INTERNACIONAL
Army secretary reveals how Rangers bypass Pentagon red tape to counter exploding drone threat
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
EXCLUSIVE: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said U.S. soldiers are improvising with government credit cards to buy and test battlefield gear as they adapt to the exploding drone threat — as the Army shifts its long-term posture toward countering China in the Indo-Pacific.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Driscoll described how elite units like the 75th Ranger Regiment are bypassing the Pentagon’s cumbersome procurement system to test new drones, sensors and weapons in real time. At the same time, he said the Army is aligning with the Pentagon’s assessment of China as the nation’s «pacing threat,» building a force optimized for the Indo-Pacific but still capable of deploying worldwide at a moment’s notice.
After a visit with the regiment at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday, Driscoll said Rangers «basically just use their corporate credit card to go online and purchase things to test, and they will find what works.»
«They’ll do a lot of that outside the traditional procurement process. That flexibility lets them innovate and test at a speed that’s just really hard to do in the conventional force,» he added.
‘THRILLED TO BE HERE’: ARMY SECRETARY SAYS GUARD TROOPS EAGER FOR DC CRIME FIGHT
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll tours Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. (Spc. Luke Sullivan/75th Ranger Regiment )
Driscoll described the 75th Ranger Regiment as «live G.I. Joe dolls.» Watching them train in close-quarters battle, he said, you can’t help but notice their sheer size and physicality as they wedge themselves through doorways during room-clearing drills. That raw power, he added, is a reminder of why the U.S. invests so heavily in maintaining elite infantry forces.
But even America’s premier ground fighters are being forced to rethink how they operate. Driscoll said the age of slipping silently onto an objective under cover of night — fast-roping from a Black Hawk, breaching doors, and overwhelming defenders — is vanishing.
The spread of cheap battlefield technology, from drones to acoustic sensors to loitering munitions, has made stealth insertions far more difficult. «We don’t really own the night like we used to,» he said, noting that night-vision gear and detection tools that were once expensive and rare are now accessible to adversaries at scale.
That shift, he argued, has turned special operators into improvisers. Rangers and other elite units are now experimenting with disposable drones, commercial quadcopters and custom-built weapons to stay ahead.
Unlike conventional forces bound by long acquisition cycles, these units have the flexibility to innovate quickly.
The idea is for Rangers to test rapidly, see what works, and then pass those lessons along to the rest of the Army.
The problem, he acknowledged, is what comes next. While small-unit experimentation is thriving, scaling those solutions across the broader force runs headlong into bureaucratic red tape.
HEGSETH TEARS UP RED TAPE, ORDERS PENTAGON TO BEGIN DRONE SURGE AT TRUMP’S COMMAND
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll meeting with Rangers at Hunter Airfield. (Spc. Luke Sullivan/75th Ranger Regiment)
Driscoll pointed out that Congress once gave the Army a dozen broad funding categories it could move money between — say, vehicles in one bucket, drones in another. Today, he said, there are more than 1,400 narrowly drawn «buckets,» some tied to specific makes and models, making it nearly impossible to pivot quickly. That rigidity might not matter for tanks or trucks, but with drone technology evolving every few weeks in Ukraine, he said, the Army risks falling behind.
Driscoll visited the airfield just weeks after a shooting on base at Fort Stewart, where Hunter is located. He met with students of the criminal investigation division (CID), which is currently leading the probe into the shooting. Five soldiers were injured after a sergeant allegedly opened fire with a personal handgun he brought on base.
While he praised the CID’s «speed and professionalism» with the investigation, Driscoll added, «The Army wants zero of these incidents, and so we are looking at everything we can to try to ensure it never happens again.»
Driscoll spoke with Fox News Digital ahead of an expected global force posture review set for late summer or early fall. That review may lead to sizable shifts in the number of troops deployed at bases throughout Europe, the Middle East or the Indo-Pacific.
Driscoll said the Army is aligning itself with the Pentagon’s assessment of China as the nation’s «pacing threat.»
