The State Department on April 27 ordered some of its diplomatic staff to leave the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the drawdown in Afghanistan begins and the U.S. continues planning for what future force protection in the country will look like. In a new travel ...
CENTCOM
Two B-52s arrived in the Middle East on April 23 as part of an increase in airpower to protect U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan as part of the withdrawal in the country. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III approved the deployment of the bombers ...
Jointness is not about ensuring every service gets a piece of every mission. That’s a waste of money and resources. Jointness is about using the right service component forces—at the right places at the right times. It’s about making hard choices on roles and missions ...
U.S. Central Command and American diplomats are working with nations surrounding Afghanistan on agreements to base troops and aircraft for counter terrorism inside the country following the military’s withdrawal. CENTCOM boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on ...
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 ...
About 300 Airmen and F-16s from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, recently for an expeditionary force deployment. The F-16s, deployed to the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, will “increase defensive capabilities against potential threats ...
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III traveled to Israel for high-level meetings with Israeli officials, to discuss ways to further ways for the two militaries to work together as the U.S. prepares to re-engage on talks related to the Iranian nuclear deal, and an Iranian ...
The air war against ISIS started slowly. Then strategic air power changed how the war was waged.
The U.S. hasn't mastered how to close the seams between its combatant commands, and it still is not treating Russia's hybrid warfare activities with discipline and coherence, Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman USAF Gen. John E. Hyten told a Canadian defense conference March 10. He urged ...
Two B-52s flew direct to the Middle East on March 7 in a mission to “deter aggression” amid high tensions with Iran. The B-52s from the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., linked up with aircraft from multiple partner nations, including Israel, ...
The withdrawal of about 700 U.S. forces from Somalia required a massive nocturnal airlift, movement of fighters and tankers from the Middle East, and other overwatch from drones and other special operations aircraft, all planned and executed within weeks. The mission, called Operation Octave Quartz, ...
The U.S. military operating in Syria regularly confronts “great power competition” while conducting ongoing counterterrorism operations, facing regular interference and Russian aircraft close by in a confluence of threats, Air Force and Space Force officials said. “Great power competition … is alive and well in ...


