Latest news with #Driscoll
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army Sec: $40 million parade on Trump's birthday a 'Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
WASHINGTON — The Army's $40 million parade Saturday to celebrate its 250th anniversary is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase the service, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told USA TODAY. That it also falls on President Donald Trump's birthday, and that he'll preside over the tanks and troops that rumble and march past him from a specially built reviewing stand? Simply coincidence. 'Unless soldiers 170 years before he was born somehow timed that date,' Driscoll in a June 12 interview. Driscoll talked about the parade and who's expected to attend (invitations almost certainly have been extended to Mark Esper and Mark Milley, top former officials who clashed with Trump, he said). Driscoll also addressed the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the objection of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the No. 1 threat to his soldiers – cheap, lethal drones. Planning for the Army's 250th birthday began before Driscoll became the civilian leader of the Army on February 25, he said. A longstanding tradition for armies, a military parade was deemed a natural way to highlight the Army's strength and service to the United States. 'I think sometimes the media gets in its own way in telling stories,' Driscoll said. 'The coincidence that the president's birthday is on this date that occurred 250 years ago, and that we the Army want to tell this story, is I think going to be backed up. The reason we are spending this money, the reason we are so excited about it, I think we'll be backed up by recruiting data in the months ahead. 'This is not intended to be performative. We sincerely believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.' The parade, which includes potential damage to streets in Washington, D.C. from armored vehicles including 38 70-ton Abrams tanks, will range in cost from $25 million to $40 million. Democrats have criticized the event as a waste of money to promote Trump's image. "This is Trump. This is all about his ego and making everything about him," Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on May 14. The televised parade will reach a broad audience of Americans and spur some of them to serve, Driscoll said. 'We believe that so many Americans are excited about this and will tune in,' Driscoll said. 'And it will quantitatively fill up our recruiting pipeline for the years to come. We think it is absolutely worth the investment.' Driscoll said he believed with near certainty that Esper and Milley had been invited to attend the parade. The Army, a spokesman for Milley and the White House have not confirmed that. Esper is the former Army secretary Trump promoted to Defense secretary and then fired in November 2020 after he lost the election. Esper incurred Trump's wrath for urging restraint in deploying the military against protesters. Milley, a retired Army general, its chief of staff and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also lost Trump's favor after apologizing for appearing in uniform near Trump after law enforcement officials forcibly cleared racial justice protesters from Lafayette Square, near the White House, so Trump could walk across it. The parade features dozens of armored combat vehicles, helicopters, vintage warplanes, thousands of soldiers in uniforms from the Revolutionary War to the present, horses, two mules and a dog. More: Soldiers excited (and nerve wracked) to drive tanks in DC military parade The procession will highlight the 'robustness and incredible talent of our soldiers,' Driscoll said. He hopes that Americans 'feel pride and honor' when they watch the parade. 'This is their Army,' he said. In 2017, during his first term, Trump wanted to hold a military parade, but Pentagon officials were leery of appearing to politicize the armed forces. Then-Defense Sec. Jim Mattis said he would 'rather swallow acid,' according to 'Holding the Line,' a book by his former speechwriter Guy Snodgrass. That Army, through its National Guard troops, is engaged at Trump's order in helping protect federal buildings and Los Angeles and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as they continue their crackdown on migrants expected of being in the country illegally. The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles is justified and was approved by the voters who elected Trump. Trump, Driscoll said, is doing exactly what he said he'd do during the campaign. 'Our system was designed for exactly these moments,' Driscoll said. 'The reason we have presidential elections, the reason so many Americans turned out in November to support our president, Donald J. Trump, was for exactly these kinds of moments. If you look at the four-year period when President Trump was out of office, I think the American people didn't want violence in their communities.' The National Guard soldiers deployed to Los Angeles are talented, well trained and 'excited' about being there, Driscoll said. The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 additional National Guard troops for law enforcement support for its immigration crackdowns. More: Trump wants 20,000 troops to hunt, transport immigrants. Cost estimate: $3.6 billion Driscoll said he hasn't been briefed on the request but that the Army is ready to operate inside U.S. borders in legally appropriate ways. 