Konstantin Toropin, Author at The Rapid City Post

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during the 4th annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Fort Wayne, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Transgender members of the Air Force sue over losing retirement pay

November 12, 2025

A group of 17 transgender members of the Air Force are suing the U.S. government over what they say is the military’s unlawful revocation of their early retirement pensions and benefits. The lawsuit, filed in federal court Monday, comes several months after the Air Force confirmed that it would deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and would instead separate them without retirement benefits. It’s the latest in a series of legal challenges to the Trump administration’s policies that have sought to push transgender troops out of the military since the early days of his second term.

California National Guard sort produce at the Los Angeles Food Bank Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Government shutdown will have lasting effects on National Guard, advocates say

November 10, 2025

As the government shutdown stretches on, military advocates are warning of long-lasting effects to National Guard troops and their readiness. The shutdown also is affecting the military services’ ability to fully discharge active duty service members. The Trump administration has made a public effort of blunting the impact on active duty service members by moving money around to ensure they have received two paychecks since the shutdown began. The president of the National Guard Association told reporters Monday that more than 30,000 technicians, who are full-time civilian government employees also serving in uniform, haven’t been paid since the end of September.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a joint press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, following the 57th Security Consultative Meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)

Hegseth says he wants the Pentagon to prioritize speed over cost when buying weapons

November 7, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is revamping how the military buys weapons, shifting the focus away from producing advanced and complex technology and toward products that can be made and delivered quickly. Hegseth spoke to military leaders and defense contractors Friday in Washington. He argued that his changes are meant to move the military away from the more traditional process that prioritized delivering a perfect, if expensive and late, product in favor of something that’s less ideal but delivered quickly. Some experts say the changes could mean less transparency and the military ending up with systems that may not function as expected.

Neighborhood resident and volunteer, Valencia Mohammed, center, talks to D.C. National Guard interim commander Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, right, and Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt, left, about cleanup efforts at Fort Stevens Recreation Center, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Washington. Mohammed requested the cleanup. Marcus Hickman, Anacostia ANC Commisioner, is seen rear. (AP Photo/Gary Fields)

DC National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital ordered by Trump is extended to Feb. 28

November 5, 2025

The Washington D.C. National Guard will be deployed to the nation’s capital through the end of February, according to formal orders reviewed by The Associated Press. The Nov. 4 order extends the original order from August and says Guard members will be in the city at least through Feb. 28. It states the additional duty is in response to President Donald Trump’s emergency order in August under directions from the “Secretary of War to protect federal property and functions in the District of Columbia and to support federal and District law enforcement.” Hundreds of guard members remain in the city, patrolling public spaces and performing quality of life duties, including trash cleanup.

Trump administration announces 16th deadly strike on an alleged drug boat

November 4, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced yet another deadly strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The strike Tuesday comes the same day an aircraft carrier began heading to the region in a new expansion of military firepower. The latest attack killed two people aboard the vessel, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to at least 66 people in 16 strikes. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier has left the Mediterranean Sea on its way to the Caribbean after Hegseth ordered it to the region more than a week ago.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a joint press conference with Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

New Pentagon policy undercuts trans troops’ ability to ask to stay in the military, AP learns

October 31, 2025

The Pentagon has rolled out a new policy that will severely undercut the ability for transgender troops who have been banned from the armed forces by the Trump administration to turn to boards of their peers to argue for their right to stay in the military. That’s according to an Oct. 8 memo obtained by The Associated Press. The memo to all the services says that of military separation boards decide to allow transgender service members to remain in uniform, commanders can override that decision. That breaks with longstanding policy that boards act independently. It’s the Pentagon’s latest step to drive transgender troops out of the armed forces following an executive order from President Donald Trump.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves after a bilateral meeting with Malaysia's Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Hegseth orders the military to detail dozens of attorneys to the Justice Department, AP learns

October 30, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to provide dozens of lawyers to the Justice Department for temporary assignments in Memphis and near the U.S.-Mexico border that could run through next fall. That’s according to a memo released this week and reviewed by The Associated Press. The memo appears to be the latest effort to send military and civilian attorneys working for the Pentagon to the Justice Department, this time to staff offices based along the U.S. southern border or where federal immigration enforcement operations are taking place. The Pentagon separately last month approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges.

Navy loses two aircraft from USS Nimitz aircraft carrier within 30 minutes

October 27, 2025

The Navy’s Pacific Fleet says a fighter jet and a helicopter based off the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz both crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other. The fleet said in a statement that the three crew members of the Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued, and the two aviators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet ejected and were recovered safely. It said all five from the aircraft that went down on Sunday afternoon “are safe and in stable condition.” The two crashes are under investigation. President Donald Trump said “bad fuel” could have been the cause.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a roundtable on criminal cartels with President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Another US strike in Caribbean targets alleged drug-running boat, killing 6, Hegseth says

