SCOTUS Rules Trump Can Use Defense Funds For Border Wall

Donald Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the Trump administration can use Pentagon funds to build Donald Trump's beloved border wall.

From the AP:

The Supreme Court said Friday that it would lift a freeze on the money put in place by a lower court. The Supreme Court’s action means the Trump administration can tap the funds and begin work on four contracts it has awarded. Four liberal justices wouldn’t have allowed construction to start.

A trial court initially froze the funds in May and an appeals court kept that freeze in place earlier this month. The freeze had prevented the government from tapping approximately $2.5 billion in Defense Department money to replace existing sections of barrier in Arizona, California and New Mexico with more robust fencing.

Pentagon To Divert $1 Billion From Military Pay & Pension For Trump Wall

According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon is planning on diverting $1 billion from military pay and pension funds to help pay for Donald Trump's beloved wall at the Southern border.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told The Associated Press, “It’s coming out of military pay and pensions. $1 billion. That’s the plan.”

Durbin said the funds are available because Army recruitment is down and a voluntary early military retirement program is being underutilized.

The development comes as Pentagon officials are seeking to minimize the amount of wall money that would come from military construction projects that are so cherished by lawmakers.

Can you imagine if Democrats proposed taking money from military service members pay and pensions???

Pentagon Refuses To Acknowledge Pride Month For First Time Since 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

For the first time in six years, senior Pentagon officials have declined to acknowledge LGBTQ Pride Month.

Ever since the misguided ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was repealed in 2012, the Pentagon has issued an official memo which served as an official endorsement of Pride Month and effectively encouraged local events.

A former senior Obama administration official, speaking off the record, told The Washington Post, “It makes it known that there’s an authorization, that there’s support.”

But this year, there was no memorandum issued for Pride.

That said, there was an event held at the Pentagon on Monday by DoD Pride, the LGBTQ employee group at the Defense Department. However, unlike previous years no high-level department officials showed up to address the crowd.

According to The Washington Blade, the tension at the DoD event was “palpable” as folks were keenly aware of the elephant in the room - President Trump’s proposed ban on transgender service members.

Even though the policy proposal is held up in four federal courts, LGBTQ military service members are wary.

In another sign of lagging support, the Defense Department’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity’s web site lists event-specific posters designed for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Dr. Martin Luther King Day. But nothing for Pride Month.

So, DoD had to create its own poster (see above).

When asked why there was no official declaration this year, Pentagon spokewoman Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason sidestepped the question.

“The Department of Defense supports diversity of all kinds across our military and we encourage everyone to celebrate the diversity of our total force team,” said Gleason. “We value all members of the DOD total force and recognize their immense contributions to the mission.”

This is also the second year that Donald Trump’s White House failed to acknowledge Pride Month.

There were presidential proclamations to recognize June as Great Outdoors Month, National Ocean Month, National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, and National Homeownership Month, but no presidential proclamation for Pride Month.

Another clear sign from the Trump administration that it does not support LGBTQ service members. https://t.co/rW7SJQ5Y7V @OutServeSLDN @RepAnthonyBrown @jefftaylorhuman

— NewNowNext (@NewNowNext) June 12, 2018

@PentagonPresSec As a #USMC Vet, I am totally disgusted with Pentagon not recognizing #PrideMonth

— Ranger Douglas (@ukitena2) June 12, 2018

Trump's "Generals And Military Experts" Did Not Know Trump Anti-Trans Policy Was Coming

Even though Donald Trump began his tweet banning transgender military service members by stating, "After consultation with my Generals and military experts..." it's become clear that the top military leaders at the Pentagon were surprised by the bombshell announcement yesterday.

As CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr points out, today's announcement from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stating there will be no changes in policy in the short term, does not offer any clear support for the president's sudden shift in direction on transgender military.

Watch below.

Defense officials: Joint Chiefs of Staff were not aware Trump planned to tweet a ban on transgender service members https://t.co/ntOpmEK2NM pic.twitter.com/hDFSQ9YrrQ

— CNN (@CNN) July 27, 2017

Pentagon Prepares As North Korea Threatens Possible Nuclear Test

The above tweet from President Trump four years ago seems practically precognitive.

Of course, President Babyhands was talking about Obama at the time, but his past tweets have become his own prologue.

As word comes that North Korea could launch yet another nuclear test this weekend, the U.S. has moved several major military assets into the region.

NBC News reports:

The intelligence officials told NBC News that the U.S. has positioned two destroyers capable of shooting Tomahawk cruise missiles in the region, one just 300 miles from the North Korean nuclear test site.

American heavy bombers are also positioned in Guam to attack North Korea should it be necessary, and earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group was being diverted to the area.

According to reports, the U.S. could launch a preemptive strike if intelligence and military leaders believe the unpredictable North Korea might attempt the nuclear test.

How North Korea might respond is anyone's guess.

Pentagon To Announce Repeal Of Ban On Transgender Service Members

NBC News reports that the Pentagon is in preparations to announce changes in policy regarding open service by transgender men and women within weeks.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter could make the announcement as early as next week and he will call for full implementation one year from now.

Related: Eric Fanning, First Openly Gay Army Secretary, Confirmed by U.S. Senate

The details of the repeal could shift. One defense official told NBC News that the working group that has been studying this issue since July 2015 will provide broad guidance.

