Military

WASHINGTON -- Defense analysts warned Congress Friday against the U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan announced this week amid indications that radical Islamists could resume terrorist attacks. They said further proof is needed that Taliban fighters would not try to seize... Read More

WASHINGTON — Amid indications President Donald Trump will move to slash the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq before he leaves office, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked the idea in a blistering Senate floor speech Monday. McConnell has been almost unfailingly loyal to Trump, but the Kentucky Republican has openly pushed back... Read More

WASHINGTON — A senior Defense Department official resigned on Tuesday, opening the way for a longtime ally of President Donald Trump to take on a key leadership role a day after Pentagon chief Mark Esper was fired. James Anderson, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for policy,... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's decision to fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday raised concerns that he may be planning far-reaching military moves in his final weeks in office — and is putting in place new leadership more inclined to go along. Trump named Christopher... Read More

Gen. David Thompson, the United States Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations, tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, the Department of the Air Force said in an email.  Thompson was tested Oct. 28 after learning that “a close family member,... Read More

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Space Force recently launched its Space Operations Command, according to Air Force Magazine. Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting was introduced as the head of the operations command during a ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colo.,... Read More

SAN ANTONIO – The military’s newest branch, the United States Space Force, swore in its first recruits Tuesday, Oct. 20. Seven recruits, five men and two women, will commence the force’s inaugural boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for... Read More

LANGHORNE, Pa. — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, D-Pa., Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., brought forth a bill that would ensure disabled veterans can fully utilize their benefits following disruptions in veterans’ health care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Back... Read More

WASHINGTON — Machine learning and artificial intelligence technology are fast-moving, complex technologies businesses and government agencies are increasingly putting to use to develop efficiencies of people and processes. Federal IT practitioners, in particular, are seeing the benefits of this technology... Read More

Although still far from happening, United States Space Command leader Maj. Gen. John Shaw said Space Force troops will eventually be sent to space. Shaw’s comments on the Space Force came during the AFWERX Engage Space Conference, which ran from... Read More

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation that would authorize the president to posthumously award U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe the Medal of Honor. Cashe was injured in October 2005 while deployed in Iraq when the... Read More

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian navy conducted major war games near Alaska involving dozens of ships and aircraft, the military said Friday, the biggest such drills in the area since Soviet times. Russia's navy chief, Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, said that... Read More

Only men can be drafted into the U.S. military, a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled last week. The ruling was based on a lawsuit filed by the advocacy group National Coalition for Men and two men who alleged... Read More

WASHINGTON — When Rosie Torres first knocked on Congress’ doors almost a decade ago, asking for help for her husband and other veterans who became sick following exposure to military burn pits, she gained little traction. What she heard: More... Read More

WASHINGTON – Two members of Congress have penned letters requesting a probe into the Pentagon’s decision to grant a multibillion dollar moving contract to American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. The three-year, $7.2 billion contract would privately outsource the management... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is winding down the U.S. military presence in Germany, and relocating some, but not all of those troops closer to the Russian border, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday. The decision marks a major force restructuring... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense would be required to identify how many of its current or former aviators have been diagnosed with cancer in bills passed by the House and Senate this week, a study long sought by military... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Thursday passed with a veto-proof majority a Defense spending bill that includes a provision to remove the names of Confederate officers from 10 military bases. All four senators from Kansas and Missouri backed National Defense... Read More

U.S. Space Command on Wednesday said it had proof that Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon from outer space last week. The agency, which is in charge of U.S. military operations in space, said that a Russian satellite by the name... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is threatening to veto a massive defense policy bill over a provision that would rename military bases such as Fort Bragg that are named after Confederate officers. The veto threat Tuesday came hours before... Read More

WASHINGTON - Bipartisanship ruled the day Monday when several amendments were added to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021 to better regulate a class of cancer-linked chemicals on military bases and surrounding communities. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved the fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill on a vote of 30 to 22.  The legislation funds the Department of Defense, including operations and maintenance, readiness activities, research and development, equipment... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., is leading a bipartisan coalition that wants to add a comprehensive solution to PFAS contamination to the Fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment -- originally proposed by Dingell and passed with bipartisan... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., want intelligence officials to immediately notify key members of Congress when they determine -- with moderate to high confidence -- that a foreign government is deliberately seeking to kill or... Read More

WASHINGTON — House appropriators approved a $115.5 billion Military Construction-VA spending bill Thursday on a 30-20 vote, with Texas Republican Will Hurd joining Democrats to advance the legislation to the floor. The rest of the panel’s Republicans opposed Democrats’ decision to add $12.5 billion... Read More

WASHINGTON - Defense policy discussions are attracting most of the attention on Capitol Hill this week as the Senate takes up the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill on the floor and the House Armed Service Committee marks up its version.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary rebuke, former defense secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump's heavy-handed use of military force to quell protests near the White House and said his former boss was setting up a “false... Read More

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes the use of active-duty military to police U.S. cities and contain current street protests over the death of George Floyd. "I've always believed and continue to believe that the National... Read More

(AP) — Americans prepared to mark a Memorial Day like no other as the coronavirus pandemic upended traditional commemorations. U.S. authorities warned beach-goers to heed social distancing rules to avoid a resurgence of the virus that has infected 5.4 million... Read More

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 approved a new, independent Space Force within the Department of the Air Force. As this new military branch takes shape, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett and Chief of Space Operations General... Read More