EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican senator will accuse Meta – the parent company of Facebook – of "shadow banning" and removing social media posts in a letter Tuesday demanding answers from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Small Business committee, will, in part, cite a 2022 Washington Post report on social media companies’ "deamplification" of certain Facebook and Instagram content.
The report discussed Meta’s response to "problematic content," which the executive at the time called "borderline" and argued must have reduced reach due to its proclivity to go viral.
"Your platform, amongst others, provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect the U.S. military with younger generations. That is why I am concerned about Meta’s ongoing shadow banning and removal of the U.S. Armed Services’ posts," Ernst wrote in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
"The defense of our nation is entirely dependent upon the voluntary enlistment of brave women and men willing to put their lives on the line so every American can freely speak their minds."
In remarks to Fox News Digital, Ernst said Americans’ freedoms are only possible through the all-volunteer armed services, which she previously served in.
"I am concerned Meta’s algorithms are hindering our investment in connecting with and recruiting the next generation of warfighters," she added.
"The service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform should be celebrated, not restricted."
In her letter, Ernst accused Meta of sporadically adjusting its violations policies without "clear rationale" and cited reports to Congress showing an increase in content-restriction on military-related postings.
Embedding an image of an Instagram violation warning on one particular post, Ernst listed a handful of such reports and their loss of cyber "reach."
A six-hour suspension of a post on Feb. 29 resulted in the loss of 2,500 impressions and 500 engagements, while a similar situation on March 3 reduced a post’s reach by 5,000 impressions and 1,100 engagements.
Ten posts on the GoArmy social media account were flagged as violating guidelines over a three-day period in September, Ernst said, and the account was briefly put on "non-recommendable" status twice.
The senator said the Army’s public affairs office reported disruptions to several posts, including one featuring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and one depicting soldiers onboard a helicopter.
In turn, Ernst asked Zuckerberg to lay out the guidelines used to mediate military-related content and how they are communicated to account holders.
She also asked for an explanation as to the apparent suppression of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier post, and actions taken thus far to prevent future shadow-bans that shouldn’t occur.
The lawmaker also demanded an estimate on the cost of the official Pentagon-sanctioned ads that were suppressed.
EXCLUSIVE: A Marine lieutenant colonel from Ohio who publicly spoke out against the Afghanistan withdrawal will lead rank-and-file service members door-to-door in the Senate next week in support of defense nominee Pete Hegseth.
Stuart Scheller, who was imprisoned in a Jacksonville, N.C., brig for his public criticisms of military brass, told Fox News Digital Wednesday he is organizing enlisted men and women to engage with senators next Wednesday.
Scheller stressed that service members who are participating are not prominent fellows at think tanks or in any governmental or related seats of power.
"Pete has made public comments that he wants to move to a meritocracy, and he believes that we need more courage in the ranks. So, I'm not saying that I wouldn't have been reprimanded [if he was secretary]," Scheller said.
"I still think there probably was some reprimand that needed to happen, but it would go across the board.
"The difference is, if Pete was the secretary of defense, the general officers would have also been held accountable [for the botched withdrawal], and I would not have had to go to the lengths that I had to go to bring attention to the situation."
Scheller said that, in the last decade or two, the U.S. military is "not winning anything, and we need to turn it into a winning organization."
Scheller said Hegseth has planned to hold accountable Pentagon leaders who have "become stagnant" in the lieutenant colonel’s words.
He also stressed that Hegseth is the first Pentagon nominee in decades who is not from the officer corps or defense contracting firms.
Outgoing Secretary Lloyd Austin III is a retired CENTCOM general but also came from the board of Raytheon.
"Forty years to become a four-star general really removes you from the forces," Scheller said of the past several officer-corps secretary choices overall.
"Pete’s middle management — a major. I mean, he’s like the perfect guy ... and he's been sitting here talking to veterans when he was developing his book, trying to understand their pulse and the heartbeat. So, that book that he wrote probably prepared him in terms of the current culture and sentiment and frustrations more than any other secretary of defense."
