The article details how a flawed administrative titling process within the military has led to false arrest records for service members. Despite evidence demonstrating that soldiers like Col. David Garcia have not committed crimes, the Department of Defense and Army Criminal Investigation Division continue to defend the process, leaving affected personnel with unjust records that jeopardize their careers and benefits. Critics, including veterans and lawyers, urge the Trump administration to intervene and reform the system.

A letter alleges that Biden-era Pentagon officials deliberately circumvented laws prohibiting federal agencies from lobbying Congress by pressuring defense contractors to oppose the reauthorization of the FCC’s spectrum auction authority.

In March 2025, the Department of Defense initiated a widespread removal of online content that celebrated the contributions of women and minority groups. Using AI-driven commands, posts highlighting historic military figures like the first female fighter pilot and minority heroes were selectively purged, with subsequent, inconsistent efforts to restore some content following public and internal backlash.

Amid growing criticism over excessive defense spending, the Department of Defense announced a $580 million cut from its $900 billion budget—a move widely seen as insufficient by critics like Bill Maher, who used the moment to highlight the entrenched military-industrial complex and its role in fostering authoritarian practices.

Legislation signed on March 17, 2025, allocates $141B to the Department of Defense for research, development, test and evaluation. The funding includes new authorities for initiating programs that focus on emerging technologies like AI, cyber, autonomy, and advanced computing. Critics argue that such investments deepen militarization and can empower state apparatuses aligned with authoritarian tendencies.

An investigative article reveals that the Department of Defense’s supply chains are opaque and increasingly dependent on suppliers from adversarial nations like China. The report highlights longstanding challenges—including a temporary halt in F-35 fighter deliveries in September 2022 due to a Chinese-sourced engine component—and calls for the adoption of distributed ledger technology to secure supply chain data. This exposure of vulnerabilities poses significant national security risks and reflects poorly on the department’s supply chain ethics and economic collaborations.

On March 4, 2025, the Department of Defense issued a policy memo directing its contracting officers to remove Equal Employment Opportunity clauses from new contracts. This rollback of long-standing anti-discrimination requirements, originally established during the Johnson administration and later reinforced, aligns with cost-saving measures under the Trump administration, raising concerns about the erosion of workplace diversity and civil rights protections.

The US Department of Defense reported channeling $4,103,644 in political contributions during the 2024 cycle, while reporting no lobbying or outside spending. From an anti-fascist perspective, this use of state resources to influence political processes raises concerns about reinforcing entrenched power structures, even though the absence of lobbying is a mitigating factor.

The Department of Defense announced a new media rotation policy that removes dedicated workspaces for longstanding media outlets such as NBC News and The New York Times, replacing them with slots for outlets known for favorable coverage of Donald Trump, like One America News Network and Breitbart News Network. The move has raised concerns about press freedom and government bias.

Following the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 on December 23, 2024, the Department of Defense is now mandated to avoid contracting with companies that employ outside consultants engaged in federal lobbying for Chinese military companies. This move is seen as a proactive measure to limit foreign influence and uphold national security, aligning with anti-fascist principles by reducing the risk of authoritarian influence in defense contracting.

A July 28, 2024 article examines ethical challenges within military supply chains linked to the U.S. Department of Defense, highlighting concerns such as forced labor, inadequate wages, and limited supplier transparency that adversely affect local communities.

A National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct issued by the US government outlines enhanced human rights due diligence requirements for federal contractors, with the Department of Defense among the agencies expected to increase oversight on ethical procurement and supply chain practices.

The U.S. Department of Defense has published its fiscal year 2025 budget request emphasizing significant investments in advanced military technologies, cyber and space capabilities, and infrastructure modernization. While framed as a necessary enhancement to national security, the scale of militarization and technological investment raises concerns among anti-fascist groups about the potential expansion of state repressive capacities and the entrenchment of a powerful military-industrial complex.

The Department of Defense is rapidly embracing AI technologies, including the development of autonomous weapons, deepfake capabilities, and AI-driven decision-making systems. Critics argue that these advances not only risk dehumanizing warfare, but also contribute to an authoritarian military-industrial complex that undermines democratic accountability and increases the potential for catastrophic errors in lethal force decisions.

The U.S. Department of Defense has advanced international norms by endorsing non-binding guidelines for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in military applications. The policy emphasizes auditability, rigorous testing, and ethical governance of AI systems, which supports transparency and accountability in military technology.

On June 9, 2023, the US Department of Defense issued a new Interim Rule amending the DFARS provisions. The rule replaces the previous forced labor certification requirement with a representation that mandates offerors to conduct robust supply chain due diligence to ensure that products made with forced labor from Xinjiang are not procured with DoD funds.

The proposed Department of Defense Ethics and Transparency Act of 2023 aims to curb the revolving door between DoD officials and defense contractors, restrict lobbying by former officials, and enforce greater transparency in defense contracting. The legislation is designed to address long-standing concerns about the undue influence of defense contractors on national security decision-making.