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Trump's Back, Here's What It Means For The Pentagon On Day 1

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Defense &
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The Big Story 

Trump's back, here's what it means for the Pentagon on Day 1

President Trump was sworn in as the 47th commander-in-chief Monday, promising to bring sweeping change to U.S. national security and foreign policy areas.

© AP

In a nearly 30-minute speech, Trump called for “change” after he claimed a litany of national failures under Biden’s watch.

 

His first standing ovation came after announcing that he would declare a national emergency at the Southern border, a move that will allow the Pentagon to deploy troops to the region. The declaration would also free up resources to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, an effort he was forced to abandon at the end of his last administration.

 

Trump later said he would reinstate service members who were fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and give them full back pay.

 

The GOP has long vowed to reinstate troops fired for refusing the vaccine. They slipped in the 2024 defense authorization bill a requirement for the Pentagon to consider reinstatement for that reason.

 

Trump also said he would stop “radical political theories” and “social experiments” for members of the armed forces.

 

“It’s going to end immediately,” he said.

 

Trump vowed to “build the strongest military the world has ever seen.”

 

In addition, he said the U.S. will once again become a “growing nation,” vowing to take back the Panama Canal during his inauguration speech.

 

The newly sworn-in president added that he wants his legacy to be that of a “peacemaker and unifier” as he touted the release of Israeli hostages a day before his inauguration.

 

One notable omission from his inaugural speech was the Russia-Ukraine war, soon to enter its third year. Trump has promised to end the conflict war even before he was sworn in.

 

The immediate visible effects of the new Trump administration could be found at the Pentagon, where a portrait of retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who has feuded in highly public spats with Trump, was taken down on Monday. No reason was given for the change.

 

Trump has clashed with Milley over several national security issues during his first time in the White House, with Trump once suggesting that the four-star general deserved to be executed. Milley, who retired in 2023, has called Trump a fascist.

 

In his last few hours in the Oval Office on Monday, Biden issued preemptive pardons to Milley and several other people, which he said were not an admittance of guilt but were issued for their service.

 

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

 

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

 

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Essential Reads 

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

 

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday voted to advance Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Defense, to the floor. The 14-13 vote was strictly along party lines. Senators on the Armed Services panel also voted to waive the seven-day rule that usually requires at least a week to elapse between a nominee’s confirmation hearing and a vote to discharge from committee. Senate Republicans then …

<!- --[if mso]> <![endif]-->  Full Story <!- --[if mso]><![endif]-->
 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., who President Trump had threatened to fire once in power, on Monday said he plans to remain the country’s highest-ranking military official. “That’s my plan,” he told reporters while leaving the U.S. Capitol Building, as reported by CNN.   Brown, who attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, for months has been the target of Trump’s …

 

Former President Biden’s preemptive pardon for retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will give the retired military official a shield against any action that President Trump might take against him amid their highly public feud. Biden also issued preemptive pardons Monday to Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; some of Biden’s …

 

On Our Radar 

Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: 

  • The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Doug Collins to be Veterans Affairs secretary at 9 a.m.
 

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Senate panel advances Noem nomination for Homeland Security secretary

A Senate committee cleared President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a bipartisan vote, paving the way for a Senate floor vote. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) by a 13-2 vote. The …

A MESSAGE FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN

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On Tap Tomorrow 

Events in and around the defense world: 

  • The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations at 10 a.m.
  • The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will release and discuss a policy paper on “A Call for a New NSC-68 and Goldwater Nichols Reform,” at 10 a.m.
  • Atlantic Council will discuss Georgian democracy and Russian influence at 12 p.m.
  • The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft will hold a book discussion on “Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine,” at 12 p.m
 

What We're Reading 

News we've flagged from other outlets:

  • Culture war fights poised to take lead in Trump's Pentagon agenda (Military.com)
  • Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback, emboldened to reshape American institutions (The Associated Press)
 

Trending Today 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

President-elect Trump has been sworn-in as the nation’s 47th president, only the second man in the nation’s history to return to the Oval … Read more

An apparent technical issue didn’t stop Carrie Underwood from delivering “America the Beautiful” during the second inauguration of President Trump … Read more

 

Opinions in The Hill 

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:

 
 

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