Adm. William Fallon’s pursuit of military interaction with China paid off last week when the US and Chinese navies kicked off a search and rescue exercise off the coast of California, marking the first ever direct military exercise between the two countries. The head of US Pacific Command told Washington-based reporters Thursday that the two nations need to “establish a foundation of trust” and right now there are a lot of suspicions.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.