October 24, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says another U.S. strike in the Caribbean targeted an alleged drug-running boat operated by the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, killing six people. It’s the 10th strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs. The death toll of the Trump administration’s campaign against drug cartels is up to at least 46 people. Hegseth warns the drug smugglers the U.S. will hunt them down and kill them. The pace of the strikes has quickened in recent days from one every few weeks in September when they began to three this week. Two of the strikes this week were carried out in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

FILE - In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force, a Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber takes off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to fly a mission with two Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-15s, Sept. 9, 2017. (Senior Airman Jacob Skovo/U.S. Air Force via AP)

US military flew supersonic B-1 bombers up to the coast of Venezuela

October 23, 2025

The U.S. military has flown a pair of supersonic, heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela. Thursday’s flights come a little over a week after another group of American bombers made a similar journey as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack. The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to flight tracking data, a pair of B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday and flew up to the coast of Venezuela. A U.S. official confirmed that a training flight of B-1s took place in the Caribbean.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks as President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump nominates new Army vice chief with current general just two years into the role

October 21, 2025

President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve to serve as the Army’s second-highest-ranking officer, according to congressional records. Gen. James Mingus is currently vice chief of staff and has not publicly said he plans to step aside. He has been in the job for less than two years, and it’s typically a tenure that lasts at least three years. The move, which was posted in congressional records Monday, is the latest in a series of surprise and unexplained firings, reassignments and promotions that have been transforming the senior ranks of the military under Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. LaNeve is now Hegseth’s top military aide.

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft flies alongside a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, Oct. 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force via AP)

A look at the US military’s unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea

October 21, 2025

The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea. The Navy has eight warships in the region. Three are destroyers, and three are amphibious assault ships. There also are a cruiser and a smaller combat ship designed for coastal waters. A squadron of F-35 jets have been sent to an airstrip in Puerto Rico. The three amphibious assault ships are carrying Marine helicopters, Osprey tilt rotor aircraft and Harrier jets. They can transport Marines or strike targets on land and sea. There are more than 6,000 sailors and Marines in the region based on the ships that have been deployed.

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Pentagon chief’s plane diverted to UK due to cracked windshield on flight from Brussels back to US

October 15, 2025

The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom because a windshield cracked on a flight back to the U.S. from a NATO meeting and all aboard are safe. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X that the plane landed “based on standard procedures.” After Hegseth left Brussels, open source flight trackers spotted his plane lose altitude and begin broadcasting an emergency signal. In February, an Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman was similarly forced to return to Washington after an issue with the cockpit windshield.

FILE - Recruits from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego sing the Marine's Hymn during a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Colorado Rockies, Sept. 8, 2019, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Marines say they hit recruiting goals and point to ‘unapologetic’ standards

September 29, 2025

The Marine Corps is now touting that it hit its recruiting goals this year. It had stayed quiet this summer as the Army, Navy and Air Force announced they had met their targets, with encouragement from the Trump administration. The Marine general in charge of the effort has told The Associated Press that the politics of the moment have had no impact on Marine recruiting. Lt. Gen. William Bowers says the Marines appeals “to a certain type of young man or woman — that really doesn’t change with the economic winds.” He also says the Marines haven’t altered their entry requirements and are “unapologetic” about their standards.

FILE - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a ceremony at the Pentagon to commemorate the 24rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Sept. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Hegseth says Wounded Knee soldiers will keep their Medals of Honor

September 25, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he has decided that the 20 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for the actions in 1890 at Wounded Knee will keep their awards. He announced it in a video posted to social media Thursday evening. Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, ordered the review of the awards in 2024 after a Congressional recommendation in the 2022 defense bill. This was itself a reflection of efforts by some lawmakers to rescind the awards for those who participated in the bloody massacre on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Wounded Knee Creek.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Pentagon adds exemptions to requirement for all troops to get the flu shot

September 24, 2025

The Pentagon has stepped back from the policy that requires all troops get the flu shot every year by introducing exemptions for reservists and proclaiming that the shot is only necessary in some circumstances for all service members. That’s according to a memo written by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg on May 29 and obtained by The Associated Press. The memo says the Pentagon decided reserve troops now will need to be on active duty for 30 days or more before being required to get an annual flu shot. It also says the military will no longer be paying for reservists or National Guard members to get the vaccine on their own time.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a ceremony to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Pentagon says troops can only be exempt from shaving their facial hair for a year

September 17, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that troops who need an exemption from shaving their facial hair for longer than a year should now be kicked out of the service. Hegseth says in an Aug. 20 memo made public Monday that commanders are still able to issue service members exemptions from shaving, but they will now have to come with a medical treatment plan. Troops who still need treatment after a year will be separated from service, the memo says. The memo is silent on what treatments the military would offer for troops affected by the new policy or if it will front the cost for those treatments.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Senate Democrats raise concerns over Pentagon plan to use military lawyers as immigration judges

September 16, 2025

A group of Democratic senators say they are deeply concerned that a Pentagon plan to allow military lawyers to work as temporary immigration judges will violate a ban on using service members for law enforcement and affect the military justice system. They also have concerns that pulling lawyers away from the military justice system will have negative effects on recent reforms and prosecutions. The letter signed by 12 Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee was sent to the military services Monday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges. The Trump administration has used the military in broad ways, particularly in its immigration crackdown.

