President Joe Biden cautioned it will be “tough” to the meet the May 1 deadline to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan, telling ABC News he's “in the process of making that decision now.” Under the deal with the Taliban, announced in February 2020, the U.S. ...
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, ...
President Joe Biden on Jan. 25 reversed the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, opening the door to thousands barred from service and correcting the service record of anyone affected by the ban. The executive order, announced before Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. ...
Former President Donald J. Trump on the morning of Jan. 20 took off on Air Force One from Joint Base Andrews, Md., for the last time, after brief remarks highlighting his administration’s accomplishments in adding military funding and creating the newest military service. Hours before ...
U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have dropped to 5,000 troops across both countries, with 2,500 personnel in each, meeting a Jan. 15 deadline from President Donald J. Trump to reduce the military’s footprint in the Middle East. The withdrawal marks the lowest level ...
Experts warned the Senate Armed Services Committee at a Jan. 12 hearing that approving a waiver for retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as Defense Secretary would damage the norm of civilian control of the military and cautioned against relying on veterans to lend ...
A Michigan Congresswoman asked the Defense Department to allow Brian D. Sicknick, a Capitol Police Officer and New Jersey Air National Guard veteran who was killed in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building, to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The entire District of Columbia National Guard, along with Guard personnel from Virginia, were activated Jan. 6 after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building, with more violence expected across Washington, D.C. throughout the night. Pentagon leaders spoke with Vice President Michael R. Pence, Speaker ...
President Donald J. Trump vetoed the 2021 defense policy bill on Dec. 23, calling it a “gift to China and Russia,” with no further explanation.
The Senate passed the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill 84-13 on Dec. 11 after a bumpy few weeks for the key annual legislation. “We must protect freedom, democracy and peace, and support our troops. This is the heart of the National Defense Authorization Act, and ...
The U.S. military is on pace to meet the Jan. 15 deadline to withdraw forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, and though the head of U.S. Central Command said American forces can still meet their main goals, the “margins will be less” because of the smaller ...
Lawmakers want to quash the prospect of buying new armed overwatch planes for special operations troops or the Air Force in the next few years, as part of the final draft of the 2021 defense policy bill released this month. They seek to block SOCOM ...