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<p>Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reversed a 34-year Pentagon policy, signing a memo on April 2 that authorizes off-duty U.S. service members to carry privately owned firearms on military installations — a decision that lands alongside a downed F-15 and a record defense budget request in what is shaping up to be the most militarily assertive week of Trump’s second term.</p>
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 <div class="cn-block-summary__nav tabs"><span>Summary</span>
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   <li>Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memo on April 2 authorizing off-duty service members to carry privately owned firearms on U.S. military installations, ending a prohibition in place since 1992.</li>
   <li>The policy reversal directs base commanders to presume approval for all such requests unless specific documented safety concerns exist.</li>
   <li>The announcement is the third major military policy signal from Washington this week, alongside a downed F-15 over Iran and a record $1.5 trillion defense budget request.</li>
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<p>Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reversed a 34-year Pentagon policy, signing a memo on April 2 that authorizes off-duty U.S. service members to carry privately owned firearms on military installations — a decision that lands alongside a downed F-15 and a record defense budget request in what is shaping up to be the most militarily assertive week of Trump’s second term. The official Department of War announcement <a href="https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4450527/hegseth-authorizes-off-duty-service-members-to-carry-private-firearms-on-instal/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">confirmed </a>that Hegseth also published a video statement on X alongside the signed memorandum.</p>
<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="the-policy-details">The policy details</h1>
<p>The memo inverts the existing default on military base carry permissions. Previously, service members seeking to carry a personal firearm had to obtain explicit authorization from their installation commander. Under the new policy, commanders must affirmatively document a specific safety concern to deny a request — approval is now presumed rather than earned. The change ends a policy that has been in place since 1992, spanning six presidential administrations.</p>
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<p>“Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones — leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed. That ends today,” Hegseth said in his post on X announcing the memo.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="the-broader-context-for-markets">The broader context for markets</h2>
<p>The Hegseth announcement is the third significant military signal from Washington in a single 24-hour window — arriving alongside the shooting down of a U.S. F-15 over Iran and the submission of a record $1.5 trillion defense budget request. For crypto and risk asset investors, the aggregate message from this week’s geopolitical and fiscal headlines is clear: the U.S. is deepening its conflict posture, which sustains oil price pressure, keeps inflation elevated, and narrows the window for Federal Reserve easing.</p>
<p>As crypto.news has <a href="https://crypto.news/will-bitcoin-price-rally-as-trump-pushes-for-ceasefire-in-ongoing-u-s-iran-war/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reported</a>, Bitcoin has been trading as a risk-sensitive asset throughout the Iran conflict, de-rating during escalation rather than acting as a traditional safe haven. Until a credible path toward de-escalation and Hormuz reopening emerges, the macro regime remains structurally unfavorable for sustained crypto price recovery.</p>
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Hegseth reverses a 34-year Pentagon rule — US troops can now carry personal firearms on military bases

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