@WashingtonPost Pentagon correspondent. Signal: taracopp.06. Email: tara.copp@washpost.com
Washington, DC
Joined February 2014
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Tara Copp retweeted
NEWS: Pete Hegseth tells reporters he will hold a press conference at the Pentagon tomorrow morning.
Tara Copp retweeted
The WH waged a dayslong campaign to discredit CNN reporting last year that Midnight Hammer hadn’t obliterated Iran’s nuclear program and only temporarily set it back (deadline.com/2025/06/trump-c…)
16 months later:
Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran’s nuclear program, including its facilities, equipment, and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community, or the movement of any of the above.
Submit a tip: rewardsforjustice.net/reward…
Tara Copp retweeted
Archbishop for the Military Services, Timothy Broglio, on the proposed livestream execution of Nidal Hasan:
"Has the potential moral injury, which the members of the firing squad might experience, been considered? Will the exposure of a live-stream to the young and impressionable during the 250th anniversary year of our independence be able to be repaired? The US military generally enjoys a good reputation in the world. Is there really a value to throwing them in the same boat with terrorists by broadcasting the image of the execution of a man in a wheel chair to the whole world?"
milarch.org/archbishop-brogl…
Tara Copp retweeted
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the time called that reporting 'a complete lie'"
NEW: Pentagon raises official toll of troops who died during war with Iran to 21 w/ @noahjrobertson @alexhortontx @warrenpstrobel wapo.st/3TVyXuC
Tara Copp retweeted
Exclusive: Deep in Arctic waters near the remote Svalbard archipelago this spring, NATO allies caught Russian subs training to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints reut.rs/4AaYl02
Tara Copp retweeted
At a tech conference in Washington, the Pentagon’s Emil Michael dismissed yesterday’s dire AI warnings by former @AnthropicAI employees as “dystopian”
Tara Copp retweeted
🧵
Pretty much every 4-star who provided forces for the Iran war voiced growing concerns to Hegseth of risk to their missions, including homeland defense, if the U.S. stays the course. Details from a recent assessment w/ @TaraCopp washingtonpost.com/national-…
Tara Copp retweeted
At least some of the influencers have been assigned to civilian roles that could lead to changes in policy, the people familiar with the matter said. They include Rob Maness, Kurt Schlicter and Thomas Anderson, who goes by the online handle Cynical Publius.
Tara Copp retweeted
Neither the Pentagon nor those involved have disclosed the government roles despite the Trump administration’s claims that they are running the most transparent Defense Department ever.
washingtonpost.com/national-…
Tara Copp retweeted
Publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime.
It’s a betrayal of the force.
And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate.
Of course, we demand candid military advice. Non-concurs are standard. The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military.
We are in great shape around the world.
This story isn’t about readiness.
It’s TDS and PDS — they hate President Trump and Secretary Hegseth more than they love America.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
While leaking classified material is illegal for government employees, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) that the First Amendment protects the press's right to publish classified information of public interest. nytimes.com/2016/06/30/ins…
Tara Copp retweeted
“free speech, including the freedom to criticize the government and its leaders, is not a sign of our democracy’s fragility. It is evidence of its strength.” nytimes.com/2026/08/28/us/po…
Tara Copp retweeted
NEW: The Pentagon is evaluating its military footprint in the Middle East, including whether to pull back troops from the Persian Gulf, where America’s large overseas military bases were battered by Iran, per sources. W/ @noahjrobertson @sgreports. wapo.st/4g67GOv
Tara Copp retweeted
The Washington Post has solved the months-long mystery of attacks on three fishing boats near the Galapagos.
They're part of a covert CIA program, with a spy plane -- w/ its ownership hidden behind an LLC -- oriented toward each boat before the strikes wapo.st/4wYbG9R
Tara Copp retweeted
Let this sink in: 18 U.S. troops killed. More than 600 wounded. 207 injured in recent weeks alone. Thousands of Iranians have also reportedly been killed. Now critics warn the Pentagon's reclassification of the latest U.S. casualties makes it harder for Americans to fully understand the true human cost of the war. @TaraCopp washingtonpost.com/national-…
Tara Copp retweeted
The Pentagon has relabeled U.S. casualties of Iran war amid scrutiny of its professed transparency.
But critics say the move obscures the human cost of the Trump administration’s war and could have long-term implications for survivors.
By @TaraCopp
washingtonpost.com/national-…
Tara Copp retweeted
Tidbit from @noahjrobertson’s piece in WaPost today detailing GOP defense hawks’ frustration with DOD’s policy chief:
Sen. Rick Scott is “continuing to block the confirmation” of two of Elbridge Colby’s top deputies, Austin Dahmer and Alex Velez-Green.
washingtonpost.com/national-…
Tara Copp retweeted
A note on this story.
We asked the Marine Corps for comment last Wednesday.
We asked the White House on Friday.
WH spokesman asked for more time at 12 PM today, suggesting answers would come soon.
Never heard back. Then another outlet publishes exclusive tonight.
Trump is planning another new addition to the White House: a helipad on the south lawn.
Why? Because the long-stalled new Marine One helicopters keep burning the grass.
with the estimable @DanLamothe
washingtonpost.com/politics/…
Tara Copp retweeted
This is current Defense Secretary @PeteHegseth appearing at a political rally with @EdGallrein, the man President Trump endorsed against @RepThomasMassie.
