Defense Secretary Defends Military Deployment to LA, Addresses Ukraine Aid

Defense of Military Deployment to Los Angeles

• 🛡️ Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth defended the deployment of Marines and National Guard to Los Angeles during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
• ⚖️ Hegseth stated the troops are there to protect federal personnel, federal property, and federal functions to allow ICE agents to conduct law and order.
• ⚠️ Senators questioned the deployment, noting that federal troops are not trained for local law enforcement actions, and Marines are not typically trained for domestic crowd control.
• 훈련 Marines are receiving additional training on the use of force domestically, including non-lethal weapons, and have crowd control training for defending embassies abroad.

US Support for Ukraine

• 🇺🇦 The hearing also addressed US support for Ukraine, with the Defense Department facing criticism for not releasing a detailed budget request.
• 💰 Senator Chris Coons noted that the current defense department request includes no security assistance for Ukraine.
• 🇪🇺 Secretary Hegseth has called on European allies to increase their support for Ukraine, emphasizing that defending Ukraine is in America's interest.
• 💰 While some previously approved packages are still flowing, Hegseth has not committed to using $3.85 billion in appropriated funds for equipment not yet sent to Ukraine.