WASHINGTON — In a bizarre Pentagon ritual, Army leaders accidentally summoned the wrong spirit when attempting to channel famed Prussian military theorist Maj. Gen. Carl von Clausewitz to help them counter growing threats from China and Russia, sources confirmed today.

“Complex problems require creative ideas,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. “It turns out we liquidated most of our out-of-the-box thinkers during the last NCO and officer retention boards, so we had to reach deep into our past military geniuses to come up with solutions.”

Recent Chinese threats in the South China Sea and Russian threats in Ukraine and the Baltics forced the hand of Army strategists to come up with unique ways to justify the Army’s growing budget. To counter these challenges, the Army gathered a panel of soothsayers, mystics, and government-funded think tanks to divine the way ahead for future ground combat. Army leadership ultimately chose to hold a seance to channel the long-dead Clausewitz, the father of modern Western military strategy, in an attempt to glean workable solutions.

Eyewitnesses claim the group of officers was successful in channeling a spirit, though not the one they intended. After asking the Ouija board how Clausewitz reconciled his principle of the culminating victory, the strategists were confused at his answer, “I reconcile culminating feels better.”

In an embarrassing turn of events, the group had been seeking advice from Pvt. Chadwick “Chad” Clausewitz, a Civil War deserter from the 56th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Pvt. Clausewitz was executed in 1863 for abandoning his sentry post after he was caught masturbating to a tintype of a woman’s bare ankles.

“I knew something was wrong when the spirit told me to ‘talk it off,’” said Pentagon psychic Gwendolyn Mabry. “After we continued to pump it for answers, the spirit covered our group with a large amount of what appeared to be ectoplasm.”

Milley was last seen wiping his face and grumbling to a subordinate that they would probably have to consult the think tanks for a solution.

WASHINGTON — Members of the Pentagon Press Corps announced a $3 million GoFundMe campaign to raise money to find, locate, and recover missing senior Department of Defense officials by featuring their photographs on milk cartons in the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia metropolitan area, sources confirmed today.

Last week marked the 300th day since a Pentagon spokesperson briefed on camera in the Pentagon Briefing Room and 211 days since a Secretary of Defense briefed there, according to a Rand Corporation study.

“We were really concerned for their whereabouts and safety,” said Louis-Martin Eze, president of the Pentagon Press Association. “We’ve even reached out to the SETI Institute and our contacts at the Department of the Air Force’s Area 51 to see if there has been an uptick in alien abductions in the Northern Virginia area.”

“I was losing sleep these past months – until Eze and I cracked the code on this,” said Roberto Byrnes, Associated Press reporter and long-time Pentagon observer.

“We just knew that putting these missing officials’ images on milk cartons in schools everywhere was our last, best chance on finding them,” Byrnes said. “Their children and grandchildren know where they are!”

Not all see this as a bad thing.

A recent Heritage Foundation study found that compared to previous administrations, the current Department of Defense leadership has accomplished an astounding 4,300 percent reduction in press engagement from January 2017 to present.

“The Pentagon has achieved unprecedented savings in personnel overhead by reducing the number of official briefings, interviews, and media embeds,” said James J. Marajuano, Vice President of National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation.

“Big government has no business being engaged in keeping taxpayers informed of where their money is being spent,” Marajuano continued. “Furthermore, it’s bad for the troops’ morale when all they read about in the papers is how the brass is screwing up the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq-Syria. We also know that by keeping young Americans in the dark, we provide military recruiters the challenges they crave.”

Anyone who is aware of the current locations of the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense, or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is encouraged to contact local authorities to assist in their recovery and return to work, members of the press added.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The White House is negotiating a reality television show with producer Mark Burnett to identify the next secretary of defense nominee with President Donald Trump set to host, sources confirmed today.

The show, titled “Who Wants To Be A Defense Secretary?” will pit contestant against each other as they vie for the job of leading the U.S. military. Patrick Shanahan has been acting secretary of defense since January 1, 2019, and the White House must nominate a permanent appointee for Senate approval.

“As President Trump says, a lot of people want to be part of this cabinet,” said a senior Defense Department official involved in the show’s development. “And he proved on ‘The Apprentice’ that nobody is better at picking winners from the pack in a way that’s both thorough and entertaining.”

The Department of Defense is America’s largest employer, with over three million uniformed and civilian members. Presidential administrations often nominate appointees who are government or private sector leaders experienced with managing substantial programs or national security issues.