As for his plans for the Hill next week, Scheller said he and fellow service members are focused on those who may appear to be on the fence about Hegseth.
"I'm looking for more [of] the right people than the total quantity," he said.
Scheller will also release a video announcing his Wednesday mission.
"[Hegseth] is a combat veteran from our generation and … he’s not a puppet for the military industrial complex. He's not going to end up on one of their boards like every general officer of our generation," Scheller says in the video.
"I'm going to be in Washington, D.C., walking through the halls of the U.S. Senate, talking to all the U.S. senators, advocating for peace."
As Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's defense secretary nominee, returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with more Republican senators, his once apparently teetering nomination now seems to be on much firmer ground.
While Hegseth's confirmation is still far from a sure bet, a very public pronouncement of support from Trump, behind-the-scenes efforts by Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, and Hegseth's own determination seem to have resuscitated a nomination that appeared to be headed toward life support.
"We look forward to earning these confirmation votes," a confident Hegseth said Monday night in an interview on Fox News' "Hannity."
In the wake of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the president-elect's first attorney general nominee, ending his confirmation bid amid controversy, there has been a full-court press by Trump's political orbit to bolster Hegseth in order to protect him and other controversial Cabinet picks.
"If Trump world allowed a couple of establishment senators to veto a second nominee, it would have led to a feeding frenzy on Trump's other nominees, and so the thinking in Trump world was we have to defend Pete not just for the sake of defending Pete, but also for the sake of defending our other nominees," a longtime Trump world adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News.
Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations, as well as a report alleging he mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led.
Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won't drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed as defense secretary.
Trump's defense secretary nominee was interviewed hours after meeting a second time with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, which will hold Hegseth's confirmation hearings.
Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is considered a pivotal vote in the confirmation battle over Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat.
The senator is also a survivor of sexual assault who has a strong legislative record of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military.
After meeting with Hegseth, Ernst wrote in a statement Monday that "as I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources."
Ernst emphasized that "following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks."
Hegseth, speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity, noted that "it was a great meeting. People don't really know this. I've known Sen. Ernst for over 10 years.
"You get into these meetings, and you listen to senators – it's an amazing advise and consent process – and you hear how thoughtful, serious, substantive they are on these key issues that pertain to our Defense Department," he continued. "And Joni Ernst is front and center on that. So to be able to have phone calls and meetings time and time again to talk over the issues is really, really important. The fact that she's willing to support me through this process means a lot."
Last week, after her first meeting with Hegseth, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump's defense secretary nominee had a "frank and thorough" conversation.
A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" if she wasn't ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, "I think you are right."
Even Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime Trump ally in the Senate, was expressing serious concerns about Hegseth's nomination.
Fox News and other news organizations late last week reported that Trump was potentially considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement should Hegseth's nomination falter.
But on Friday, Trump took to social media to praise Hegseth.
"Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News," the president-elect wrote. And he praised Hegseth in a high-profile network TV interview over this past weekend.
Vance, who remains a senator from Ohio until he steps down to assume the vice presidency, has been working behind the scenes to consolidate support for Hegseth among his Republican colleagues in the Senate.
"It's fair to say that JD has been Pete's biggest champion internally in Trump world and has spent a lot of time over the last two weeks helping shore up support for Pete among his colleagues in the Senate," a source in Vance's political orbit told Fox News.
Meanwhile, Trump's political team and allies – fueled by grassroots support for Hegseth – turned up the volume.
"There will be no resource that we won’t use to go after those U.S. senators that vote against Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks or his other nominees," longtime Trump outside adviser Corey Lewandowski told Fox News.
Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect's oldest son and MAGA powerhouse, took to social media to target wavering Republican senators.
"If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin [President Biden's defense secretary], but criticize @PeteHegseth, then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!" Don Trump Jr. wrote in a social media post.
MAGA allies quickly targeted Ernst, with talk of a primary challenge when the senator faces re-election in 2026.
