Marine Corps

Oct. 20 (UPI) — An artillery shell fired during a Marine Corps demonstration on Saturday detonated prematurely over California’s Interstate 5, striking a California Highway Patrol vehicle with debris, authorities said.

No injuries were reported, but the vehicle was damaged, CHP said Sunday in a statement.

The live-fire event at Camp Pendleton was part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Red Beach.

The incident occurred over a stretch of the I-5 where CHP officers were supporting a traffic break during the live-fire training demonstration.

The live shell was said to have detonated prematurely mid-air.

The Marine Corps has been notified of the incident, and additional live-fire demonstrations were canceled, CHP said.

“This was an unusual and concerning situation,” CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado, who identified himself as an active Marine, said in a statement. “It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.”

The demonstration involved elements of I Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. Third Fleet, highlighting the Navy-Marine Corps’ “ability to project combat power globally, from ship to shore, with speed and precision,” the I Marine Expeditionary Force said Saturday in a statement.

“The CHP has filed an internal report on the incident, with a recommendation to conduct an additional after-action review into the planning, communication and coordination between federal, state and local governments around the event on Saturday, October 18, to strengthen protocols for future demonstrations and training events near public roadways,” it said.

Spokesperson Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis told CNN in a statement that the Marine Corps was investigating.

“We are aware of the report of a possible airborne detonation of a 155mm artillery round outside the designated impact area during the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration,” Dreibelbis said.

“The demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” he added. “Following established safety protocols, firing was suspended.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had closed the section of I-5 ahead of the event as a precaution.

Ahead of the event, the Democratic governor lambasted President Donald Trump for scheduling the demonstration over the civilian transportation route.

“This president is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” he said in a statement. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless.”

Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, and Trump have been in a very public feud for years. During Trump’s second term, Newsom has especially targeted Trump with criticism over his immigration policies and deployments of the military to Democratic-led states.

On Sunday, Newsom said, “this could have killed someone.”

“This is what the White House thought was fine to fly over civilians on a major freeway,” the California governor’s press office said in its own statement on X, which included a picture of a soldier carrying the large munition on his shoulder.

“Thankfully, the Governor closed it.”

Oct. 19 (UPI) — As protesters marched against the Trump administration on Saturday, Vice President JD Vance took the stage at an event and live artillery demonstration at Camp Pendleton in California, honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The spectacle was criticized as a “dangerous” show of force by the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.

“Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds,” Newsom said in a statement. “Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”

Vance, a former Marine who served in Iraq, delivered a speech in which he attacked Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown and previous diversity initiatives in the military.

He also promised that service members would be paid during the shutdown as hundreds of thousands of other federal workers go without paychecks.

“I know we’re here to talk about the Marine Corps. But I have got to get just a little political,” Vance said during his speech. “Because congressional Democrats seem to want to keep the government shut down even though it would mean that a lot of you would not get your paycheck.”

The demonstration was reported to have been the largest in the United States in a decade and showcased fighter jets, the Naval fleet and live fire from M777 howitzers over a major interstate freeway.

Newsom’s office said in the statement that California officials were recently notified that the White House intended to fire live artillery rounds but were assured on Thursday by Marine Corps officials that they would not be fired over Interstate 5.

“That afternoon, the federal government also directed cancellation of train services, which run parallel to the I-5, on Saturday between Orange County-San Diego County,” Newsom’s office said in the statement.

“Late on Friday, the state then received notice from event organizers asking for CalTrans signage to be posted along the I-5 freeway that would read: ‘Overhead fire in progress.'”

Newsom’s office said California officials then asked the federal government for additional details about the event and were told that the live fire activities would take place.

His office said he closed the freeway to traffic during the demonstration.

“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose the training exercises that ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the world, then he can go right ahead,” William Martin, Vance’s communications director, told CNN. “It would come as no surprise that he would stoop so low, considering his pathetic track record of failure as governor.”

Oct. 18 (UPI) — The U.S. Marine Corps‘ live-fire event at Camp Pendleton as part of its 250th birthday celebration will cause the closure of Interstate 5 for four hours on Saturday.

The closure is a precaution due to the firing of explosive artillery rounds over the freeway from gunnery ranges at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, which has drawn the ire of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom accused President Donald Trump of “putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety” in a prepared statement released on Saturday morning.

“Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous,” Newsom said.

“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength,” he added. “It’s reckless. It’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds.”

Trump will not attend the celebratory event, but Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are scheduled to attend, with the live-fire scheduled at 1:30 p.m. local time.

Marine Corps officials initially said there would be no need to close the freeway and only asked that signs be posted warning drivers of the live-fire event and to expect to hear explosions.

California Highway Patrol officials instead announced the freeway would be closed while the event is in progress, according to KTLA-TV.

Due to safety concerns, a section of Interstate 5 will be closed Saturday due to a White House-directed military event at Camp Pendleton involving live ammunition being discharged over the freeway,” Caltrans officials said in a statement on Saturday morning.

“Drivers should expect delays on Interstate 5 and other state routes throughout Southern California before, during and after the event.”

