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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied China’s assertion the Golden Dome would crook abstraction into a "war zone."
"All we attraction astir is protecting the homeland," Hegseth told Fox News Digital portion departing from a travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
President Donald Trump has said for a agelong clip defence of the homeland is captious to his "America First" policy, and the Golden Dome is simply a generational investment.
Chinese Foreign Minister Mao Ning claimed this week the Golden Dome has a "strong violative quality and violates the rule of peaceful usage successful the Outer Space Treaty."
CHINA ACCUSES US OF 'TURNING SPACE INTO A WARZONE' WITH TRUMP'S GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE PROJECT
"The task volition heighten the hazard of turning abstraction into a warfare zone and creating a abstraction arms contention and shingle the planetary information and arms power system," Mao said. "We impulse the U.S. to springiness up processing and deploying planetary anti-missile system."
Trump, alongside Hegseth, released immoderate details astir the task earlier successful the week, explaining there's an ambitious program to implicit the rocket defence shield successful 3 years for $125 billion.
Hegseth besides responded to pushback implicit his determination to footwear disconnected a monthly Christian supplication work astatine the Pentagon, which sparked a statement implicit spiritual state and the separation of religion and state.
"Appealing to heaven, to God, is simply a longstanding contented successful our military," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said of his monthly Pentagon supplication service. (Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza/Navy)
"We’ve said it precise publicly, and we’ve said it precise proudly. Appealing to heaven, to God, is simply a longstanding contented successful our military," Hegseth said, adding that George Washington got connected bended genu alongside his continental Army forces.
"I entreaty to Jesus Christ for that protection, to talk that connection and beryllium unfastened and consenting to speech astir it astatine the Pentagon. If they privation to knock that, they’re connected the incorrect side," helium said.
His remarks came aft helium addressed the 82nd Airborne Division of Army paratroopers during "All-American Week."
There, helium celebrated the sanction alteration of the North Carolina basal from Fort Liberty backmost to Fort Bragg.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks arsenic helium makes an announcement with President Donald Trump regarding the Golden Dome rocket defence shield successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, D.C., May 20, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
"It is Fort Bragg again," Hegseth said to cheers from the crowd.
"Nothing incorrect with Fort Liberty. Give maine liberty oregon springiness maine death. I emotion it," Hegseth said. "But springiness maine Fort Bragg each time of the week."
He besides addressed critics who said helium didn’t person the strategical acquisition to service arsenic caput of defense, and took a changeable astatine the media.
"Our friends successful the fake quality media are here," Hegseth said. "Some of them said, ‘Critics mightiness accidental you can't take an Army large to beryllium the caput of defense. It has to be, well, 1 of our galore distinguished generals oregon congressmen oregon concern leaders oregon firm leaders.’
TRUMP, HEGSETH ANNOUNCE 'GOLDEN DOME,' A ‘GAME CHANGER’ TO PROTECT AMERICAN HOMELAND
"One of the critiques was we request idiosyncratic that tin deliberation strategically, large picture. We can't person a feline who thinks similar the troops, to which I accidental ‘Hell, yeah, we tin person a feline that thinks similar the troops.’"
He told a assemblage of Army paratroopers, "I've been successful that formation, loosening my knees, taking a heavy breath, gazing implicit the horizon, sweating and wondering what clip it is, but I can't determination my arm. I've been successful your boots — not yours. The 101st is not the 82nd. I'll admit that connected a time similar today. Not rather your boots oregon your beret, but close."
Paratroopers execute a walk successful reappraisal drill portion Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visits. (Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza/Navy)
Hegseth announced an summation successful leap wage for paratroopers to much cheers from the crowd.
Hazardous work inducement pay, known arsenic "jump pay" for Army troopers who leap retired of airplanes, volition summation from $150 a period to $200.
Jump masters, the elder paratroopers who bid and pb leap operations, volition spot their wage summation from $150 to $300.
"Here’s to our paratroopers, our jumpmasters, who bash the hard things successful hard places that astir Americans tin ne'er imagine," Hegseth said.
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Since 2006, the Army has maintained 56,756 paid parachutist positions, according to Gen. Gregory Anderson, caput of the 18th Airborne Corps. That fig volition alteration by 20,000, allowing for the summation successful wage for those who bash support their leap status.
Limited craft quality and resources has meant a "degradation successful proficiency," Anderson told reporters. "The extremity has to beryllium truly bully prime implicit quantity."
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