Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story Stalemate on a deal with Iran The Trump administration continues to pour cold water on a reported proposal by Iran that would end the two-month conflict with the U.S. and Israel and reopen the Strait of...

Military spending across the globe hit a record high of nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, the 11th consecutive year it’s grown, according to a new report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).  The world’s military expenditures — the share of global gross domestic product (GDP) meant for armed forces — went up from...

The United States has burned through thousands of missiles since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, diminishing the armaments needed in a potential future conflict with China tied to its tensions with Taiwan. The U.S. military has used 1,100 long-range stealth cruise missiles — nearly all of the total number left in Washington’s stockpile...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday defended the U.S. military operation against Iran amid President Trump’s ongoing feud with Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church. “The Pope’s gonna do his thing, that’s fine,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “We know what our mission is, we know what authority we have. We’re very clear about that,...

The U.S. military said Thursday it had seized three tankers carrying oil from Iran, including one in the Indian Ocean overnight. American forces boarded the M/T Majestic X, which the Pentagon described as a “sanctioned, stateless vessel,” according to a post on social platform X. The Pentagon also released footage that shows troops stepping from helicopters...

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story Ceasefire in question after Iran seizes ships Iran has attacked multiple ships in the Strait of Hormuz less than a day after President Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely until Tehran agrees to negotiate a new deal....

The Marine Corps has upgraded the valor awards given to Marines who guarded Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021 — the day a suicide bomber struck the gate and killed 13 service members and 170 Afghans, the Pentagon said Wednesday. “After reviewing the original awards and determining that several...

Dozens of veterans and military family members protesting the Iran war were arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on Monday after they occupied the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. At least 62 people were arrested during the demonstration, which was organized by several veterans groups including About Face, the Center on Conscience and War...

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} View Online Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story Iran's waiting game A high-stakes meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials to extend a ceasefire and avoid returning to open conflict is looking tenuous with two days until the current deal expires. AP Photo/Jacquelyn...

The Navy is advising sailors to secure their electronic devices, social media accounts and personal information as the U.S-Israeli war in Iran has increased online threats to service members. In an unclassified memo to Navy personnel, Secretary John Phelan warns of “adversary cyber actors” looking to “psychologically influence” sailors and their families as well as get them...

Former national security adviser John Bolton said the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was a “mistake” as it gave Tehran time to prepare for a continued war. “I think it was a mistake to have the ceasefire,” Bolton said on CNN on Sunday. “They‘ve got now a two-week breather where they‘re doing what they can...