This Week: Airstrikes in Yemen, Astronaut Homecoming, Budget Cuts Published March 21, 2025 By Army Maj. Wes Shinego Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell released his fourth prerecorded video update today, offering a detailed look at the Defense Department's strides under President Donald J. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 01:54 Dubbed the "weekly sitrep" — sitrep being a military acronym for situation report — the approximately two-minute address seeks to peel back the curtain on Pentagon operations. "Welcome to the DOD's weekly sitrep," Parnell kicked off, calling it a snapshot of an "action-packed week" driven by an "America First" ethos. Precision Strikes Hammer Houthi Threats Parnell opened with the Pentagon's military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, launched March 15, 2025, to safeguard U.S. interests and Red Sea shipping lanes. On March 17, 2025, the new administration held its first Pentagon press briefing to provide an update on the military response. "U.S. Central Command forces initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and reestablish American deterrence," he said. "Houthi terrorists have launched missiles and one-way attack drones at U.S. warships over 170 times and at commercial vessels 145 times since 2023." The operation, ordered by the president, targets a group that has harassed U.S. and commercial vessels for years. The president issued a fiery warning March 20, 2025, as strikes rocked Sanaa, Yemen, the Houthi-controlled capital, and Saada, Yemen, a reported Houthi stronghold. "They will be completely annihilated!" Trump declared. "It's not even a fair fight and never will be." Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations for the Joint Staff, provided additional details during the press briefing. "The initial wave of strikes hit over 30 targets at multiple locations, degrading a variety of Houthi capabilities," Grynkewich said, citing hits on terrorist training sites, unmanned aerial vehicle infrastructure, weapons manufacturing capabilities and weapons storage facilities. The airstrikes align with Hegseth's Jan. 25, 2025, promise to reestablish deterrence by working with allies and partners to deter aggression. The persistent Houthi attacks, including a claimed but unverified strike on the USS Harry S. Truman — dismissed by Grynkewich as missing "by over 100 miles" — underscore the threat. Parnell, reflecting on his combat experience, added, "If you shoot at American troops, there will be consequences." Hegseth focused on lethality in his March 20, 2025, video message. "We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world," he said, aligning the strikes with his warrior ethos to protect American lives and commerce. Astronauts' Rescue Reflects Unwavering Commitment Parnell also highlighted the triumphant return of NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams, who splashed down March 18, 2025, off Florida's Gulf Coast aboard a SpaceX capsule after nine months on the International Space Station. The astronauts, launched in June 2024 for an eight-day test of Boeing's Starliner, faced delays when helium leaks and thruster failures left their craft unfit for return. Upon taking office, the president demanded action. "These are our people, and we're not leaving them up there," he said in a February 2025 speech, prompting NASA to hasten their rescue via SpaceX's Crew-10 mission. Hegseth addressed the astronauts in a March 12, 2025, video. "The Department of Defense is proud to have multiple branches and two active-duty U.S. military officers represented in this mission," he said, naming Army Col. Anne McClain and Air Force Maj. Nichole Ayers. "We're praying for you, we wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon." McClain, a seasoned astronaut, and Ayers, an F-22 Raptor pilot with combat experience during Operation Inherent Resolve, joined the crew, which undocked from the ISS March 18, 2025, at 1:05 a.m. EDT, landing 17 hours later. NASA astronaut Nick Hague reported "a capsule full of grins" after it splashed down. Hegseth's January 2025 message underscored this duty: "I have committed my life to warfighters and their families. Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back." Parnell echoed this sentiment at the press briefing, saying, "Under President Trump and [Defense] Secretary Hegseth's leadership, we will defend our sons and daughters." Slicing Waste to Sharpen the Force Fiscal reform took center stage as Parnell detailed Hegseth's order to cut over $580 million in Pentagon spending deemed unnecessary for warfighting. "So far, the Pentagon, in collaboration with [the Department of Government Efficiency], has cut nearly $800 million in wasteful spending," Parnell said. Hegseth announced the department's progress on fiscal responsibility yesterday in a message to Americans. "[We were] 780% over budget; we're not doing that anymore," he said of a software development program for the Defense Civilian Human Resources Management System that swelled from $36 million to over $280 million. The department also slashed fluff, Hegseth said, noting that DOD "needs lethal machine learning models, not equitable machine learning models," to explain why DOD axed a $9 million university grant for equitable AI and a $6 million grant for a Navy decarbonization effort. Each of the initiatives laid out in Parnell's sitrep is nested in Hegseth's "Message to the Force," published in January, upon his confirmation. "We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities … with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness," Hegseth said. At the March 17, 2025, press briefing, Parnell tied the defense secretary's message to broader reform. "Secretary Hegseth has taken monumental steps to return the Department of Defense to its core mission, which is warfighting, lethality, meritocracy," he said, "and we are refocused on training, fitness and high standards."