He emphasized that the service is designing its force to be effective in the Indo-Pacific — particularly in providing the logistics, sustainment and long-term presence needed to deter or fight a peer competitor.
At the same time, Driscoll cautioned against focusing too narrowly on one theater. «Human history has been pretty difficult to predict where the next conflict may unfold,» he said, stressing that the Army must remain capable of deploying anywhere the president and defense secretary direct. That flexibility, he argued, is a defining feature of land power.
Army Sec. Dan Driscoll observes Ranger training at Hunter Army Airfield. (Spc. Luke Sullivan/75th Ranger Regiment)
Driscoll declined to outline his full recommendations for the upcoming review but made clear one priority: counter-drone measures. «With the Secretary of Defense’s support, we are putting together plans to make a pretty aggressive investment in how to counter the threat from drones across the world and here at home,» he told Fox News Digital.
In his tenure, Driscoll has kicked off the Army Transformation Initiative, a top-to-bottom modernization drive he says is essential for the Army to remain decisive against peer adversaries like China.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«If you look at what the Army was like in the late 1990s as it went into the counterinsurgency operations of the early 2000s, we really haven’t changed all that much,» he said.
Now, «the Army is running as fast as it possibly can to try to reinvent itself, to be ready for modern warfare.»
us army,army,defense,drones,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Hamas reasserts control in Gaza as Iran war dominates regional attention and global focus
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As the war with Iran dominates the region’s attention, Hamas is quietly reasserting control inside Gaza, according to videos and photos circulating on social media. An Israeli analyst and a Gazan political commentator say the developments raise fresh doubts about whether postwar plans for the enclave can move forward anytime soon.
Michael Milshtein, a senior analyst at the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, said Hamas has used the past two and a half weeks not only to rehabilitate militarily but to project visible control in public life.
«They are really making good use of them to establish their power in the public sphere, not just for military rehabilitation,» Milshtein said, describing what he said were new recruits, police deployments and even parades in central Gaza. «Hamas is here to stay.»
TRUMP LAUNCHES PHASE 2 OF GAZA PEACE PLAN — BUT HAMAS DISARMAMENT REMAINS THE REAL TEST
Hamas terrorists stand in formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He said Gazans have reported that Hamas is also rebuilding the machinery of governance. «Their police are everywhere,» he said. «They are also improving their taxation system.» During Ramadan, he added, Hamas personnel were checking markets and mosques and «starting to build education systems.»
Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a Gazan political analyst, agrees momentum around postwar Gaza planning has largely stalled since the Iran war escalated.
«Everything with regard to Gaza has been put on hold,» Abu Saada told Fox News Digital. Before the regional war erupted, he said, developments had been «moving in the right direction,» including work around the Board of Peace, the Gaza Technical Committee and discussions tied to a possible international stabilization force.
«Yes, Hamas has taken advantage of the current situation,» Abu Saada said. «They are not under the pressure that they were before.»
Both analysts pointed to the same broad dynamic: as attention shifted to Iran, pressure on Hamas eased.
Abu Saada said that before the war, there had been what he described as serious discussions about disarmament, the deployment of an international force and Gaza’s political future. But «the enthusiasm that preceded the war has come down,» he said, adding that Gaza has been pushed to the «back burner.»
«When I talk to Palestinians, they tell me, ‘Listen, we are actually already waiting for the day after the war,’» Milshtein said. He said some expect Netanyahu to become «very indebted to Trump because of the war in Iran, and he will have to accept whatever dictates he has regarding Gaza.»
US SEEKS UN AUTHORIZATION FOR GAZA INTERNATIONAL FORCE LASTING THROUGH 2027 UNDER TRUMP PLAN
Terrorists in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah celebrate the ceasefire on Jan. 19, 2025. (TPS-IL)
At the center of that conversation is the prospect of an international stabilization force entering Gaza. But both men suggested Hamas may not see such a force as a threat.
