Four members of the al-Shabab terror group were killed in three airstrikes in Somalia on Dec. 29, according to US Africa Command. The US military conducted a total of five strikes against al-Shabab in Somalia in December, killing six militants.
National Security
The Afghanistan War remains a “strategic stalemate” 18 years after it began, the Pentagon's top uniformed officer said Dec. 20, defending the conflict's main mission as successful from the beginning. “This is a very difficult, complicated situation," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. ...
The Senate sent the fiscal 2020 defense spending bill to the White House in an 81-11 vote Dec. 19, moving forward a $738 billion defense appropriations package that comes nearly three months into the fiscal year. The House approved the legislation Dec. 17. President Donald ...
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 ...
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 ...