The closure starts at 11 a.m. PDT for the 17-mile stretch of freeway running from Basilone Road near San Onofre in the north to Harbor Drive in Oceanside to the south and reopens at 3 p.m.

The event will include a demonstration of Navy and Marine Corps operations on land, sea and in the air.

Camp Pendleton is located about 40 miles north of San Diego and east of I-5, which runs along the Pacific Coast.

Caltrans officials advise motorists in Los Angeles County to use state routes in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties to bypass the closed section of freeway.

Several local train routes also will be closed during the live-fire event.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R), pictured during a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office earlier this year, called a gathering of senior military leaders Tuesday just outside Washington at Quantico Marine Corps Base. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will attend a meeting organized by Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth that aims to gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington this week.

Trump confirmed his Tuesday attendance with NBC News.

“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how we’re all doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC Sunday. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps?’ That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing and how we’re doing.”

Last week, Hegseth called on hundreds of military leaders, stationed all over the world, to travel for the meeting with top Pentagon officials.

The event is scheduled to be held at Quantico Marine Corps Base outside Washington. The base will host thousands of military members, top leaders, aides and security, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Senior military leaders were not informed about the purpose of the meeting, NBC reported.

The meeting is scheduled to happen just ahead of a looming budget deadline and potential government shutdown next week. The Trump administration has warned of mass layoffs and furloughs if the government stops operating if lawmakers cannot agree to a temporary spending plan to keep it operating.

The Congressional Research Service said that all 800 senior officers carrying the rank of brigadier general and above are required to attend the meeting.

The scheduled meeting has prompted heightened security concerns, The Washington Post reported.

Trump has said he plans to meet with Congressional leaders Monday in an attempt to overcome the budget impasse.

Sept. 25 (UPI) — War Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the nation’s military leaders from around the world to meet at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., for an unspecified reason on Tuesday.

The number of generals and admirals called to the meeting is the most summoned for a meeting in many years, according to The New York Times.

Other media outlets reporting the meeting include The Hill and CNN, which said hundreds of military leaders are expected to attend the high-level meeting.

“The secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” War Department spokesman Sean Parnell told The Hill in a prepared statement.

He did not elaborate on the meeting’s primary purpose.

“It’s being referred to as the general squid games,” an unnamed military official told CNN.

Many in the military have suggested the meeting might regard conditions with the Defense Department, a widespread purge of military officers or possibly a major military campaign that might be in the works.

Hegseth’s directive to attend the meeting went to all senior officers holding the rank of brigadier general and higher and their counterparts in the U.S. Navy.

More than 800 generals and admirals could heed the call and arrive at the meeting, which has raised security concerns regarding having that many senior military officials gathered at the same place at the same time.

An unnamed congressional aide suggested the meeting might involve overhauling the U.S. military command structure or possibly a pending major military campaign.

When Hegseth was being vetted for his current position, he criticized the large number of four-star generals and admirals in the U.S. military and said the nation won World War II with far fewer.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) — The Pentagon has failed to implement methods to prevent and treat gambling disorders among service members, even as diagnoses have risen, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

“Gambling is widely available to military members, who may be more likely than the general population to have gambling problems due to being younger and more risk-taking.” said the report, which was released this week.

The GAO found that although Department of Defense guidance was updated in January, outlining steps military services should take to prevent and treat gambling disorders, the guidance did not designate who was to implement those measures.

As a result, critical services like medical treatment, assessments and annual training were left without clear accountability the GAO said.

In 2024, 185 active duty services members were diagnosed with gambling-related disorders, but the number could be higher, according to the report.

“What that does not include is any individual who did not seek treatment from a medical provider and possibly any that might have sought help but did not meet the diagnostic threshold,” said Kristy Williams, a defense, capabilities and management director at the GAO.

The independent agency issued nine recommendations to the Pentagon to improve care of service members with gambling issues.

The Defense Health Agency, the GAO said, must take lead to implement prevention, diagnosis and treatment for gambling disorder, adding that each military branch needs to update its policies.

Slot machines are highly popular on overseas bases, with revenues used to fund morale, welfare and recreation programs that include child care, fitness and libraries, the GAO said.

Revenues from what are called the Army Recreation Machine Program, the Air Force Venture Entertainment Program and Naval Station Diego Garcia generated $91 million in revenue just last year, according to the report.

While the military operates slot machines on overseas bases, it does not restrict access to service members with a gambling problem or post signage at the slot machines to offer resources for gambling problems, the GAO said.

In the 2024 study, 4.7% of military personnel answered yes to “Have you ever lied about gambling or felt you needed to bet more,” the GAO’s Williams said.

The report also noted that of the 15,039 respondents who have gambled in the last 12 months before the study was conducted, 2.7% of them admitted to having feelings of irritability and restlessness when trying to stop gambling.

Of the respondents who gambled, 56% said they had depression, 50% had anxiety and 8% had substance abuse disorders.

The GAO said financial counselors told service members that gambling could impact their security clearances.

“There is a definition of gambling disorder, and it really focuses on a persistent and recurrent problem with gambling behavior that would lead to some kind of clinically significant impairment,” Williams said.