Abu Saada said Hamas had «welcomed the deployment» of such a force and appears to view it as «restraining the Israeli army» rather than coming in «to disarm» the group. He said the possibility of troops from countries such as Indonesia may make such a deployment appear less threatening to Hamas, which could see it as a buffer against continued Israeli military operations.
Milshtein took that argument further, saying Hamas sees the model less as a peacekeeping mission than as a version of the Hezbollah-UNIFIL arrangement in Lebanon.
«Hamas says, ‘I have no problem, it will be like UNIFIL in Lebanon,’» Milshtein said. «Don’t even dream about starting to chase us, taking our weapons, and entering the tunnels. You need to protect us from Israel as well.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Hezbollah terrorists are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta, bordering Israel, on May 21, 2023, ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Abu Saada said the next phase depends heavily on how the Iran war ends. If the Iranian regime survives and avoids collapse, he said, Hamas will draw encouragement from that outcome.
«If Iran is not defeated, if the Iranian regime is not collapsing, that’s going to be some kind of moral support for Hamas,» he said.
war with iran,hamas,terrorism,israel
INTERNACIONAL
Trump lawyer in Jack Smith case draws conservative backing after DOJ praise rattles ‘elite’ legal conference
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer received swift backing from conservative legal figures online after facing pushback at a recent American Bar Association (ABA) conference for praising the Trump Department of Justice.
Attorney John Lauro, who defended Trump in special counsel Jack Smith’s 2020 election case, said the DOJ was «in a better place» under Trump, causing fellow panelists and audience members to shudder, according to a Bloomberg Law report of the event.
Lauro told Fox News Digital in a brief phone call on Monday that the event «was a highly triggered environment.»
«I called out the ABA and other elite legal organizations for not condemning the prior administration in holding political sham trials and show trials, particularly the one directed at President Trump, where the Biden administration wanted to put him on trial in 90 days, which is shorter than it takes for a traffic ticket to get worked through in D.C.,» Lauro said.
LABOR DEPARTMENT ORDERS LAWYERS TO CUT TIES WITH ABA, SLAMS GROUP AS ‘RADICAL’ ACTIVIST FORCE
President Donald Trump’s attorney John Lauro, left, speaks to the media at following his appearance at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The tense panel put a spotlight on the Trump administration’s ongoing fight with the ABA as it spurred DOJ officials and lawyers to voice their disdain for the organization.
«The ABA is trash and I’m proud to never have been a member,» Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon said. «Its stunt trashing Judge [Robert] Bork did it for me.»
«As if we needed anymore proof of the absolute disgrace that is the ABA,» wrote Associate Deputy Attorney General Diego Pestana. «John Lauro, one of the best trial attorneys in the country and patriot, treated terribly for simply daring to voice a view contrary to the liberal white collar bar.»
Lauro said during the panel, held at a conference in San Diego, that he had «the unique experience of representing a political figure who was probably more abused by the criminal justice system in America than any other political figure ever.»
«Everything that has gone on in the current administration must be looked at from the eyes of a man who was victimized by the criminal justice system,» Lauro said.
Among those rallying behind Lauro was also Iowa Solicitor General Eric Wessan, who said the ABA «represents a hyperpartisan faction.»
«That’s fine! But they should play no role in law school accreditation (or judicial selection),» Wessan said.
Former DOJ official Jeff Clark, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the 2020 election case, called Lauro «a bold man of principle.»
WHO ARE THE 6 CO-CONSPIRATORS NAMED IN TRUMP’S JAN. 6 INDICTMENT? HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW
Another social media user, an anonymous Georgia-based legal commentator, said that while he disagreed with Lauro’s comments, he was «jealous» that Lauro «had the opportunity to tell a room of the type of haughty, effete defense lawyers who hang around at ABA conferences to go f— themselves. He should have taken it.»
Lauro’s remarks had elicited pushback from participants. Nancy Gertner, a Harvard University law professor and retired federal judge, responded that any issues surrounding Trump’s prosecutions did not «justify the fracture of American democracy.»
Former federal prosecutor Mitchell Epner said: «I wanted to thank Mr. Lauro for admitting the emperor has no clothes. The rule of law is dead because the people in this room and the Department of Justice pissed off President Trump.»
