About a mile of border wall along the border with Mexico is constructed each day, according to the Pentagon.
The Army Corps of Engineers awarded about $2.5 billion in projects in April and May to build 129 miles of the border wall in New Mexico, Arizona and California. With the exception of $3 million, the entire $2.5 billion pool of money is obligated on contract. The remaining chunk will be obligated before the end of September, the Pentagon said.
Jonathan Hoffman, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, said the Department of Homeland Security has the lead on prioritizing which sections of wall get built first.
“We’re working on their priorities,” Hoffman told reporters Thursday. “We’re relying on border patrol agents on the ground, the people who have the most knowledge, to tell us where the border wall should be built.”
Thursday’s update on border wall construction comes after a federal court filing by the Defense Department stated that three proposed sections of border wall for Arizona are on hold because they’re going to cost more than DoD planned on spending for the 20 miles of construction.
The filing is part of three ongoing lawsuits over using $2.5 billion in DoD counter-drug funding on border projects.
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The delayed programs were chosen largely either because they were upgrades or replacements to existing facilities, a senior defense official told reporters in a Pentagon briefing Wednesday, or because their contract award dates are not scheduled for a year or more.
The Pentagon announced earlier this month that $3.6 billion was diverted from 127 military construction projects and instead will be used for border wall construction.
Hoffman said that the funding from construction projects, authorized after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, will be used to construct 175 miles of border wall.
The new aid also included ammunition drawn from U.S. stockpiles for American-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
The notable military figures were included among 17 individuals being granted the nation's highest civilian honor.
The changed security environment in Europe will yield increased demand from European allies for integrated missile defenses, early warning systems, air-to-air missiles and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday.
Hershel “Woody” Williams, awarded the nation's highest combat honor in 1945, passed away Wednesday.
The VA currently does not offer the procedure or counseling to patients seeking to get an abortion.
Retired Vice Adm. Rich Brown was named accountable for the loss of the amphibious ship Bonhomme Richard but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing in December. Six months later, he's facing censure from the Navy secretary.
The last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol.
Sunday’s statement comes as North Korea’s neighbors say the country is ready for its first nuclear test in five years
About 6,000 Navy, Army and Air Force families were affected by the toxic spill. Their trust in the military remains low.
The team hired real special ops members to appear in a major combat scene and also employed former troops behind-the-scenes in a variety of roles.
Air Force linguists scrambled to keep up through the Afghanistan withdrawal and, now, the war in Ukraine.
The move comes after a sudden jump in overseas duty for the service's armored units after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Our head is above water, but I'm not sure for how long," one soldier said of his family.
Congress wants to see a boost in U.S. military presence through permanent basing and rotational deployment as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.
It's not every day that a butterfly enthusiast gets an M4A1. But Monday was that day.
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