Pentagon

A bitterly divided Senate panel on Tuesday voted to approve President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the nation’s defense secretary at a time of turmoil for the military with looming budget cuts, a fresh sign of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Monday announced he will extend to nearly the full extent permitted under current law the benefits available to gay and lesbian service members and their families.

WASHINGTON – U.S. officials said Tuesday that outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is poised to extend some benefits to the same-sex partners of military members.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel has pledged to “move forward expeditiously” on the issue of extending partner benefits to gay service members if confirmed for the role as defense secretary.

More than 15 months since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s former ban on openly gay service members, the U.S. Department of Defense continues to block access to websites it categorizes as LGBT.

Military spouses’ organizations aren’t just social clubs – they provide critical support to families that face challenges that civilian families don’t understand – long separations due to training and deployment, stresses on everyone in the family when a loved one goes to war. Most Army wives, and husbands recognize that we need each others’ support to deal with the tough challenges of military life – and that we’re all in this together. So what the heck is wrong at Fort Bragg?

ARLINGTON, Va. — In a Pentagon auditorium Tuesday that normally seats 350 persons, a standing room only crowd celebrated as the U.S. Department of Defense marked “LGBT Pride Month” for the first time in its history.

Today, the Pentagon will hold its first ever event honoring LGBT pride month and Linda Harvey is predictably outraged, calling it ” yet another low level of ungodliness” reached by the Obama administration and a “sad, sad time for the United States”:

WASHINGTON — Pentagon general counsel Jeh Johnson is set to keynote a Pride celebration for gay service members and LGBT civilians next week, the Washington Blade has learned.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Friday released a video recognizing June as LGBT Pride Month, and thanked the families of gay and lesbian service members and LGBT civilians.