John Lauro, who served as a defense lawyer for President Donald Trump, exits federal court in Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«I can’t believe that you think that that’s normal or good that one person can dictate who the Department of Justice investigates and indicts,» lawyer and panel moderator Sandy Weinberg said.
Republicans have long argued the ABA promotes Democrat-aligned viewpoints and that its institutional presence in the legal world is a disadvantage to conservatives. The ABA’s website showcases work that includes support for «LGBTQ+» initiatives, abortion access, stricter gun control measures, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
The ABA has also taken a stance against Trump, condemning what its president described as the administration’s «wide-scale affronts to the rule of law.»
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION IT WILL NO LONGER COMPLY WITH RATINGS FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House on June 27, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The ABA has for decades wielded enormous power, weighing in on nominations of federal judges, engaging in litigation and helping firms across the legal industry with recruitment. One arm of the ABA also handles law school accreditation.
Under Trump, several departments and agencies, including the DOJ and Department of Labor, have told political appointees they cannot affiliate with the ABA in their official capacity.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The DOJ, meanwhile, moved to terminate more than $3 million in federal grants to ABA programs, though a judge ruled the move was unconstitutional. Attorney General Pam Bondi told the ABA last year that the DOJ would not give advanced notice to the organization about judicial nominees, a reversal of a decades-long practice of allowing the organization to rate the nominees before they advance in the Senate.
Fox News Digital reached out to the ABA for comment.
justice department,federal judges,donald trump,politics,law
INTERNACIONAL
Trump le pidió a China postergar la reunión con el presidente Xi Jinping por la guerra con Irán
REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Foto de archivo
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmó este lunes que planea retrasar aproximadamente un mes el viaje a China que tenía previsto realizar a finales de marzo para reunirse con su homólogo, Xi Jinping, debido a la guerra con Irán.
“Debido a la guerra, quiero estar aquí. Siento que tengo que estar aquí. Así que hemos solicitado posponerlo un mes más o menos, y espero con interés estar con ellos. Tenemos una muy buena relación”, explicó el presidente a la prensa.
La portavoz de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, había avanzado este mismo lunes que existía la posibilidad de que se retrasara el viaje de Trump a Beijing, previsto entre el 31 de marzo y el 3 de abril, porque el mandatario está centrado en la ofensiva en Irán.
Trump sugirió el fin de semana en una entrevista con el Financial Times que podría retrasar la visita al gigante asiático hasta conocer la postura de Beijing sobre si está dispuesto a ayudar a garantizar la seguridad del estrecho de Ormuz, vía clave para el tránsito del petróleo que ha sido bloqueada por Irán en represalia por los ataques estadounidenses.
“El presidente tiene muchas ganas de visitar China”, dijo Leavitt. “Las fechas podrían moverse. Como comandante en jefe, su prioridad número uno en este momento es garantizar el éxito de la Operación Furia Épica”, agregó. Más temprano, en Fox News, la portavoz había matizado que el encuentro no estaba en peligro pero que un retraso era perfectamente posible.
REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
El secretario del Tesoro, Scott Bessent, ofreció su perspectiva desde París, donde se reunió con el viceprimer ministro chino He Lifeng en una ronda de conversaciones comerciales destinada a preparar la agenda de la cumbre. Bessent subrayó en CNBC que cualquier postergación no tendría nada que ver con la disputa sobre el estrecho. “El presidente quiere permanecer en Washington para coordinar el esfuerzo bélico”, explicó. “Viajar al exterior en un momento como este puede no ser lo más conveniente.”
La velocidad del desarrollo del conflicto iraní reconfiguró la agenda diplomática de Washington. Trump dijo el domingo que había contactado a cerca de siete países sobre la posibilidad de sumar fuerzas navales para proteger el tránsito de petroleros. Sobre China fue ambiguo: sugirió haber extendido una invitación a Beijing para unirse a la coalición, pero añadió que “ya veremos” si responde.
