New York Times reporter Helene Cooper said Monday during a discussion of the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani that the U.S. Department of Defense was "quite tragically" good at killing people. 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday there were indications Iran or forces it backs may be planning additional attacks, warning that the "game has changed" and it was possible the United States might have to take preemptive action to protect American lives. 
Former secretary of defense James Mattis’s office slammed a former Pentagon aide in reaction to reports about his new memoir coming out next week. 
China's strategy for developing advanced space weapons were disclosed this week in Beijing's first defense white paper issued in years. 
President Trump is continuing to plan to replace his senior intelligence adviser, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and has considered at least one candidate, according to people close to the White House. 
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) skipped Tuesday's Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Mark Esper, President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense. 
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) aggressively questioned Secretary of Defense nominee Mark Esper Tuesday over the ethical implications of his prior lobbying for Raytheon, the defense giant with ties to Warren. 
China's military conducted a flight test of an anti-ship ballistic missile in the contentious South China Sea last weekend in violation of a pledge four years ago by President Xi Jinping not to militarize the waterway. 
Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) on Sunday echoed the Iranian government's position on the recent downing of a U.S. drone in a tweet rebuking President Donald Trump. 
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has withdrawn from consideration to head the U.S. military, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, stoking uncertainty about the leadership of the Pentagon at a moment of rising tension with Iran. 