to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Rare earth minerals are also used to manufacture electronics, including smartphones and laptops, as well as electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. After Trump levied tariffs on China, the communist country halted shipments of rare earth minerals to the United States. The administration <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-says-deal-related-trade-was-signed-with-china-wednesday-2025-06-26/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> late last month that it had reached an agreement with China to restart rare earth imports.
MP Materials&#8217; agreement with the Pentagon will result in the construction of the company&#8217;s &#8220;second domestic magnet manufacturing facility (the &#8217;10X Facility&#8217;) at a soon-to-be-chosen location to serve both defense and commercial customers.&#8221; The &#8220;10X Facility&#8221; is expected to be completed in 2028, which will boost MP Materials&#8217; manufacturing capacity to 10,000 metric tons, according to the company. The Pentagon&#8217;s agreement with MP Materials is for 10 years and establishes &#8220;a price floor commitment&#8221; to ensure that the company is protected from &#8220;non-market forces.&#8221;
Shares of MP Materials <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mp+materials+stock&amp;rlz=1C5GCCM_en&amp;oq=mp+materials+stock&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgBEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgATSAQgyOTIxajBqN6gCALACAA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">jumped</a> nearly 50% on Thursday, hitting $44 as of Thursday morning. The company&#8217;s all-time high was $56.54, reached on April 1, 2022.
News of the agreement comes shortly after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-cotton-introduces-bill-to-break-chinas-monopoly-on-rare-earth-minerals-for-u-s-defense">introduced</a> a bill to expedite the extraction of rare earth elements in the United States, aiming to better protect America&#8217;s national security.
“Current environmental laws put our readiness to counter Communist China at risk and waste taxpayer dollars on projects that stall out and die on the vine,” Cotton <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republican-moves-give-u-s-edge-china-harvesting-minerals-weapons-systems">told</a> Fox News Digital. “This bill will create jobs, better arm and prepare our soldiers, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently.”

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Defense Department Becomes Largest Shareholder Of Company That Owns America’s Lone Rare Earth Mine

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