La visita sería la primera de un presidente estadounidense a China desde el viaje de Trump en 2017. Se acordó en noviembre tras la tregua comercial entre ambas potencias y estaba concebida para avanzar en comercio, seguridad y relaciones bilaterales. Trump y Xi se habían visto cinco meses antes en Busan, Corea del Sur, donde pactaron una tregua arancelaria de un año después de que los gravámenes mutuos llegaran brevemente a niveles de tres dígitos.
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Beijing no confirmó las fechas —algo habitual en su protocolo— y su cancillería eludió pronunciarse sobre las exigencias de Washington. El portavoz Lin Jian se limitó a afirmar que “la diplomacia entre jefes de Estado desempeña un papel estratégico insustituible” en las relaciones bilaterales y confirmó que ambas partes mantienen comunicación sobre la visita.
La postura china combina cautela retórica con inacción práctica. Beijing recibe aproximadamente un tercio de su petróleo a través del estrecho —Trump cifró esa dependencia en el 90%, cifra que contradicen los datos de aduanas chinas, según los cuales Rusia es el mayor proveedor individual—. China no respondió al llamado de Washington. Su diario oficial Global Times argumentó que la propuesta busca trasladar los riesgos de “una guerra que Washington inició y no puede terminar”.
El barril de Brent cotizaba este lunes en torno a los 101 dólares, según FactSet, tras tocar un máximo de 126 dólares en los días más álgidos del conflicto. En Estados Unidos, el galón de gasolina alcanzó los 3,72 dólares, casi 80 centavos más que hace un mes, según la Asociación Americana del Automóvil. China afronta sus propias presiones: Beijing redujo su objetivo de crecimiento para 2026 al 4,5%-5%, el más modesto desde 1991.
Las conversaciones entre Bessent y He Lifeng avanzaron este lunes en su segundo día. Según una fuente al tanto de las negociaciones, los representantes chinos mostraron apertura a ampliar sus compras de productos agrícolas estadounidenses —aves de corral, carne de vacuno y cultivos distintos a la soja— y ambas delegaciones abordaron el flujo de minerales de tierras raras y fórmulas para gestionar el comercio bilateral. La cumbre en China sigue siendo el horizonte al que apunta toda esa negociación.
Corporate Events,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy
Juan Bautista Mahiques: “Es imprudente hablar con liviandad de que el Presidente es culpable de un delito”
Creció 25% la contratación de argentinos desde el exterior y el país lidera en el uso de criptomonedas como forma de pago
Juan Bautista Mahiques se refirió a la causa Libra y dijo que “es grave que se haya filtrado información” del celular de Novelli
Wanda Nara reveló el inesperado problema que está sufriendo en sus vacaciones en Maldivas
Chelsea vs. PSG, por la Champions League: hora y cómo ver los octavos de final
A horas de presentarse a declarar en la Causa Cuadernos, Cristina Kirchner criticó a la Justicia: «El show debe continuar»
La fuerte exigencia a Mauro Icardi para poder ver a sus hijas con Wanda Nara: “A Maurito se lo va a multar si no lleva a las menores al colegio”
BOMBAZO – Guerra abierta: Feinmann y Rossi contraatacan tras la denuncia de Victoria Villarruel
Video: así fue el feroz temporal que azotó Tucumán y causó inundaciones, rutas cortadas y suspensión de clases
Milei llegó a Madrid para participar de un foro ultraliberal organizado por expertos en criptomonedas
CHIMENTOS2 días agoLa fuerte exigencia a Mauro Icardi para poder ver a sus hijas con Wanda Nara: “A Maurito se lo va a multar si no lleva a las menores al colegio”
- POLITICA3 días ago
BOMBAZO – Guerra abierta: Feinmann y Rossi contraatacan tras la denuncia de Victoria Villarruel
- CHIMENTOS1 día ago
El escalofriante dato de Ángel de Brito sobre Luciana de Gran Hermano tras su detención por viuda negra: “No fue el único ilícito, también había rodado otros hombres”