It will be up to the individual services to work out the details. Those details include barracks, rules for new recruits, allowance for sex reassignment surgery, diagnosis of dysmorphic disorder, policies on group showers and more.

Pentagon Statistics Show Rise In Male-On-Male Assault

The Pentagon issued a report today showing a rise in the reports of male-on-male sexual assault between the fall of 2013 and summer of 2014.

Of course, opponents of ending Don't Ask Don't Tell say allowing openly gay men to serve in the military is the cause of the rise in reports.

Wrong.

I'm not so sure there's been an actual increase in such assaults as much as the Pentagon has ramped up efforts to encourage men to come forward.

Statistics show men often never report being sexually assaulted because they don't have confidence in the chain of command. Additionally, there is the social stigma and embarrassment attached to being viewed as "less than a man."

More stats in the short video below.

(h/t JMG)

Mike Huckabee Rants Over Openly Gay Eric Fanning''s Nomination To Secretary Of The Army

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee

On Friday, President Obama nominated Eric Fanning, currently serving as acting under secretary of the Army, to be the next secretary of the Army.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter called Fanning an "excellent choice" to lead the Army.

The appointment would make Fanning the first openly gay secretary of a U.S. military branch.

GOP White House hopeful and constant opponent of anyone/anything gay, threw a hissy fit on his Facebook page about the nomination:

“It’s clear President Obama is more interested in appeasing America’s homosexuals than honoring America’s heroes.

"Veterans suicide is out-of-control and military readiness is dangerously low, yet Obama is so obsessed with pandering to liberal interest groups he’s nominated an openly gay civilian to run the Army.

"Homosexuality is not a job qualification. The U.S. military is designed to keep Americans safe and complete combat missions, not conduct social experiments.”

What everyone else can see is this: Huckabee has it backwards - Fanning isn't being appointed because he's gay.  Fanning, who happens to be gay, has decades of experience at the Pentagon.

He has previously served as Chief of Staff of the Department of Defense, Acting Secretary of the Air Force, and Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy.

THAT's why he's being appointed to the position.

Huckabee's animus to all things gay is getting more and more transparent.

Pentagon To End Transgender Ban May 2016

USA TODAY is reporting on a proposal that would end the ban on transgender military personnel by May 27, 2016.

The move could affect about 12,000 troops.

The memo, circulated last week among top personnel and medical officials, lays out the road map for ending the policy and highlights some of the potential issues, including a pilot program that would provide leaves of absences for transgender troops being treated with hormones or having surgery.

Meanwhile, Army and the Air Force leaders know for sure of about 20 transgender troops in each service, according to a Defense Department official familiar with the issue who spoke on condition of anonymity because officials were not authorized to speak publicly. The condition of gender dysphoria disqualifies them from service under current policy, but a de facto moratorium on dismissals was enacted last month by Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Carter ordered a six-month review of the issues surrounding transgender troops with the assumption that they can serve openly unless “objective, practical impediments are identified,” the Aug. 19 memo says. During that period, one of Carter’s chief deputies would have to approve any request to discharge transgender troops.

The memo details a list of issues surrounding the open service of transgender troops, including medical treatment, housing, uniforms and physical fitness standards.

Military leaders are also looking at reconsidering the discharge status of transgender troops who may have been kicked out in recent years. A change from dishonorable to honorable discharge would affect veterans benefits.

Pentagon Close To Finalizing Plan To Allow Open Service By Transgender Individuals

The Associated Press has learned that Pentagon leaders are finalizing plans aimed at lifting the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.

Senior U.S. officials say an announcement is expected this week. They say the military would have six months to determine the impact and work out details, with the presumption that they would end one of the last gender- or sexuality-based barriers to military service.

The officials say that during the transition, transgender individuals would still not be able to join the military. Decisions to force out those already serving would have to be referred to a top Defense Department leader.

(Via Huffington Post)

Pentagon To Add Sexual Orientation To Non-Discrimination Policy

Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade writes:

The Pentagon is preparing to update its Military Equal Opportunity Policy to include sexual orientation as a protected class and the change could be made final as soon as the end of next month, the Washington Blade has learned.

A senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed late Friday the Defense Department is planning to update the Military Equal Opportunity Policy to add the words “sexual orientation” as part of the non-discrimination policy.

The proposed change is set to be delivered as early as the middle of next week to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for his review and final approval, the official said. Each of the military services has already agreed to the change, the official said.

Transgender people are still barred from open service in the U.S. Military.

Pentagon supports LGBT Pride 2014

(source)

Hat tip to JoeMyGod for pointing up this year's LGBT Pride poster issued by the Pentagon.

Pentagon bringing most civilian employees back to work

Pentagon to extend full marriage benefits - including 10 days marriage leave - to same-sex military couples

I wrote about this last week, and now we get official word from the Pentagon:

The Pentagon plans to extend to legally married same-sex couples the same privileges and programs that are provided to legally married heterosexual couples, including benefits tied to health care and housing, the official said.

In addition, the official said that service members who are stationed in one of the 37 states where same-sex marriage is illegal will be offered up to 10 days of leave so they can travel to one of the 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, that grant same-sex marriage licenses. The Defense Department had earlier planned to permit same-sex spouses of military members to sign a declaration form in order to receive limited benefits, such as access to military stores and certain welfare programs, according to The Associated Press.

Implementation of the new policies could begin as early as next month.

(h/t JMG)