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Trump to unveil Department of War as global tensions rise
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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Evening Report newsletter Subscribe *{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img div{display:none}sub,sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0} @media (max-width:620px){.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide,.row .side{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100%;display:block}.mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important}} {beacon}PRESIDENT TRUMP will sign an an executive order Friday formally changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, as U.S. tensions grow with Venezuela, China, Russia and India.
Republicans in Congress unveiled companion legislation to make the rebranding permanent.
Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) are leading the effort in the upper chamber, while Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) is taking the lead in the House.
“The United States military is not a purely defensive force,” Scott said. “We are the most lethal fighting force on the face of the planet — ready to defeat any enemy when called upon.”
Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) told NewsNation’s Blake Burman that the mission will remain the same despite the rebrand.
“The world is unstable. We have villains out there — Putin and North Korea and Iran being probably the top three,” Zinke said. “There's a projection of power the United States has to have.”
Venezuela is the latest foreign power to find itself on the receiving end of U.S. saber-rattling after the military bombed a boat in the Caribbean Sea earlier this week, killing 11 Venezuelan drug traffickers.
Late Thursday, the Pentagon said two Venezuelan aircraft flew close to a U.S. Navy vessel.
The Defense Department responded over X:
“This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military.”
The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell reports that the boat bombing raised questions about whether the U.S. violated maritime law or human rights conventions.
The U.S. military on Friday deployed 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to assist in the fight against Latin American cartels.
FOREIGN POWERS CONVENE IN THE EAST
Chinese President Xi Jinping this week hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the leaders pledging deeper ties amid tensions with the West.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” Trump posted Friday on TruthSocial.
The Hill’s Brett Samuels writes:
“Experts viewed the meeting as an indication the three nations were forming a closer partnership to counter the U.S. and its allies. India in particular was viewed as moving closer to China and Russia after the Trump administration slapped New Delhi with additional tariffs due to its purchase of Russian oil, a White House effort to undercut Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine.”
Putin is showing no indication he intends on drawing down the war against Ukraine, despite Trump’s repeated attempts to bring peace.
The Russian leader warned Friday that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets.”
Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday to discuss “maximum protection” for Ukraine’s skies.
“We talked about how to push the situation toward real peace,” Zelensky posted on X. “We discussed different options, and the most important is pressure, using strong measures, particularly economic ones, to force an end to the war. The key to peace is depriving Russia’s war machine of money, depriving it of resources.”
💡Perspectives:
• The Hill: China’s impressive military parade masked shortcomings.
• © The Hill
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