FILE - Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, smiles during a walkthrough on stage during the second day of 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Navy reverses demotion of Rep. Ronny Jackson, former White House doctor

September 3, 2025

Rep. Ronny Jackson has announced that the Navy has restored his retired rank of rear admiral. This overturns a 2022 demotion that followed a scathing investigation that found major issues with his behavior while he was the top White House physician. The Texas Republican on Wednesday posted a June 13 letter from Navy Secretary John Phelan saying he had reinstated Jackson to the retired rank of a one-star admiral following a “review of all applicable reports and references.” The Navy confirmed the move. Following his 2019 retirement from the Navy, Jackson was retroactively demoted in the wake of a yearslong investigation into his behavior.

Members of the District of Columbia National Guard standing next to an MATV vehicle scan the area as they patrol outside Union Station, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

DC National Guard troops have orders extended through December, official says

September 3, 2025

District of Columbia National Guard troops who are deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement intervention in the nation’s capital have had their orders extended through December. That’s according to a National Guard official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The official says the main purpose of the extension is to ensure that any D.C. Guard members out on the streets of Washington will continue to have uninterrupted benefits and pay. The official says that while the extension doesn’t mean that all 950 D.C. Guard troops now deployed will serve until the end of December, it’s a strong indication that their role isn’t winding down anytime soon.

With the White House in the distance, National Guard troops patrol the Mall as part of President Donald Trump's order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation's capital, in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

As Trump threatens more Guard troops in US cities, here’s what the law allows

August 29, 2025

Since sending the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, President Donald Trump has openly mused about sending troops to some of the nation’s most Democratic cities — including Chicago and Baltimore — where he claims they are needed to crack down on crime. The threats to expand a federal intervention have legal experts and some military officials raising concerns that Trump is considering novel ways to use National Guard troops in American cities that could set up conflicts not seen since the civil rights era. If Trump wants the freedom to use the National Guard in Chicago, the easiest legal path is to invoke the Insurrection Act. He also could federalize and send D.C. Guard to another state.

FILE - Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of the United States Forces Command, arrives to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, May 26, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

New top admiral takes over the US Navy amid military firings

August 25, 2025

Adm. Daryl Caudle has taken over as the Navy’s highest-ranking officer. It ends a six-month vacancy created by the Trump administration’s firing of his predecessor. Caudle became chief of naval operations Monday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted a growing list of military leaders with little or no explanation. Hegseth fired Caudle’s predecessor, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, without explanation in February. Neither Caudle nor Navy Secretary John Phelan addressed the ouster at a swearing-in ceremony Monday, though Franchetti was among several former chiefs of naval operations in attendance. Caudle showed his agreement with an often-repeated Trump administration phrase, saying, “Peace through strength works.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing with President Donald Trump in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

New Air Force policy denies transgender troops hearings before they’re discharged

August 15, 2025

The Air Force says in a new memo that transgender airmen ousted under a recent Trump administration directive will no longer have the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving their country. The memo says military separation boards cannot independently decide whether to keep or discharge transgender airmen and instead “must recommend separation of the member” if the airman has a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. That’s when a person’s biological sex doesn’t match up with their gender identity. Military legal experts advising transgender troops describe the policy as unlawful and fear it could serve as a blueprint across the services.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi look on. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump’s order to deploy troops in DC is his latest use of the National Guard in cities

August 11, 2025

President Donald Trump has ordered 800 National Guard members to help law enforcement fight crime in Washington. The Army said Monday that only 100 to 200 soldiers will be on the city’s streets at any time and current plans have the troops supporting police rather than conducting law enforcement themselves. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that Guard members will be “flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week.” The deployment is just the latest example of Trump sending the National Guard into cities to support immigration enforcement or fight crime over the objection of local and state officials.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to give a television interview outside the White House Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Hegseth reposts video on social media featuring pastors saying women shouldn’t be allowed to vote

August 8, 2025

The man who oversees the nation’s military has reposted a video on X, formerly Twitter, about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote and should “submit” to their husbands. The extraordinary repost from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was made Thursday night. It illustrates his deep and personal connection to a Christian nationalist pastor with extreme views on the role of religion and women. In the post, Hegseth commented on a report by CNN examining Doug Wilson, cofounder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. The report featured various pastors of the denomination advocating the repeal of women’s right to vote from the Constitution and parishioners saying that women should “submit” to their husbands.

FILE - A Confederate Memorial is seen in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)

Restoration of torn-down Confederate monument will cost $10 million over 2 years, military says

August 6, 2025

A U.S. Army official says restoring a memorial to the Confederacy that was removed from Arlington National Cemetery at the recommendation of Congress will cost roughly $10 million total. It was the latest development in a Trump administration effort to combat what it calls “erasing American history.” Once back in the cemetery, the monument will also feature panels nearby that will offer context about its history. That’s according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about a project still in progress. The Pentagon expects it to take about two years to restore the monument to its original site.

Konstantin Toropin.