'If the president feels, in consultation with the rest of the administration leadership, that is the best use of our National Guard, the Army stands by to support,' Driscoll said. On a separate issue, Driscoll talked about what he considers to be the top lethal threat to soldiers. Cheap, weaponized drones have become the weapon of choice in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Driscoll wants the Army to lead the Pentagon's effort to counteract drones. 'It's the number one thing we talk about every single day,' Driscoll said. Ukraine stunned Russia with a drone attack on its strategic warplanes. 'That should send fear into the hearts of armies around the world,' Driscoll said. 'A solution that was tens of thousands of dollars and pretty cleverly done over six months with very little signature to catch. It took out multiple billions of dollars of equipment, and that threat is real, and that threat is one that is being faced by every country.' Is the Pentagon better prepared than Russia for such an attack? 'I don't know,' Driscoll said. 'Hope so.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Army's $40 million parade: 'Once-in-lifetime opportunity'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Yes, U.S. Army secretary said there is a soldier stationed on the moon. (There isn't)
Claim: U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll said: "We talked to an astronaut yesterday who's on the moon, who's a soldier." Rating: A rumor that the United States Army has a soldier stationed on the moon orbited social media in mid-June 2025 as a result of a statement allegedly made by U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll. The statement, shared by users on X (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and Reddit, was: "We talked to an astronaut yesterday who's on the moon, who's a soldier." People were quick to share the purported quote, some decrying it as an obvious blunder while others believed Driscoll inadvertently shared confidential intelligence. The quote about a soldier being stationed on the moon was correctly attributed to Driscoll, who made the comment during a Fox News appearance on June 11, 2025. The segment is available to watch on YouTube (at the 4:00 mark). Driscoll's remark came in response to a question about the military parade planned for June 14, 2025, when host Brian Kilmeade asked the secretary about allegations that the parade was meant for U.S. President Donald Trump's birthday rather than a celebration of Flag Day and the Army's 250th anniversary. The exchange began around three minutes into the segment. Driscoll said assertions the parade was celebrating Trump's birthday were "preposterous," adding: The Army started planning this long in advance because what we believe is this will continue the strength and recruiting and retention that we have as young Americans across the country get to see all of the amazing things that the Army has done, whether it's helping with floods in North Carolina or wildfires in California, or we talked to an astronaut yesterday who's on the moon who's a soldier; including actually going to war and fighting to defend the freedoms that make our nation so great. We think this is going to be an incredible opportunity for the Army to fill up our pipeline for the years to come and I find it offensive that anybody is challenging that. Kilmeade offered no follow-up question to Driscoll's comment but it appeared the secretary misspoke. There is no evidence that an astronaut is currently stationed on the moon. NASA's website states that only 12 people have ever walked on the moon, while Royal Museums Greenwich in London notes that trips to the moon concluded in 1972. However, Driscoll was part of a June 9, 2025, conversation with flight engineer Anne McClain, who is aboard the International Space Station. According to McClain's biography on the NASA website, she is a U.S. Army colonel and "was selected in June 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class." McClain is currently deployed on the ISS as part of NASA Expedition 73, which began on April 19, 2025, and is expected to return in November 2025. The conversation, which is available to watch on NASA's YouTube page, appeared to be what Driscoll's comment on Fox News was referring to, during which he said "on the moon" instead of, presumably, "in space" or "on the space station." Snopes reached out to the Army for further clarification on Driscoll's comment. A spokesperson highlighted a post on the secretary's X account featuring the same conversation between Driscoll and McClain, indicating that he slipped up when speaking to Kilmeade. - YouTube. Accessed 13 June 2025. ---. Accessed 13 June 2025. Anne C. McClain - NASA. Accessed 13 June 2025. Expedition 73 - NASA. Accessed 13 June 2025. Loe, Megan. 'Breaking down Craigslist Ad Seeking Seat Fillers on Day of Trump's DC Parade'. Snopes, 12 June 2025, 'Military Parade to Celebrate the Army's 250th Anniversary Will Be Held on Trump's Birthday'. AP News, 2 May 2025, Moonwalkers - NASA Science. 13 Apr. 2023, Veterans Invited to Celebrate U.S. Army's 250th Birthday - VA News. 11 June 2025, Why Did We Stop Going to the Moon? | Royal Museums Greenwich. Accessed 13 June 2025.
