“A full accounting of the US response to this crisis is not complete without the Pentagon, especially when it comes to understanding the complete collapse of the US-trained and funded Afghan military,” Menendez said. The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday blasted the Biden administration over its …
Read More »Islamic State ‘planner’ killed in drone strike, US says
The United States attacked an Islamic State “planner” in Afghanistan in retaliation for a deadly bombing outside Kabul airport and said there was a high risk of further blasts as it winds up its mission to evacuate civilians and withdraw troops. U.S. and allied forces have been racing to complete …
Read More »China will soon surpass Russia as a nuclear threat –senior US military official
China, in the midst of a rapid nuclear weapons buildup, will soon surpass Russia as the United States’ top nuclear threat, a senior U.S. military official said on Friday, warning that the two countries have no mechanisms to avert miscommunication. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Thomas Bussiere, the deputy commander …
Read More »Blinken expresses US concern about China’s growing nuclear arsenal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern about China’s growing nuclear arsenal during a meeting with foreign ministers of Asian countries and partner nations, the State Department said on Friday. Addressing a virtual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which groups more than two dozen countries, Blinken …
Read More »US approves potential howitzer artillery system sales to Taiwan
The possible sale, which has not been finalised, has again angered China as the US seeks deeper ties with Taiwan. The United States has approved the potential sale of howitzer artillery systems to Taiwan in a deal valued at up to $750m, the Pentagon has announced, prompting condemnation by China. …
Read More »Pentagon LOCKED DOWN over shooting at transit center, officer reportedly among several injured
The Pentagon went into lockdown on Tuesday after multiple injuries in a shooting at its nearby Metro, bus, and rail transit center. A police officer is said to be among the wounded, and the suspect reportedly fled on a Metro train. The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia – the headquarters …
Read More »US concern over China nukes buildup after new silos report
The Pentagon and Republican congressmen on Tuesday aired fresh concerns about China’s build-up of its nuclear forces after a new report saying Beijing was building 110 more missile silos. An American Federation of Scientists (AFS) report on Monday said satellite images showed China was building a new field of silos …
Read More »Pentagon chief heads to Southeast Asia to rally allies against China
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is heading to Southeast Asia to “strengthen relationships” with allies as the Biden administration intensifies efforts to counter China. Austin will become the first cabinet secretary to visit Southeast Asia this week since President Joe Biden took office six months ago. “You’ll hear me talk …
Read More »Pentagon confirms training assassins; French held for Madagascar plot
The Pentagon has confirmed that at least seven of the former Colombian army officers detained for their role in the July 7 assassination of the Haitian president had received US-funded military training. “Thus far, we’ve identified seven individuals who were former members of the Colombian military that had received some …
Read More »US weighs drone strikes, commando raids in Afghanistan after exit: CNN
The Biden administration is considering whether to continue to authorize the CIA and the Pentagon to carry out deadly drone strikes and commando raids in Afghanistan after the complete withdrawal of US forces from the country. CNN reported on Monday that as withdrawal from Afghanistan nears completion, the administration of …
Read More »Still asking for more: Israel wants $1bn in additional US aid
Being already the largest recipient of assistance from Washington, with an annual $3.8bn in US military aid, does not stop Israel from asking for more. Now a US senator has unveiled that the Tel Aviv regime is preparing a request for an additional $1 billion to the Pentagon to replenish …
Read More »Pentagon announces plan to cut troop numbers in Afghanistan to less than 5,000
The Pentagon has announced a plan for a sizable reduction of American troop numbers in Afghanistan before the end of November, the month in which the US presidential election will be held. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that the United States would lower the number of its forces …
Read More »U.S. to work with Turkey on F-35 parts until 2022, state media citing Pentagon says
The United States will continue working with Turkish companies producing some parts of F-35 fighter jets until 2022, Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu agency quoted a Pentagon spokeswoman as saying on Wednesday. Turkey said in May it was still producing and delivering parts for the stealth jets despite being suspended from the …
Read More »Trump’s use of military funds for border wall construction is illegal, US Court ruled.
US President Trump’s transfer last year of $2.5 billion in military funds to pay for border wall construction was an illegal overreach of executive authority, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled Friday. The 2-to-1 ruling was a setback to the president’s increasing …
Read More »Huawei on Pentagon list of Chinese military-controlled companies
The Pentagon put Huawei Technologies and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology on a list of 20 companies it says are owned or controlled by China’s military, opening them up to potential additional U.S. sanctions. In letters to lawmakers dated June 24, the Pentagon said it was providing a list of “Communist …
Read More »After a long silence, Mattis denounces Trump and military response to crisis
After long refusing to explicitly criticize a sitting president, former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused President Donald Trump on Wednesday of trying to divide America and roundly denounced a militarization of the U.S. response to civil unrest. The remarks by Mattis, an influential retired Marine general who resigned over policy …
Read More »Trump ‘pressed aides about sending tanks to quell protests’
US President Donald Trump pressed his advisers and Pentagon officials about sending tanks and military equipment as part of a show of force against protests over the death of George Floyd, according to a new report. While pushing governors in a conference call to “dominate” the protests that have lasted …
Read More »Pentagon releases three UFO videos taken by US Navy pilots
The Pentagon has released three declassified videos taken by US Navy pilots that appear to show unidentified flying objects (UFO). The black and white videos were recorded during training flights – one in November 2004 and two in January 2015 – and later leaked to the public, the Department of …
Read More »Pentagon admits killing civilians during airstrikes in Somalia
The Pentagon has acknowledged for the first time that at least two civilians were killed and three were injured in US airstrikes early last year in Somalia, where rights groups have accused the US military of shrouding its operations in secrecy. The announcement, by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), was …
Read More »Washington Post: Trump called top military brass in 2017 a ‘bunch of dopes and babies’
President Donald Trump reprimanded his top military brass in a 2017 meeting at the Pentagon, calling them a “bunch of dopes and babies” and telling them “you’re all losers,” according to a forthcoming book by two Washington Post reporters. The heated July 20, 2017 meeting has been previously reported — …
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