After winning election Donald Trump prepares to take control of Pentagon next winter His previous term saw creation of Space Force higher defense budget and changes in military personnel rules
The president-elect wants to use military in non-standard ways: border control city crime fighting and dealing with political rivals (which raises questions about legal limits). Former chief-of-staff John Kelly mentioned how Trump often pushed against rules that stop army from working inside US borders
I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within
The new plans include building nation-wide missile defense system similar to Israels Iron Dome but experts say its too costly and not-practical for US needs. Trump also wants to remove job protection from many government workers through Schedule-F program and stop diversity training in military
The transition team already has some key players: Brian Hook leads State Department changes while Robert Wilkie manages Pentagon switch. Some big names turned down offers - Tom Cotton said no to cabinet spot but many others are in line:
- Marco Rubio
- Bill Hagerty
- Ric Grenell
- Mike Waltz
- Mike Pompeo
In other military news Israel bought 25 F-15 jets for $5‚2B with first planes coming in seven years; Russia increased drone attacks on Ukraine by 10x compared to last year; and Canada made TikTok close its offices due to security worries