The US may soon drawdown forces in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Dec. 16. Commanders on the ground say they can accomplish their mission with a smaller footprint allowing the Defense Department to shift troops to higher priority locations. “I would like to go ...
National Security
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Director Steven Walker is stepping down from his position and heading to industry, the organization announced Dec. 17. Walker has led the agency since November 2017, having previously served as the agency’s acting director and deputy director.
A Dec. 16 US airstrike near Dujuma, Somalia, killed one member of the al-Shabaab terrorist organization without harming any civilians, according to US Africa Command assessments. It was the second American airstrike targeting the group within Somali borders in seven days.
The Pentagon is looking at how it vets Saudi Arabian students who come to the US for training following the Dec. 6 shooting at NAS Pensacola, Fla., but that review will eventually expand to all international students. The US Navy halted the flight training of ...
The impact of the Dec. 11 Taliban attack on Bagram AB, Afghanistan, extended beyond the hospital targeted outside the installation’s fence line, damaging US military facilities within the perimeter of the heavily fortified base. No US or coalition troops were killed in the suicide bombing ...
The Air Force and the Strategic Capabilities Office on Dec. 12 tested a prototype version of a conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range ballistic missile at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Air Force launched the new missile at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time. It “exited its static launch stand and ...
The Islamic State group has not completely been pushed out of Syria and without a sustained US presence, including air surveillance and strike operations, it will re-emerge within a matter of months, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said at a ...
The military is reviewing its security precautions and vetting of foreign nationals training at US bases following the Dec. 6 shooting at NAS Pensacola, Fla., but military officials are cautioning about cutting back on this training in the future. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. ...
The shooter who killed three people at NAS Pensacola, Fla., on Dec. 6 was 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani of the Royal Saudi Air Force, the FBI said in a Dec. 7 email to reporters.