“You have to exhibit four or more traits in a one-year period to get that diagnosis. It might be things like, are you lying to conceal the extent of your involvement with gambling, do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money, do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve a desired excitement?”

In preparing its report, the GAO met with military members at Naval Base San Diego, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, N.C., and Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.

According to a 2021 study the GAO cited in its latest report, it suggested that service members may be at a high risk for gambling disorders due to many being young and the stressors tied to military life.

In a 2017 report, the GAO found that individual readiness for service members was at risk due to being preoccupied with gambling, which can heighten financial hardship and risk of suicide.

In its response to the new report, the Department of Defense outlined medical treatments and annual training service members should undergo to prevent and treat gambling disorders. The department said it plans to release an internal findings report on service members’ gambling disorders by June.

The GAO conducted the study at the request of Congress, with the results sent to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., respectively, and to the chair and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Rep. Adam Smith D-Wash., respectively.

Aug. 23 (UPI) — The Trump administration is deploying up to 1,700 National Guard troops to 19 states to assist with Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.

The troops will assist with logistical support, transportation, case management and clerical services at facilities that are processing “illegal migrants,” the Defense Department told Fox News.

“The in-and-out processing may include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in a prepared statement.

The troops will be deployed from August through mid-November amid a surge in ICE enforcement activities as the Trump administration works to meet its goal of at least 30,000 monthly deportations.

A July status change of Marine Corps personnel to National Guard status will support the 19-state deployment, which will not include law enforcement activities, according to News Nation.

The deployments will occur in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, SouthCarolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming, according to the Defense Department.

Unrelated to anti-violent crime deployments

The pending deployments are not related to the use of National Guard troops to quell violent crime in the nation’s capital or other cities, such as Chicago, according to the White House.

President Donald Trump has said the National Guard could be deployed to Chicago, New York and other cities to address violent crime after calling the Washington deployment a success.

“I think Chicago will be our next [city], and then we’ll help with New York,” Trump told federal agents and National Guard troops on Thursday.

The president deployed about 2,000 National Guard troops to the capital earlier this month, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week authorized them to carry weapons.

The U.S. Marshals Service will approve the troops carrying sidearms, which will be 9mm Sig Sauer M17 pistols for personal protection.

New Mexico National Guard deployed to address crime

Also deploying National Guard troops to quell crime is New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham.

Grisham, a Democrat, recently announced a state of emergency due to crime in parts of the state and already deployed up to 70 National Guard troops in Albuquerque.

She also has issued states of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the city of Espanola and pueblos in the area after being asked to do so by respective local governments, CNN reported.

Grisham cited a fentanyl epidemic and violent crime among juveniles as “requiring immediate intervention” and in a news release said Rio Arriba County has the state’s highest rate of overdose deaths.

Local law enforcement and other resources are overwhelmed by a surge in drug trafficking, violent crime and other threats to public safety, she said.

Aug. 7 (UPI) — National Purple Heart Day will be celebrated on the seventh day of August after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation making it so on Thursday.

The president was joined by many Purple Heart recipients and their families during a signing ceremony honoring the nation’s military personnel at the White House.

“We’re here to honor and celebrate the unyielding patriotism and grit and devotion to America’s Purple Heart veterans with emotion and great love,” Trump told the audience.

He said Gen. George Washington created the Purple Heart on Aug. 7, 1782, when he presented a purple ribbon shaped like a heart to each of three soldiers for their gallantry in battle.

“Just as George Washington did 243 years ago, today we give our everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families,” Trump said while referencing the dozens of Purple Heart recipients in the audience.

While Washington was the first to bestow a Purple Heart to soldiers, it remained a footnote in U.S. military history until Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the War Department officially created the Purple Heart as a badge for military merit in 1932.

The award was narrowed to one solely for those wounded or killed in combat in 1944, and nearly 1.9 million service members have received the honor.

Three of the nearly 100 wounded warriors who attended Thursday’s signing ceremony last year gave their Purple Heart medals to Trump after he survived being shot in his right ear by a would-be assassin during a campaign rally in Butler, Penn., on July 13, 2024.

Those veterans are Thomas Matteo, Gerald Enter Jr., and John Ford.

“What a great honor to get those Purple Hearts,” Trump said while thanking the three men.

“In a certain way, it wasn’t that easy for me, either,” he added,” but you went through a lot more than I did, and I appreciate it all very much.”

The president also honored his 2024 campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, who is a Marine Corps veteran and received a Purple Heart in 1991 while serving in the Gulf War.

Others mentioned during the signing ceremony include Kevin Willette and his son Brian Willette. Both he and his son received Purple Hearts while serving in Afghanistan.

Military specialist Kevin Brown also was honored for pulling Capt. Sam Brown from a Humvee that an explosive device had damaged.

Both men earned their Purple Hearts on that day, and the Senate last week confirmed Brown as the Military Affairs Department’s under-secretary for memorial affairs.

Trump said the Purple Heart “tells a story of courage, sacrifice and purpose” and “speaks of a price paid for the soldier beside you, the country behind you and the generations of Americans yet to come.”

He then signed the proclamation designating Aug. 7 as National Purple Heart Day.