The Pentagon is bolstering security at the US Embassy in Iraq after Iranian-backed militias attacked it on Dec. 31. About 750 soldiers are immediately deploying aboard USAF C-17s, with more deployments possible over the next several days. “To Iran and its proxy militias: We will ...
Mark Esper
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 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 ...
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 ...
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Dec. 6 refuted a recent Wall Street Journal report that the US is contemplating sending 14,000 more troops to the Middle East.
The US and South Korea are canceling more exercises, including a recently announced small scale “flying training event” to allow for more discussions with North Korea, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said. While Esper said the move is an “act of goodwill to contribute to an ...
The Air Force aims to split $30 billion in savings from accelerating the retirement of legacy assets in four “bins,” according to Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, who offered the most detailed picture yet of investment initiatives coming in the 2021 budget request. Savings ...