"This is the red line. This is not a joke.… The funding is already being put together. Donors are calling like crazy. Primaries are going to be launched," said Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and radio and TV host who co-founded and steers Turning Point USA.
Kirk, on his radio program, warned that "if you support the president’s agenda, you’re good. You’re marked safe from a primary. You go up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, then don’t be surprised, Joni Ernst, if all of a sudden you have a primary challenge in Iowa."
State Attorney General Brenna Bird, a top Trump supporter in last January's Iowa presidential caucuses, wrote a column on Breitbart urging Hegseth's confirmation.
While she didn't mention Ernst by name, Bird took aim at "D.C. politicians" who "think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years."
And longtime Iowa-based conservative commentator and media personality Steve Deace took to social media and used his radio program to highlight that he would consider launching a primary challenge against Ernst.
Deace, who supported DeSantis in the Iowa caucuses, said, "I am willing to primary her for the good of the cause if I'm assured I have Trump's support going in. Or I am willing to throw my support and network behind someone else President Trump prefers to primary Joni Ernst instead."
Also helping Hegseth is his defiance.
Hegseth told reporters on Thursday that "this will not be a process tried in the media. I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you, not to that camera at all. I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf... and a mandate for change. I answer to the 100 senators who are part of this process and those in the committee. And I answer to my Lord and Savior and my wife and my family."
And on Fox News' "Hannity," Hegseth charged that "the left is trying to turn this into a trial in the media, a show trial. And we're not going to let that happen."
Fox News' Emma Colton, Cameron Cawthorne, Tyler Olson, and Chad Pergram contributed to this story
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, has signaled toward supporting President-elect Trump's nominee for defense secretary.
After meeting on Monday for a second time with Pete Hegseth, Ernst wrote in a statement that "as I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources."
An Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, Hegseth has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations.
Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women and has vowed that he won't drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed as defense secretary. A separate report showcased allegations Hegseth mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led.
Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is considered a pivotal vote in the confirmation battle over Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat.
The senator is also a survivor of sexual assault who has a strong legislative record of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military.
She said in her statement that "following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks."
Ernst's office told Fox News on Monday that "the senator has consistently followed the process, which she has said since the beginning, and doing her job as a United States senator."
After meeting with Hegseth last week, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump's defense secretary nominee had a "frank and thorough" conversation.
A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" if she wasn't ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, "I think you are right."
Ahead of his second meeting with the senator, Hegseth told Fox News' Aishah Hasnie, "I'm really looking forward to meeting with Sen. Ernst. I appreciate her. I respect her background and her service. She's incredible. And the ongoing conversation has been very fruitful."
Over the past few days, a high-profile Trump ally has threatened to fuel a primary challenge against Ernst when she's up for re-election in 2026.
"This is the red line. This is not a joke. … The funding is already being put together. Donors are calling like crazy. Primaries are going to be launched," said Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and radio and TV host who co-founded and steers Turning Point USA.
Kirk, on his radio program, warned that "if you support the president’s agenda, you’re good. You’re marked safe from a primary. You go up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, then don’t be surprised, Joni Ernst, if all of a sudden you have a primary challenge in Iowa."
In Iowa, conservative commentator and media personality Steve Deace took to social media and used his radio program to highlight that he would consider launching a primary challenge against Ernst.
"Defeating an incumbent US Senator takes high name ID, connections, and funding potential," Deace wrote. "I'm one of the few people in Iowa with all three."
Deace, who supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in this year's Iowa GOP presidential caucus, said, "I don't want to be a Senator, but I am willing to primary her for the good of the cause if I'm assured I have Trump's support going in. Or I am willing to throw my support and network behind someone else President Trump prefers to primary Joni Ernst instead."
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, a top Trump supporter in the Iowa caucuses, wrote a column on Breitbart urging Hegseth's confirmation.
While she didn't mention Ernst by name, Bird took aim at "D.C. politicians" who "think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years."
David Kochel, a veteran GOP consultant who was a key strategist and early backer of Ernst during her successful 2014 Senate campaign, told Fox News that "Joni Ernst is doing what the Constitution says what her job is, which is advise and consent."
