Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper sent a “Final Message to the Department” shortly after President Donald J. Trump fired him in a tweet Nov. 9. In the letter, Esper writes that his time as leader of the Pentagon was the "honor and privilege of a ...
NDS
“Irregular warfare” isn’t just for special operations forces. A newly published summary of an annex to the 2018 National Defense Strategy argues that after decades of asymmetric conflict—wars where enemies have exploited weaknesses in U.S. technology and tactics—the Pentagon is still underprepared for that kind ...
Bipartisan lawmakers on Sept. 30 blasted the Pentagon for failing to provide details of its planned force structure changes in Europe, saying the proposed removal of almost 12,000 troops from Germany could harm U.S. alliances. Under the proposal, first announced in July, DOD would shift ...
Airmen, from basic military training to graduate studies at Air University, need to increase their study and understanding of potential adversaries, such as China and Russia, to better understand the Air Force’s place in the world and the risk of potential conflicts, the service’s senior ...
The recent ABMS experiment demonstrated great value in artificial intelligence, Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly said in a September 14 press conference at AFA's virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference. The value it offers is in potentially bringing more information into decision-making ...
The Air Force is gearing up for “Future Games” later this month, which will explore new concepts and capabilities not already in the service's toolbox to help design the future force. Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration, and requirements, ...
Gen. John E. Hyten, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with John A. Tirpak about strategic requirements, roles and missions, budget trades, space, and the industrial base.
The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff doesn't see a need for a new roles and missions debate, preferring to let the services pursue their own new capabilities—such as long-range fires—and sort them out afterwards. Gen. John E. Hyten, in an interview set ...
The Pentagon will begin to wind down the U.S. military presence at Germany's Spangdahlem Air Base, pulling out Air Force F-16s and canceling plans to move tankers and special-operations forces to the European hub, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper announced July 29. The decision marks ...
While Defense Department leaders have not issued an order to draw down the number of troops in South Korea, Pentagon leaders have left the door open to the possibility that U.S. forces will leave the Korean Peninsula, though key weapons systems will remain. Defense Secretary ...
Congress wants the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command to provide a plan on how to counter emerging threats from foreign countries while continuing to fight terrorism and fix ethics and professionalism concerns in the Command. While USSOCOM has grown to face new threats, Congress ...
A recent defense decree by Russian president Vladimir Putin says that country can use nuclear weapons to retaliate against non-nuclear attacks—such as with hypersonic weapons or massive cyber action—if the intent is to disable Russian command and control. The statement, which laid out conditions for ...
