The Pentagon on Nov. 17 formally announced the plan to withdraw thousands of forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, just two months before President Donald J. Trump is expected to leave office. The drawdown is set to be complete by Jan. 15, 2021, but some leaders ...
The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to further withdraw forces from Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January, despite warnings from the former Defense Secretary and an independent watchdog that violence remains high. CNN first reported Nov. 16 that the Pentagon has issued a “warning order” to begin ...
Presumed President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Nov. 10 revealed the first Pentagon transition team members who will review the agency’s operations and begin the process of handing it off to new leaders in January. Kathleen H. Hicks, director of the international ...
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 ...
President Donald J. Trump on Nov. 9 fired Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, announcing on Twitter that he was appointing Christopher C. Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, to serve as the acting Pentagon boss. “Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper ...
The House Armed Services Committee next year will be shaped not only by which members win reelection this week, but also by the members who won’t return and a potential ally in the White House. HASC leadership will remain largely intact, while Republicans will see ...
The Senate Armed Services Committee appears likely to maintain its status quo, as the prospect of Democratic control of the Senate has dimmed after Election Day. SASC Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) won reelection by wide margins on ...
A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators are urging the Trump administration to impose economic sanctions on Turkey over buying and activating Russian S-400 Triumf air defense systems, concerned that Turkey is allowing Russia to access sensitive data on NATO aircraft. In an Oct. 7 letter ...
President Donald J. Trump on Sept. 30 issued an executive order declaring U.S. dependence on China for rare-earth elements a “national emergency,” directing a multi-agency review and action before the election to establish domestic sources of the materials, which are used in a range of ...
Senior Department of the Air Force leaders have repeatedly tested negative for the coronavirus within the past several days, as news emerged early Oct. 2 that President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump contracted COVID-19. Top military officials, including Secretary of the Air ...
The Senate voted 84-10 on Sept. 30 to pass a stopgap spending measure that would keep the federal government open through Dec. 11, pending President Donald J. Trump’s likely approval. Congress opted not to finish the appropriations process before fiscal 2021 begins Oct. 1, so ...
U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne received the Medal of Honor during a Sept. 11 ceremony at the White House for a 2015 mission during which he led a rescue that liberated 75 captives facing execution at the hands of the Islamic State group. ...