Department of Defense Archives

The Environmental Protection Agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Environment

Did U.S. Government Agencies Intentionally Whitewash the Toxic Footprint of a Widely Used Chemical Compound?

Two new analyses make clear the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense have downplayed the public-health threat posed by chemicals used to develop Teflon and Scotchgard.

Abrahm Lustgarten

White House doctor Ronny Jackson, chosen as the next permanent secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

News in Brief

Uncertainty Swirls Around Trump’s Department of Veteran Affairs

After the White House Chief of Staff John Kelly contradicted the official narrative around the previous secretary's departure, legal questions have sprung up about the current leadership of the department.

Isaac Arnsdorf

A U.S. Army helicopter flies outside of Camp Shorab on September 11th, 2017, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

News in Brief

We Will Never Know How Many U.S. Troops Are Abroad

With Special Operations Command personnel making up an increasingly large share of troop levels abroad, the government mandate for wartime transparency becomes less binding.

Jared Keller

Environment

Trump and the Military Are at Odds on Climate Change

While the Trump administration has largely rejected climate change as an issue, the Department of Defense and Congress have identified it as a major potential threat to national security.

Sean Mowbray

A coalition airstrike destroys a Da'esh weapons cache near Mosul, Iraq.

Social Justice

How the Pentagon Repurposes Civilian Casualties as Anti-Terror Propaganda

The American military has released hundreds of videos showing U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. The victims are not always the intended targets.

Jared Keller

News in Brief

White House Publishes Trump’s Budget

It asks for more money for the departments of defense, homeland security, and justice.

Francie Diep

News in Brief

Allowing Openly Transgender People to Serve in the Armed Forces Is a Win-Win

That’s according to a study commissioned by the Department of Defense, as well as examples from other countries with open policies already in existence.

Francie Diep

News in Brief

About Face: The U.S. Military Seeks Historic Overhaul of the Justice System

The Pentagon is aiming to fundamentally reform the way America's men and women experience justice while in uniform.

T. Christian Miller

News in Brief

The Pentagon’s Mysterious $766 Million Task Force

Senators were already questioning why the Department of Defense was restricting a government watchdog. Now there are criminal investigations and questions about retaliation against a whistleblower.

Megan McCloskey

News in Brief

The Pentagon Evades Questions on $800 Million Afghanistan Program

Despite lacking access to key documents and personnel, the inspector general determined that nearly $43 million had been spent on a natural gas station that should have cost closer to $300,000.

Megan McCloskey