The Herald Scotland
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Army's $40 million parade: 'Once-in-lifetime opportunity'
"Unless soldiers 170 years before he was born somehow timed that date," Driscoll in a June 12 interview. Driscoll talked about the parade and who's expected to attend (invitations almost certainly have been extended to Mark Esper and Mark Milley, top former officials who clashed with Trump, he said). Driscoll also addressed the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the objection of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the No. 1 threat to his soldiers - cheap, lethal drones. Planning for the Army's 250th birthday began before Driscoll became the civilian leader of the Army on February 25, he said. A longstanding tradition for armies, a military parade was deemed a natural way to highlight the Army's strength and service to the United States. "I think sometimes the media gets in its own way in telling stories," Driscoll said. "The coincidence that the president's birthday is on this date that occurred 250 years ago, and that we the Army want to tell this story, is I think going to be backed up. The reason we are spending this money, the reason we are so excited about it, I think we'll be backed up by recruiting data in the months ahead. "This is not intended to be performative. We sincerely believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity." The parade, which includes potential damage to streets in Washington, D.C. from armored vehicles including 38 70-ton Abrams tanks, will range in cost from $25 million to $40 million. Democrats have criticized the event as a waste of money to promote Trump's image. "This is Trump. This is all about his ego and making everything about him," Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on May 14. The televised parade will reach a broad audience of Americans and spur some of them to serve, Driscoll said. "We believe that so many Americans are excited about this and will tune in," Driscoll said. "And it will quantitatively fill up our recruiting pipeline for the years to come. We think it is absolutely worth the investment." Driscoll said he believed with near certainty that Esper and Milley had been invited to attend the parade. The Army, a spokesman for Milley and the White House have not confirmed that. Esper is the former Army secretary Trump promoted to Defense secretary and then fired in November 2020 after he lost the election. Esper incurred Trump's wrath for urging restraint in deploying the military against protesters. Milley, a retired Army general, its chief of staff and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also lost Trump's favor after apologizing for appearing in uniform near Trump after law enforcement officials forcibly cleared racial justice protesters from Lafayette Square, near the White House, so Trump could walk across it. The parade features dozens of armored combat vehicles, helicopters, vintage warplanes, thousands of soldiers in uniforms from the Revolutionary War to the present, horses, two mules and a dog. More: Soldiers excited (and nerve wracked) to drive tanks in DC military parade The procession will highlight the "robustness and incredible talent of our soldiers," Driscoll said. He hopes that Americans "feel pride and honor" when they watch the parade. "This is their Army," he said. In 2017, during his first term, Trump wanted to hold a military parade, but Pentagon officials were leery of appearing to politicize the armed forces. Then-Defense Sec. Jim Mattis said he would "rather swallow acid," according to "Holding the Line," a book by his former speechwriter Guy Snodgrass. That Army, through its National Guard troops, is engaged at Trump's order in helping protect federal buildings and Los Angeles and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as they continue their crackdown on migrants expected of being in the country illegally. The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles is justified and was approved by the voters who elected Trump. Trump, Driscoll said, is doing exactly what he said he'd do during the campaign. "Our system was designed for exactly these moments," Driscoll said. "The reason we have presidential elections, the reason so many Americans turned out in November to support our president, Donald J. Trump, was for exactly these kinds of moments. If you look at the four-year period when President Trump was out of office, I think the American people didn't want violence in their communities." The National Guard soldiers deployed to Los Angeles are talented, well trained and "excited" about being there, Driscoll said. The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 additional National Guard troops for law enforcement support for its immigration crackdowns. More: Trump wants 20,000 troops to hunt, transport immigrants. Cost estimate: $3.6 billion Driscoll said he hasn't been briefed on the request but that the Army is ready to operate inside U.S. borders in legally appropriate ways. "If the president feels, in consultation with the rest of the administration leadership, that is the best use of our National Guard, the Army stands by to support," Driscoll said. Rising risk from drone warfare On a separate issue, Driscoll talked about what he considers to be the top lethal threat to soldiers. Cheap, weaponized drones have become the weapon of choice in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Driscoll wants the Army to lead the Pentagon's effort to counteract drones. "It's the number one thing we talk about every single day," Driscoll said. Ukraine stunned Russia with a drone attack on its strategic warplanes. "That should send fear into the hearts of armies around the world," Driscoll said. "A solution that was tens of thousands of dollars and pretty cleverly done over six months with very little signature to catch. It took out multiple billions of dollars of equipment, and that threat is real, and that threat is one that is being faced by every country." Is the Pentagon better prepared than Russia for such an attack? "I don't know," Driscoll said. "Hope so."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senior Army Official Makes Startling Admission About Soldier Astronaut on the Moon