"I think that everybody should just give her the space to do her job, and making threats to a combat veteran usually doesn't work out great," Kochel said.
Trump has praised Hegseth in the past few days.
"Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News," the president-elect wrote on Friday.
But Fox News and other news organizations have reported that Trump is potentially considering nominating DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement should Hegseth's nomination falter.
Ernst's name has also come up as a possible replacement.
But the senator said last week in an interview with RealClearPolitics that "I am not seeking to be secretary of defense."
Fox News' Chad Pergram, Tyler Olson and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
The Pentagon unveiled a new counter-drone strategy after a spate of incursions near U.S. bases prompted concerns over a lack of an action plan for the increasing threat of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Though much of the strategy remains classified, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will implement a new counter-drone office within the Pentagon – Joint Counter-Small UAS Office – and a new Warfighter Senior Integration Group, according to a new memo.
The Pentagon will also begin work on a second Replicator initiative, but it will be up to the incoming Trump administration to decide whether to fund this plan. The first Replicator initiative worked to field inexpensive, dispensable drones to thwart drone attacks by adversarial groups across the Middle East and elsewhere.
The memo warned that the increased use of unmanned systems must reshape U.S. tactics, as they make it easier for adversaries to "surveil, disrupt and attack our forces … potentially without attribution."
The plan outlines a five-pronged approach: deepening understanding of enemy drones, launching offensive campaigns to thwart their ability to build such systems, improving "active and passive" defenses to such attacks, rapid increase of production of counter-drone systems and making counter-drone focus a top priority for future force development.
For the past year, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been using small, one-way unmanned aerial systems to strike western shipping routes in the Red Sea.
That has led to perilous waters along a trade route that typically sees some $1 trillion in goods pass through it, as well as shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and the Yemeni people.
Additionally, the cost of U.S. response to such attacks is disproportionate. While the Houthi drones are estimated to cost around $2,000 each, the naval missiles the U.S. fires back can run around $2 million a shot.
In September, Houthis took out two U.S. Reaper drones in a week, machinery that costs around $30 million a piece.
Deadly drone strikes have also been launched by both sides in Russia's war on Ukraine.
"Unmanned systems pose both an urgent and enduring threat to U.S. personnel, facilities, and assets overseas," the Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday announcing the strategy.
"By producing a singular Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems, the Secretary and the Department are orienting around a common understanding of the challenge and a shared approach to addressing it."
Three U.S. service members were killed in a drone strike in January in Jordan. Experts warned the U.S. lacks a clear counter-drone procedure after 17 unmanned vehicles traipsed into restricted airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last December.
The mystery drones swarmed for more than two weeks. Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do – other than allow the 20-foot-long drones to hover near their classified facilities.
Langley is home to some of the nation’s most vital top secret facilities and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.
Two months prior to Langley, in October 2023, five drones flew over the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, used for nuclear weapons experiments. U.S. authorities were not sure who was behind those drones either.
The Air Force’s Plant 42 in California, home to highly classified aerospace development, has also seen a slew of unidentified drone incursions in 2024, prompting flight restrictions around the facility.
EXCLUSIVE: A growing number of prominent veterans are signing onto an open letter endorsing Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as he battles back allegations that may stymie his confirmation.
The Heritage Foundation began collecting the signatures on Thursday and garnered more than 74 in that short time, a foundation official told Fox News Digital.
"As military veterans and patriotic Americans, we are pleased to see an outstanding veteran nominated to lead the Department of Defense," the letter begins.
"Hegseth is a decorated combat veteran who served as an Infantry Officer in the Army National Guard, deploying overseas to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge."
The veterans state that Hegseth has "worked tirelessly" to support U.S. troops and that his experience and drive will lead him in rebuilding the military back to a "fighting force . . . capable of defending the national security interests of the American people."
They cite Hegseth’s long-held stance on "depoliticizing" the military and his rebuttals of "DEI"-type policies and other "toxic ideologies" they claim have been foisted upon troops in recent years.