“Selecting a nominee the traditional way would be the opposite of draining the swamp,” said a senior White House official. “We want to give the best leaders a chance to compete. They could come from any circle – government, industry, or even television commentators. They have a unique perspective on national defense issues because they talk about them so much and many are retired majors or colonels.”

Although the show is in the early development, it will include Burnett’s familiar reality show “challenges” where contestants compete to prove their skills. One challenge will require contenders to reallocate funds to another government project while transforming the Defense Department to face peer and near-peer adversaries while simultaneously managing a housing crisis. Another will require withdrawing forces from previous conflict commitments without any discussion with senior commanders, strategic analysis, or military decision-making processes that normally support such planning.

In a challenge tentatively titled “Allies, (Huh, Good God Ya’ll) What Are They Good For?,” contestants will have to find innovative ways to pursue military cooperation with countries that traditional allies call “pariahs.”

“Mil-to-mil cooperation with allies is easy. An innovative leader finds ways to cooperate with so-called despots,” said a Defense Department official.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, a past front-runner for defense secretary and an expert on military affairs after a tour in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a contender, according to sources. A second possible challenger is Russia expert and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

PENTAGON –  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the controversial policy that formally prohibited military members from openly discussing their sexual orientation, will now block any talk of the keto diet, acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan announced today.

“While it is every service member’s right to follow whatever diet their heart leads them to, it is for the good order and discipline of U.S. forces that I am directing all service members on the keto diet to keep it in the closet,” Shanahan told reporters.

The ketogenic diet, or “keto diet,” is a popular weight loss regimen that limits carbohydrate intake and promotes talking incessantly about how great it is to eat bacon and lose weight. The new policy will take effect at the end of the month with bipartisan support. It will force commanders to take action against any troop going on about how they put butter in their coffee.

“We think this is a step in the right direction,” said everyone not on the keto diet. “This diet is a choice, and the rest of us shouldn’t have to hear about it.”

“Well, keto is all about glucosamine, crossfit, and vegans suck,” said Tech Sgt. Bill Harrison when asked to comment. “I start my day with an avocado and then drink vegetable oil until my stool is only blood. The pounds come right off.”

In addition to paperwork, any military member discussing the diet will have to eat one apple. The apple contains natural sugar and will immediately return any weight lost as well as much needed nutrients.

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon released today the official lineup of planned U.S. wars through the year 2030.

Policymakers state that the primary goal of the project, known as the ‘Murican Combat Upsurge (MCU), is to regenerate public excitement over the military industrial complex.

“We haven’t had a real, classic blockbuster war since World War II,” said President Donald Trump. “Sure, the Gulf was okay, but that was a small, made-for-TV war. I like big wars.”

Phase I of the MCU will kick off with a series of brief, solo engagements coming to a variety of combat theaters near you.

“We’ve got to get the audience, I mean the taxpayer, emotionally involved with the different players,” said the program director J.J. Abrams, “NATO is a storied franchise with a lot of history, something those hacks trying to reboot ‘The Warsaw League’ just don’t understand.”

Abrams revealed that Phase I will culminate in a massive global conflict starring an all-star cast of NATO members. Reviewers have called the project the most ambitious crossover since the Power Rangers met the Ninja Turtles. Under the working title, “World War III” is set to release in late 2023, likely premiering somewhere in the Middle East.

In 2026, the Department of Defense plans to reboot “America: Revolution,” an origin story described in pre-production as a gritty take on the bloody rebellion for national independence.

“Remakes are tough; I know better than anybody,” Abrams admitted. “Just look at the Iraq franchise. We’re wrapping up our third try in 30 years, and we still can’t figure it out. I’m sure we’ll take another crack at that one soon enough, though.”

Planners have set a sequel to the 2023 NATO war due out in 2027. Forces of the West, led by eccentric billionaire Elon Musk, once again combine their powers to combat a vague threat from outer space. The engagement will feature Trump’s new Space Force, which keen-eyed fans will recall was teased in the post-credits scene of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018. Easter egg enthusiasts can also look forward to recurring cameos from beloved former-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

At press, despite the rallying cries of deranged fanboys across the internet, there is still no word about a possible sequel to Civil War.

WASHINGTON – Pentagon leaders started a swear jar to defray potential losses after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to fund parts of a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and donations have far exceeded projections, sources confirmed today.

What began as a way to prevent cutting military construction projects quickly turned into a revenue stream for the Pentagon.

“We figured we would raise enough money to keep the lights on in the building or, at best, buy another fifth-generation fighter,” said acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. “We had no idea we could fund the entire border wall, rid military housing of black mold, and pay for the two new carriers we approved last month.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley was the first to contribute to the jar. Milley was heard mumbling a stream of obscenities under his breath when he sharted after bending over to pick up a tootsie roll that fell out of his pocket. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson was quick to follow when aides heard him swearing like a sailor during a joint staff meeting after someone mentioned “Multi-Domain Operations.”

