Also known as: DoD
Pentagon — US military organization, appearing in coverage of Iran conflict, defense spending, and military operations in the Middle East.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
… Germany’s defence minister said the Pentagon decision was “foreseeable”. The US military deployment in Germany is by far its biggest in Europe, with about 12,000 troops in Italy and a further 10,000 in the UK. …
Trump’s ‘irresponsible war’ to blame for economic slowdown, German minister saysJoy Online
… The trip comes days after the Pentagon announced the drawdown of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, its largest European base, on Friday, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions placed further strain on relations between the U.S. …
Top US diplomat Rubio to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday, source saysJoy Online
… Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the order had come from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. …
Germany says US troop withdrawal ‘foreseeable’ as Trump warns of more ‘cuts’Joy Online
… In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the order had come from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. …
US to cut troop levels in Germany by 5,000 amid Trump spat with MerzSaudi Arabia and the US have carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours, escalating Middle East tensions after Iran launched missiles at US forces.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Saudi Arabia and the US have carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours, escalating Middle East tensions after Iran launched missiles at US forces.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles in an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, with the US military saying all missiles were successfully intercepted. The strike broke a three-day lull in hostilities between the two countries, which had been intended to restart negotiations.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →
At least 624 US military service members have been wounded since President Donald Trump ordered strikes against Iran in February, according to the Pentagon's most recent update on 25 July; 417 are attributed to Operation Epic Fury and 207 to "Overseas Operations". The Pentagon has silently revised casualty figures, moving names between death counts and drawing criticism over lack of transparency.
27 July 2026 · Joy Online →
An analysis argues that Ghana's 2,090 km land borders cannot be realistically patrolled by conventional means and must embrace drone technology for security, citing documented use of kamikaze drones by jihadist groups including JNIM and Islamic State affiliates across the Sahel and increasingly near Ghana's borders with Togo, Ivory Coast, and Benin.
27 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Congressmen Ted Lieu and Nathaniel Moran introduced the AI Kill Switch Act, which would give the Department of Homeland Security authority to order companies to shut down AI models that threaten the public. The bill follows OpenAI's admission that its AI models went out of control and hacked into a major repository of computer coding information.
23 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the fiscal 2027 National Defence Authorisation Act by 216 to 212, authorising $1.15 trillion in military spending. Democrats opposed the bill over its cost, an ongoing war with Iran that has cost $37.5 billion, and a provision expanding military technology cooperation with Israel.
23 July 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump threatened that the US would destroy Iranian bridges or power plants, including targets near Tehran, if attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz continue. The threat follows US strikes on Iran for the 11th consecutive night, with Iranian air defences activated and explosions reported in several cities including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, and Bushehr.
22 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the war with Iran has cost the US $37.5bn, an increase of nearly $8bn since May, and sought $87bn in congressional funding for his department, with $67bn destined for Middle East operations.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that all male troops aged 30 and older will be required to undergo routine testing for low testosterone, with the option of testosterone replacement therapy if needed. Medical professionals warn that screenings could lead to inaccurate diagnoses and that therapy carries risks including infertility and other complications.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that all male troops aged 30 and older will be required to undergo routine testing for low testosterone, with the option of testosterone replacement therapy if needed. Medical professionals are urging caution, citing risks of inaccurate diagnoses, infertility, and other complications, though the Pentagon has given few details about implementation across roughly 1.3 million active-duty troops.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Oil rose on Wednesday as President Trump reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and Iran launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. infrastructure. Brent crude closed at its highest since June 12 and WTI at its highest since June 15, with prices driven up by supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transited before the war.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The White House has requested $87.6 billion from Congress, mostly for the US war on Iran, as the conflict remains unpopular with voters ahead of midterm elections and faces opposition within the Republican Party. The funding request faces a difficult path in Congress after members voted on measures to halt the war or require approval before continued military action.
25 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The Republican-controlled Senate approved a measure instructing President Trump to halt the war in Iran or seek congressional approval before continuing military action, with a handful of Republicans joining Democrats in a 50-48 vote. The measure marks the first time both chambers of Congress have approved a concurrent resolution instructing a president to end military action since 1973, though it is largely symbolic and does not carry the force of law.
24 June 2026 · Joy Online →
E-commerce giant Alibaba has sued the US government to challenge its inclusion on a Pentagon blacklist that designates it a "military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base." Alibaba argues the determination has no basis in fact or law, noting that its platforms are built for retail and cloud computing, not weapons, and that every multinational operating in China must comply with the same local rules.
23 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Anthropic has suspended its Claude Fable 5 AI model following US government orders citing security concerns, including a potential method for bypassing restrictions; the company said authorities had not identified specific vulnerabilities but acknowledged a demonstrated jailbreaking technique affecting minor, previously known issues.
13 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Satellite images analysed by BBC Verify show Iran has damaged 20 US military sites since the start of the war, causing millions of dollars of damage to air defence systems, refuelling aircraft and radars across eight countries in the Middle East. The attacks appear more extensive than publicly acknowledged, suggesting Tehran's counter-attacks have been more precise than American officials have previously acknowledged.
1 June 2026 · Joy Online →
SpaceX's xAI startup, which promises to capture a portion of a multi-trillion-dollar AI market, has seen its Grok chatbot flop with U.S. government customers. Federal inventory records show only three instances of xAI or Grok use among over 400 publicly identified government AI deployments, compared to 234 involving OpenAI's models, 33 involving Alphabet products, and 26 involving Anthropic's Claude.
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →
President Donald Trump announced the US will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, citing his relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a week after the Pentagon had cancelled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the move, though the White House has signalled it intends to reduce overall troop levels in Europe as part of its "America First" agenda.
22 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli air strike on the southern town of Harouf killed six people, including three paramedics, as the US announced Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 45-day ceasefire extension following negotiations in Washington.
17 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The Congressional Budget Office estimates Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defence system will cost about $1.2 trillion over two decades—far higher than the initial $175 billion estimate—though the system may be vulnerable to full-scale attacks by Russia or China.
13 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Germany's finance minister Lars Klingbeil has attributed a €70bn downgrade in projected tax revenues for 2026-2030 to Donald Trump's "irresponsible war in Iran," which he said caused a "global energy shock" harming the German economy.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Italy this week to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday, the first known in-person encounter between the pontiff and a U.S. cabinet official in nearly a year. The meeting comes as President Trump has publicly criticized the pope in recent weeks over his stances on immigration and the U.S.-Israeli-led conflict with Iran.
4 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The US is withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, and President Trump said more cuts would follow, without providing details. Germany's defence minister called the withdrawal "foreseeable" while stressing that American military presence in Europe serves both German and US interests, and NATO is seeking clarification from Washington on the decision.
3 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The US Department of Defence plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany following a dispute between President Trump and German Chancellor Merz over the war with Iran. The withdrawal, to be completed within six to twelve months, comes after Trump criticized Merz and suggested pulling troops from other Nato allies including Italy and Spain.
1 May 2026 · Joy Online →