National Security

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.
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 ...
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 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 ...