The United States is expected to announce on Thursday about $675 million in additional weapons transfers to Ukraine, senior U.S. official says.
More of what has been provided before, including HIMARS rounds, official says.
Announcement is expected the same day that @SecDef is in Germany for another "Ukraine contact group" meeting with defense officials from countries that are bolstering Ukrainian defenses against the Russian invasion.
Other items expected in this next package include 105 mm rounds, vehicles and equipment for soldiers, official says.
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SCOOP: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered hundreds of generals to travel on short notice from around the world to hear him make a speech on military standards and the “warrior ethos,” multiple people familiar with the event told The Washington Post.
New details emerge on Hegseth’s unusual mass gathering of top brass
Reporting with @TaraCopp @nakashimae @AlexHortonTX @noahjrobertson
@TaraCopp @nakashimae @AlexHortonTX @noahjrobertson “It’s meant to be an eyeball-to-eyeball kind of conversation,” one person familiar with ongoing discussions said. “He wants to see the generals.”
Another Signal group exists for senior Pentagon officials and Jennifer Hegseth, this one with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Sean Parnell, Tami Radabaugh and possibly a couple others. It's to discuss Defense Department comms, though Jennifer Hegseth is not on staff.
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This and more about Jennifer Hegseth's role in quietly shaping Pentagon affairs here:
Jennifer Hegseth holds unorthodox role shaping Pentagon affairs
On Day 1 in the office, Jennifer Hegseth asked Pentagon staff to have video of her husband's initial remarks to reporters outside the building clipped and posted on social media.
It wasn't immediately clear whether or not it was directive from SECDEF that she was relaying.
NEW: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the installation of Signal on a computer in his Pentagon office, illustrating the extent to which he integrated use of the unclassified platform at the center of his political troubles with the secure systems the U.S. government uses.
Hegseth had Signal messaging app installed on an office computer
In doing so, Hegseth effectively “cloned” the Signal app on his personal cellphone. The move followed a discussion among Hegseth and his aides about how they could circumvent the lack of cellphone service in much of the Pentagon and more quickly coordinate with other Trump officials.
NEW: Among the government work jammed up by the Trump administration's freeze on purchase cards is genealogy research that the Army sees as essential to identify the remains of soldiers who went missing in combat.
Three genealogists told me a similar story:
It's part of a broader issue that has presented challenges to body armor testing and an array of other government services, officials say:
DOGE’s $1 spending card limit touches everything from military research to trash pickup
An Army official said in an email that genealogy efforts already paid for are still underway, and the service has requested an exception to policy to resume payments for other cases. The service sees the work as essential to accurately identifying the remains of U.S. soldiers.
SCOOP: The Hegseth team at the Pentagon invited far-right activist Jack Posobiec on its first overseas trip, alarming numerous defense officials
News of Posobiec’s invitation circulated among U.S. officials in Washington and in Europe ahead of Hegseth’s visit this week to Germany, Belgium and Poland, officials said.
One official said the potential involvement of Posobiec, a Trump booster who is known for peddling conspiracy theories and trolling political adversaries online, has raised questions within the Pentagon about Hegseth’s judgment and what he aimed to communicate to U.S. allies.
NEW TONIGHT: Dozens of American students at a U.S. military installation in Germany walked out of their middle school on Tuesday as part of protests aimed at an official visit by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
More:
The students attend Patch Middle School in Stuttgart, Germany, and peacefully walked out of class for nearly an hour, according to three people familiar with the matter and a letter sent to parents by a school administrator.
Separately, a small group of adults dressed in civilian clothing — likely parents — gathered outside at Stuttgart and protested within view and earshot of Hegseth’s delegation, booing and chanting “DEI!”