Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has COVID-19 for the second time in 2022. Austin said in a statement Aug. 15 that he’d tested positive that morning. He was “experiencing mild symptoms” and planned to quarantine at home for five days in accordance with Centers ...
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III swore in Marine Corps Gen. Michael E. Langley to lead U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. Langley's swearing-in comes as governments such as China's and Russia's increase their influence in Africa and terrorist groups expand in Somalia and from ...
Outgoing commander of U.S. Africa Command Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said Moscow has used its mercenary Wagner Group to install air defenses in Mali, a troubled West African country that has seen a marked increase in terrorist activity under a new military government. Ruled by ...
Nominees to lead U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Special Operations Command who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 21 described the Air Force assets they would need to better fight terrorism and counter influence by China and Russia. Army Lt. Gen. Bryan ...
It’s been more than 15 months since then-President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to withdraw the majority of its troops from Somalia. Since then, service members have had to “commute to work,” flying in from places such as Kenya and Djibouti to help train Somali ...
U.S. forces July 20 conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, the first such strike under President Joe Biden. The strike, which comes after most American troops have left the country, supported partner Somali forces under attack in the vicinity of Galkayo. “There were ...
The Defense Department is considering sending U.S. troops back to Somalia just about six months after pulling them all out of the country as part of a broader look at the military's force posture. In December, then-President Donald J. Trump ordered troops to leave Somalia ...
B-52s from Barksdale Air Force, La., on June 18 finished the latest bomber task force deployment to Europe in a dramatic fashion, flying two separate long-distance training missions in the Arctic and in Africa. On June 17, B-52s that were part of the task force ...
Several Air Force aircraft including F-16s, C-130s, and KC-135s have deployed to northern Africa for the continent’s largest exercise involving 7,000 participants from nine nations. The African Lion exercise wraps up June 18, with USAF aircraft flying alongside Moroccan aircraft in close air support training ...
Since U.S. forces withdrew from Somalia earlier this year, they have been “commuting to work” via aircraft to help train Somali troops, but without a ground presence there is limited intelligence understanding, the head of U.S. Africa Command told lawmakers. In December 2020, former President ...
The proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems, usually commercially available drones that can be outfitted to drop weapons, is the most “persistent and dangerous” threat to troops in the Middle East in decades. “These small- and medium-sized UAS proliferating across the [area of operations] present ...
Airmen and C-130s from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., recently returned from a four-month deployment supporting combat operations in the Middle East and Africa. The Airmen and aircraft from the 41st Airlift Squadron, along with Airmen from the 19th Operations Group, 19th Aircraft Maintenance ...