Anwar al Awlaki’s death in Yemen was a “major blow” to al Qaeda and marked “another significant milestone” in the broader effort to defeat the terrorist network, said President Obama. CIA armed remotely piloted aircraft killed Awlaki, a US-born cleric and al Qaeda leader, last week in Yemen during a joint CIA-military operation. His death came nearly five months after US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. “This has been a bad year for terrorists,” said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Sept 30, the day Awlaki’s death came to light. Panetta added, “This country is much safer because of the loss of Awlaki.” Awlaki was the terrorist network’s leader for external operations in the Arabian Peninsula. Among his misdeeds, he was the primary planner behind the failed attempt to blow up an airplane over the United States on Christmas Day in 2009. He also repeatedly attempted to radicalize US citizens and others throughout the world. Obama, speaking Sept. 30 at the Pentagon, said this successful operation is “a tribute to our intelligence community” and to the close US-Yemeni cooperation. (Obama remarks) (Includes AFPS report by Lisa Daniel)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
