This week, the Defense Department paused Aug. 26 to honor those who lost their lives to a suicide bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.
The attack, carried out by a bomber affiliated with ISIS-Khorasan and wearing an improvised explosive device, killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians at Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate.
"Those heroes, selfless warriors who stood guard amidst chaos … Their valor and dedication to duty will forever inspire our nation, and we extend our deepest respect and gratitude to the families whose enduring pain fuels our resolve to seek justice and truth," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said during the department's Weekly Sitrep video.
Regarding the pursuit of justice and truth, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he anticipates that a Defense Department special review panel looking into the circumstances surrounding the Abbey Gate bombing should be ready to present its findings by sometime in mid-2026.
Hegseth spoke of the investigation in the White House's Oval Office, Aug. 25, shortly after President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation commemorating the fourth anniversary of the attack while surrounded by Gold Star family members of the victims.
"On behalf of this beautiful group, on behalf of these families [and] on behalf of your loved ones who fought for our nation, America deserves answers as far as what happened in Afghanistan; the military needs to answer for what happened in Afghanistan," Hegseth told the group.
In National Guard news, Trump signed an executive order this week that, in part, calls for the defense secretary to "ensure the availability of a standing National Guard quick reaction force that shall be resourced, trained and available for rapid nationwide deployment."
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a press conference this week that carjackings throughout the district are down 87% since the National Guard arrived and supervision of policing the city was handed over to federal law enforcement.
Additionally, Bowser said, violent crime in the city is down 45% since federal oversight began, when compared to the same period in 2024.
"Thanks to President Trump, local law enforcement and the National Guard, law and order is back and here to stay," Parnell said.
In sea service news, Parnell announced today that one of the core members of U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South, the Coast Guard, has seized $2.2 billion in illegal narcotics in 2025.
As just one example of the Coast Guard's formidable law enforcement abilities, the agency achieved a "historic milestone" earlier this week when the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton offloaded more than 76,140 pounds of illicit narcotics at Port Everglades, Florida.
The offload included 61,740 pounds of cocaine and approximately 14,400 pounds of marijuana, according to a Southcom press release.
"The U.S. Coast Guard in partnership with our federal, DOD and international partners are offloading 61,740 pounds of cocaine, and this represents a significant victory in the fight against transnational criminal organizations, highlighting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the nation from illicit trafficking and its devastating impacts," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Adam Chamie, Coast Guard Southeast District commander, said via the press release.
Chamie added that the quantity of cocaine seized during 19 interdictions in the international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea would be enough to fatally overdose the entire population of Florida.
"[The Coast Guard disrupts] criminal networks, and they keep our waterways safe," Parnell said, adding that the Defense Department is very proud to support that agency's mission in safeguarding national security.
Looking toward the sky, the Air Force achieved a key development milestone this week in the service's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, with one of its prototype platforms — the YFQ-42A CCA — taking flight at a test location in California.
"This milestone showcases what's possible when innovative acquisition meets motivated industry," Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said via a press release.
He added that CCA went from concept to flight "in record time."
"This milestone marks the next step in developing semiautonomous aircraft, expanding options for commanders and advancing toward next-generation air dominance," Parnell said of the successful test flight.
While delivering the Weekly Sitrep, Parnell also addressed what he called a "very hot topic": whether the department should be returned to its original "Department of War" namesake.
President Trump floated the idea during a White House cabinet meeting this week.
"[DOD] used to be called the 'Department of War,' and it had a stronger sound," Trump said, adding that, "it's good to be defensive, but we want to be offensive, too."
Created in large part due to the influence of President George Washington, the first U.S. Congress created the War Department in September 1789. The department's name remained the same for over 150 years until it was briefly changed to the National Military Establishment with the passage of the 1947 National Security Act.
Less than two years later — and due in no small part to the initials "NME" sounding like "enemy" — the establishment was renamed the Department of Defense.
"George Washington started the Department of War because he wanted us to win our wars, not be engaged in endless foreign entanglements," Parnell said while speaking about the potential for a departmental name change.
"So, will we be called the 'Department of War'? All I have to say is, the best is yet to come," he said, adding, "Stay tuned."