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The Bunker

A cheat sheet for what you need to know about the Department of Defense, how we’re waging our wars, and how the Pentagon spends our taxpayer dollars. The Bunker is both pro-troop and pro-taxpayer. 

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The Bunker logo, done in military stencil, in front of the Pentagon building

The Bunker: Anchors astray!

This week in The Bunker: President Trump metamorphosizes into Captain Nemo with orders to remake key elements of the U.S. Navy; then he ungraciously dismisses the mental-health concerns of sailors kept at sea to fight his self-spontaneously combusted war with Iran; and more.

The Bunker: Summer’s hardware headaches

This week in The Bunker: While we were gone, the Iran war continued on semi-autopilot; meanwhile, new reports detail woes with, among other things, the Air Force’s ancient B-52 bomber and yet-to-be-built Trump battleship; and more.

The Bunker: Of hardware and hormones

This week in The Bunker: The Defense Department bars release of an independent federal probe into its most costly weapons system for the first time in 20 years; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, M.D., orders troop testosterone screening; and more.

The Bunker: Drones, coming and going

This week in The Bunker: After dilly-dallying for decades, the Pentagon’s glacial embrace of drones picks up steam as the Defense Department issues orders for more and cheaper models, and a way to destroy more and cheaper enemy versions; and more.

The Bunker: Still seeking answers

This week in The Bunker: This Pentagon is taking too much time to explain Iran attacks gone awry; gutting the Defense Department’s testing office gets a failing grade; new accounting shows we’re spending a lot more on yesterday’s troops than today’s; and more.

The Bunker: Still crazy after 250 years

This week in The Bunker: as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, the military-industrial-complex-reflex bestows a bumper crop of baubles, blunders, and baloney; and more.

The Bunker: Back to the past

This week in The Bunker: The Iran peace deal signals peace for Tehran and a raw deal for the U.S.; two of the nation’s biggest manufacturers join forces to try to build weapons faster; the Air Force’s new tanker plane’s dangerous hitch; and more.

The Bunker: An F-35 in every garage

This week in The Bunker: In its rush to buy F-35s, the Pentagon is shortchanging the spare parts and maintenance needed to keep them flying; Congress orders the military to keep flying fleets of warplanes it wants to retire; the sole threat from China; and more.

The Bunker: Return to Spender

This week in The Bunker: When the fiscal floodgates open, lots of ways to spend defense dollars bloom — a new bunker buster; a warning that our stock of warplanes is waning; how about a new military service while we’re at it; and more.

The Bunker: Not So Fast, Admirals

Congress stands up to the Pentagon and demands it show that the Trump-class battleship’s weapons will actually work (imagine that!); the A-10 attack plane continues to dodge Pentagon flak; peacekeeper numbers worldwide continue to dwindle; and more.

The Bunker: Double-barreled dubiosity

This week in The Bunker: When the political atmosphere supports spending $1.5 trillion next year on national defense, some sketchy ideas will surely surface — like sketching out the need to wage war on the Moon; or sketching out blueprints for a newerest bomber before the Pentagon’s newest bomber has even gone operational; and more.

The Bunker: Defining Deterrence Down

This week in The Bunker (back after yet another week away, just like Congress!): President Trump keeps dulling deterrence; Pentagon slaps down $1 trillion-plus price tag for Golden Dome; Trump’s battleship goes nuclear; and more. And please don’t forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice this coming Monday, May 25, Memorial Day.

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