"Ending wokeness is just the start. The Pentagon is also bloated with bureaucracy and waste. The defense industrial base is failing to deliver," the veterans wrote.
"Cost overruns and delays have become the norm. The Department of Defense needs a Secretary of Defense willing to confront both the entrenched bureaucracy and the defense industry and force them to deliver the ships, planes, and munitions our troops need to confront America’s adversaries."
Dan Caldwell is a veteran of the Marine Corps and Camp David security force who, along with his fellow adviser at the Center for Renewing America, three-time-deployed Marine Joseph Wade Miller, signed onto the letter.
They join at least 40 other prominent veterans in supporting Hegseth’s nomination, as the former "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host faces allegations surrounding alcohol abuse and mistreatment of women.
Eddie Gallagher, of the Pipe Hitters Foundation, also signed the letter. Gallagher launched the veteran defense-focused nonprofit after being found not guilty in a war crimes trial.
James Jay Carafano, Rob Greenway, Wilson Beaver, Steve Bucci and Jeremy Hayes, all decorated military veterans who are advisers to, or fellows at, the Heritage Foundation, signed onto the missive.
The letter also calls out the previous administration's inability to secure the southern border and restore peace in Eurasia.
"Pete Hegseth shares these priorities and is ready to execute the Commander in Chief’s agenda on day one. As proud American veterans, we stand with him and the President in this historic endeavor," they write.
Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage, called Hegseth the "right kind of fighter for America" and a person who is ready to "clean up" the Pentagon.
"At a time when bloat and woke initiatives detract from the core warfighting mission of our armed forces, we need a secretary like Pete who has both served in combat and advocated for veterans on Capitol Hill," Roberts said separately from the letter.
Victoria Coates, a former adviser on national security to both Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Hegseth would be "a literal breath of fresh air in the musty halls of the Pentagon."
On Thursday, Hegseth said he refused to back down from a fight as his nomination remains in limbo amid drinking and sexual misconduct allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing.
"We've had great conversations, about who I am and what I believe," Hegseth said of his meetings with senators. "And, frankly, the man I am today, because of my faith in my lord and savior Jesus Christ and my wife, Jenny, right here, I'm a different man than I was years ago."
That exchange followed the leak of a critical letter that Hegseth’s mother, Penelope, wrote to him years ago about his relationships with women. However, Penelope Hegseth told Fox News on Wednesday that she had written the email in an impassioned moment and later apologized for it.
Multiple sources reported to Fox News that Trump is considering his former primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – a retired Navy lieutenant commander – for the top Pentagon spot in case Hegseth falters.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., appears to be in favor of the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after slamming the Pentagon’s budget and failed audits on social media and admitting, "Elon Musk is right."
President-elect Trump tapped Musk and former GOP presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE in an effort to stop the government’s wasteful spending.
Sanders addressed the wasteful spending on Sunday in a post on X.
"Elon Musk is right," he wrote. "The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions. Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. That must change."
Musk responded to Sanders’ post with two American flags.
Sanders did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The post comes as Musk continues to bash government spending on social media.
For example, he shared a post from DOGE’s X account about the California High Speed Rail Project, which was projected in 2008 to cost $33 billion, and now is projected to be between $88.5 and $127.9 billion. The post also said the estimated completion date was 2020 and, as of 2024, nobody has been transported and the majority of the railway has not been designed. The project received $6.8 billion in federal funding. The project team is now requesting another $8 billion in federal funds.
Musk wrote in a repost, "The government needs to stop wasting your hard-earned money!"
In another post shared by Musk, he is seen speaking in front of an American flag.
"The interest that we owe on our national debt is now higher than the defense budget. Over a trillion dollars and growing. The country is going to go bankrupt," he said. "That’s why we need the department of Government Efficiency, D.O.G.E., on a brass plaque on a desk."
Even last week, Musk said a significant percentage of people do not even know there is such a thing as a national debt.
"Those that do often don’t know how big it is or that our interest payments now exceed what we spend on our military. Only a small % understand that government overspending causes inflation," he said on X.