“The Navy has a proud history of cursing,” said Richardson as he slipped a twenty-dollar bill into the three-story jar. “We practically made it a fucking sport over the past 243 years.”

Perhaps the greatest contributor to the cause was Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller who eventually set up a direct allotment from his paycheck to the swear jar. Neller has not used a sentence without profanity since finding out he will not be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to sources.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein could not be reached for comment but sources confirm he put a few dollars in the jar after accidentally muttering “fiddlesticks” when he scuffed his shoes on the ice cream machine in his office.

“This is great, really GREAT,” Trump tweeted after hearing of the Pentagon’s success. “Those guys in the funny clothes in the Rectangle Building have really come through for the WALL.”

At press time, a CH-47 helicopter could be seen airlifting the full swear jar from the Pentagon courtyard to an undisclosed location.

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Senior Army officers and enlisted service members called for “disruptive thinkers” to come forward, so that they can more easily be identified and marginalized or even murdered, sources confirmed today.

In the “Disruptive Thinkers” seminar, a select group of senior non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers of all ranks listened to Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the Army, address the crowd and speak about the importance of identifying disruptive thinkers.

“It’s of vital importance to identify you and the others among our ranks who have a good idea about how better to manage our promotion systems, our tactical doctrine, our technical training, and even the way we interact with the other instruments of government power,” said Milley, nodding curtly to the back of the room.

His personal security detail then locked the doors to the room and began the slaughter.

Other senior leaders, both currently active and retired, applaud the Army’s efforts to identify disruptive thinkers.

“I myself made a great effort to identify those officers in my command who were disruptive,” said retired Brig. Gen. William King, who before retiring led 20^th Support Command ALL BY HIMSELF!

“It’s crucial to winnow the chaff from the wheat and then make sure the wheat gets cut down and made into white bread,” he said. “That’s the whole reason I was such an effective leader that I managed to disseminate anthrax and ricin to the general public over fifty times!”

Reached for comment, spokesmen for the Army general staff confirmed that disruptive thinkers are indeed a critical asset who must be quickly identified and disposed of, otherwise the Army might start winning wars, and nobody wants that.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Department of Defense officials assured Eric Trump that a natural geologic shift of the magnetic North Pole would not jeopardize Santa Claus, his toy workshop, or Trump’s chances of receiving Christmas gifts, sources confirmed today.

Trump expressed concerns about observations that the magnetic north pole is drifting, which he believed could interfere with Santa Claus’s navigation capabilities or prevent the U.S. Northern Command (NORAD) from using its famous “Santa Tracker” to monitor Saint Nick’s’ toy deliveries on Christmas Eve. Either situation, according to Trump, would constitute “probably the biggest national security issue of the entire world. Like, ever.”

Trump’s concern stemmed from recent news reports that the Earth’s magnetic north pole is moving from the Canadian Artic towards Russia at 34 miles per year. Magnetic north normally moves slowly over time due to energy from the planet’s core. The current drift is significantly faster than in the past and requires updates to navigation systems.

With no official role in the White House, Trump leveraged his father’s influence and convened an emergency meeting to review the situation.

Using a model of the Santa’s workshop made from legos, Trump declared that navigation issues for Santa or a gap in NORAD tracking abilities presented a national security crisis “every bit as real as the emergency on our southern border.”

Based on the pole’s drift towards Russia, Trump was particularly concerned that Vladimir Putin is “stealing” magnetic north.

The attending CIA representative stated that the intelligence community has no evidence linking the drift to Putin or any of the “bad guys” that Trump suggested as Putin’s accomplices – Boris Badenov, Natasha Fatale, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Dr. Evil, or the Hamburgler.

“Not a chance sir,” said the CIA representative, “pretty much because they’re all fictional characters.”

Trump replied that he “totally knows” that the Hamburgler is not a real person, saying “that costume is an obvious cover disguise. Duh.”

The staff duty officer at NORAD drew a picture that depicted the drift of magnetic north and placement of NORAD sensors with the words “really big antennas here,” which eventually reassured Trump.

Trump said that he is committed to be “really really super good” in 2019 to give Santa extra incentive for overcoming the magnetic shift.

As the meeting convened, attendees overheard an Air Force representative tell Trump that NORAD “should probably get a couple of billion dollars for sensor improvements, just to be safe.”