Army

Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday said the deteriorating relationship between the Pentagon and Congress is the biggest disappointment of his tenure at the Pentagon.

Appearing at his final press conference as Pentagon chief, Panetta lamented the increasing partisanship that has come to define debates about the military.

"The [necessary] partnership with the Congress and the ability to have Congress there, to be able to support what is being done to protect this country … that bond is not as strong as it should be," Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon.

"Oftentimes I feel like I don't have a full partnership with my former colleagues on the Hill in trying to do what's right for this country.” Read more...

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday voted to approve former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s nomination as Defense secretary.

President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha at a ceremony Monday at the White House, praising the Army veteran for his heroism during a day-long battle at a military outpost in Afghanistan.

Romesha was awarded the nation’s highest military honor before members of Congress, military leaders and the family members of the eight Americans who lost their lives during the firefight at Combat Outpost Keating.

Obama praised Romesha and other American troops for warding off a frantic attack from enemy combatants with substantial strategic advantages, using the high mountains to unleash waves of bullets and rocket-propelled grenades. Romesha was injured by shrapnel in the initial firefight, but joined other American troops in fighting to slowly retake their outpost.

The Pentagon will again have to cut the size of military forces if planned across-the-board spending cuts from sequestration go into effect, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Saturday.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 forced one round of cuts, Dempsey told reporters traveling with him to Afghanistan, according to Reuters.

A Center for Public Integrity report detailed the cuts under consideration in a draft version of a classified directive.

The same committee that grilled him will work closely with the next Defense secretary on a number of pressing issues.

Hagel stumbled over some answers and was frequently forced to say that he “regretted” past statements.

Chuck Hagel endured sharp exchanges at his confirmation hearing with Sens. John McCain and James Inhofe. 

“No one individual vote, quote, or statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record,” Hagel said.

For months, congressional Republicans have been champing at the bit to press top administration officials on how they handled the aftermath of last September's terrorist assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.