Officially speaking, the last time a person landed on the moon was in 1972. But yesterday on Fox News, a senior Army official claimed that "we talked to an astronaut yesterday who's on the moon who's a soldier." This has many people wondering - is the US military secretly landing people on the moon? In an interview with Brian Kilmede on Fox News this Wednesday, the Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll seems to have revealed extraordinary news when discussing 'All of the amazing things that the Army has done.' After mentioning work the Army did to help with the floods in North Carolina and wildfires in California, he dropped an absolute bombshell of an admission when he stated that just yesterday they spoke with a soldier astronaut on the moon. Immediately he moves on to his final point about how the Army protects America by fighting wars to protect our freedoms. The full statement with context: Kilmede: 'So Gavin Newsom foolishly said yesterday, 'The President's having a parade for his birthday.' It's about the Army. And it's about Flag Day. And it happens to be the President's birthday. And this idea was actually brought up by the Army by General George when Biden was President. But it was gonna be much smaller. Can you share a light on tha- shed a light on that?' Driscoll: 'Yeah I- I think there's kind of two things here that just I find preposterous. Thing one is as if the Army 170 years before the President was even born could have lined this up to be his birthday. It is just insanity to me that they are pushing back on this idea that we want to celebrate our 250th anniversary with an entity and a body that has done so much for this nation and that so many people have this incredible connection to.' Driscoll: 'And then the second things is, to your point, the Army started planning this long in advance because what we believe is this will continue the strength in recruiting and retention that we have as young Americans across the country get to see all of the amazing things that the Army has done whether it's helping with floods in North Carolina or wildfires in California or we talked to an astronaut yesterday who's on the moon who's a soldier, including actually going to war and fighting to defend the freedoms that are, uh, that make our nation so great. We think this is gonna be an incredible opportunity for the Army to fill up our pipeline for the years to come and I find it offensive that anybody is challenging that.' Kilmede: 'Right. The Army can celebrate the Army. That's what it's about.' So far the Pentagon has made no statement on this admission, and the context seems to offer no alternative explanation for what Driscoll could have meant. Senior Army Official Makes Startling Admission About Soldier Astronaut on the Moon first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army's 250th birthday commemoration held in Yorktown ahead of Fort Eustis event Friday
Virginia's governor and the secretary of the Army came to Yorktown on Thursday afternoon as part of several days of celebrations for the service's 250th birthday. 'Together, these links through the last 250 years demonstrate the proud patriots that form the most magnificent band of brothers,' Gov. Glenn Youngkin told the crowd of roughly 200. 'That's the legacy of service and sacrifice.' The event marked the second in a three-part national series, and the speakers included Youngkin and Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. Hampton Roads' largest Army installation, Fort Eustis in northern Newport News, will host a large event on Friday that is open to the public. Driscoll emphasized technology's role in the United States' past and present, following opening remarks from Colonial National Historical Park Service Superintendent Jerri Marr and Virginia Commemorations President Ben Dendy. 'We have witnessed how readily available technology can disrupt power dynamics,' Driscoll said, citing Ukraine and Afghanistan as examples. 'The decisions that we make today will determine whether we can beat the challenges of tomorrow.' Driscoll said Army transformation initiatives are essential to future innovation and imagination. He commended President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance for their leadership. Youngkin echoed this sentiment, highlighting military pride and comparing Trump to George Washington. 'What we are seeing is an American resurgence in strength and an American resurgence in recruiting for our armed forces,' Youngkin said. 'A wave of patriotism is moving across the nation — that, my friends, is leadership.' Attendees met Youngkin's speech with mixed reviews. Philip Hamilton, legal services business owner and former Virginia General Assembly candidate, applauded Youngkin's words. 'He really brought everything together, talking about the origins of our Army up until present day,' Hamilton said. In contrast, Mark Sullivan — who held a sign that read 'The Fight for Freedom is NOW' — criticized the remarks. 'This was 'put on the reel for my campaign for '28,'' Sullivan said of the governor. 'I'm standing up for my grandkids, and I hope we have democracy when they're my age.' On Friday, the local 250th anniversary celebration will turn to Fort Eustis. The Fort Eustis event — free and open to the public — marks a 'historic milestone honoring two and a half centuries of service, sacrifice and strength' since the Army was founded in 1775. The event runs from 2-8 p.m. Friday at Murphy Field at the Newport News base. It will include family activities as well as food trucks and displays of Army vehicles, helicopters and boats and more. That will be followed by a concert with the Nashville Nights Band at 6 p.m. and a fireworks display at 8:30 p.m. Adults will need a government-issued ID — such as a driver's license — to get in. There's a related golfing event, at the Pines Golf Course, during the day for a $50 per person fee. There's also a related ball — the 250th Birthday Ball — on Saturday evening at the Marriott hotel at City Center, also for a fee. More information on parking and frequently asked questions is available at Or go to the event's Facebook page at 'Fort Eustis Army 250th Birthday Celebration.' Also on Saturday, the governor's band of the Virginia Army National Guard will perform a music festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. At noon, visitors will be invited to fall in line as a Continental Army solider and drill with a musket. And at 1 p.m., a presentation explores the prisoner-of-war experiences during the American Revolution, followed by an artillery salute at 3 p.m. Saturday's events are included as part of admission to American Revolution at Yorktown, at 200 Water Street. The fees are $20 for those 13 and up, and $10 for those 6-12. Children under 5 are free, though residents of York, James City and Williamsburg get in free. At 7 p.m. Saturday, there will be a one-man theatrical presentation — 'The American Soldier' — also at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. This is based on letters from soldiers from the revolution to the present day, with the performance delving into the internal conflicts that many soldiers feel in coming home. Admission to the show is $17 per person. Tickets are available at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation's website. Maddie Mohamadi, Peter Dujardin, 757-897-2062, pdujardin@