The national debt has soared past $36 trillion.
"America is going bankrupt fast," Musk warned in another post.
"The excess government spending is what causes inflation! ALL government spending is taxation. This is a very important concept to appreciate. It is either direct taxation, like income tax, or indirect via inflation due to increasing the money supply," he asserted in a tweet earlier this month.
Trump said in a statement that DOGE "will provide advice and guidance from outside of government and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large-scale structural reform and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before."
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Musk and Ramaswamy noted that they will work "as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees."
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended his efforts to expand diversity in the military during a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday.
Austin affirmed to NBC News his belief that having women and increased diversity in the U.S. military "makes us stronger."
"I have spent 41 years in uniform, three long tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and everywhere I went on a battlefield, there were women in our formation," Austin told NBC. "I would tell you that, you know, our women are the finest troops in the world. Quite frankly, some of the finest in the world."
"They do impact readiness. They make us better. They make us stronger. And again, what I've seen from our women is quite incredible, and I'm not — this is not hyperbole. This is fact," Austin said.
The interview comes roughly a week after President-elect Donald Trump nominated veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be Austin's successor. Austin did not mention Hegseth directly in his comments, but the interview comes days after clips resurfaced of Hegseth arguing against using women in combat roles. He has also been vocally opposed to prioritizing diversity over effectiveness in the military.
Meanwhile, officials at the Pentagon are bracing for sweeping policy changes under the incoming Trump administration, and some high-level officers could find their careers on the chopping block.
The Trump administration is expected to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the government, including in the military.
"If you want to have a sex change or a social justice seminar, then you can do it somewhere else, but you’re not going to do it in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force or the United States Marines. Sorry," Trump said at an Aug. 21 rally in Asheboro, North Carolina.
"The military brass that led these absurd and insulting initiatives will likewise be removed, and they will no longer be in command. They’re going to be gone. Gone so fast," he added.
Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
The Biden administration is expected to announce a $275 million weapons package for Ukraine this week, a U.S. official tells Fox News.
The package is from the presidential drawdown authority (PDA) money, meaning the weapons will come from U.S. stockpiles and will be delivered to Ukraine quicker than a Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package.
The weapons package will include the High Mobility Artillery Rocket (HIMAR) system, but not HIMAR ammunition, and 155 mm artillery shells, drones and Javelin surface-to-air missiles, the official said.
Once the announcement on the weapons package is made, the U.S. will have a remaining $6.9 billion in PDA funding and $2.21 billion in USAI funding for Ukraine.
Last month, the U.S. provided Ukraine with an additional $425 million in supplies and weapons using PDA money to help Ukraine meet its most urgent needs at the time in terms of air defense, air-to-ground weapons, rocket systems, artillery munitions, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.
The latest package comes in a timely fashion as just two days ago President Biden approved Ukraine to use American long-range missiles on Russian soil. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously indicated that any such act would be considered an act of war.
On Tuesday, Moscow said Ukrainian forces took advantage of Biden’s green light and launched six U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or simply ATACMS, into Russian territory.
Russia claims it shot down five of the missiles while damaging a sixth. It added that debris landed in the area of a Russian military facility and that there were no casualties or damage beyond a small fire.
Fox News received confirmation of the overnight strike from a U.S. official.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday that Russia escalated the war with Ukraine by bringing in more than 11,000 soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, to fight alongside Russian soldiers in the Kursk region.
She also said the Biden administration has a commitment to continue arming Ukraine with what it needs on the battlefield.
"We don't see that as escalatory," Singh said. "We see that as a commitment that we set out from the very beginning of this administration."
When asked if the Department of Defense (DOD) has reason to believe that more North Korean troops are headed to Russia, she said the DOD thinks it could certainly see more moving into the area but that there are more than 11,000 DPRK soldiers already embedded with Russian forces.
"I mean, they’re moving into the … Kursk region for a very specific region, which is clearly to engage Ukrainian forces," Singh said.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
