Pentagon and Congress
-
Amid fears of Russian air dominance, US to send anti-aircraft Stingers to Ukraine
PENTAGON & CONGRESS WASHINGTON ― The U.S. for the first time has approved the direct delivery of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine as part of a package approved by the White House last week. During the Cold War, the CIA covertly supplied Stingers to Afghan guerrillas fighting Russian forces. Now Ukrainian forces…
-
DC National Guard asked to provide support for upcoming trucker protest
PENTAGON & CONGRESS With an organizer of a trucker vaccine mandate protest threatening to shut down traffic around the capitol region, the D.C. National Guard is alerting troops to be ready to activate in response.
-
3,000 more paratroopers head to Europe amid White House warnings of Ukraine invasion
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Thousands more soldiers are preparing to deploy to Eastern Europe as Russia-Ukraine tensions continue, the Pentagon announced Friday. Three thousand members of the 82nd Airborne Division would join 3,000 troops already mobilized to Poland, Germany and Romania.
-
Pentagon reveals info on $200M military aid to Ukraine, including more Javelins
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The Pentagon on Tuesday provided more details about the $200 million military aid package for Ukraine approved by President Joe Biden in December.
-
Milley, Berger, test positive for COVID-19
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David Berger, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials say.
-
Pentagon creates new organization to investigate mysterious objects in the sky
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, nested in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security, will now lead investigations into mysterious objects in the sky.
-
Saving Tawfiq: How veterans rescued an Afghan interpreter and his family
PENTAGON & CONGRESS After days of waiting and worrying, Tawfiq Khairkhah, a former interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, received the message about his escape. It was from a stranger far away, working for an organization that dubbed itself Team America.
-
Milley denies wrongdoing amid calls for his resignation over details in new book
PENTAGON & CONGRESS A new book to be released next week says Milley took steps to guard against Trump launching a questionable military strike in the final days of his presidency.
-
U.S. Defense, State officials will meet with rescue groups to help evacuate Americans, Afghan allies
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The Pentagon and State need to work more closely with veterans to help rescue American and Afghan allies, the founder of one rescue effort says.
-
‘Just one more’: Inside the massive military community effort to save Afghans
PENTAGON & CONGRESS For several days, Tawfiq was frantic and confused. He had returned to Afghanistan from the U.S. just days before the Taliban began their dramatic sweep of the country, and now he was caught in the middle.
-
US troop death toll now at 13, with 18 wounded, in HKIA attack: CENTCOM
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The number of U.S. service members killed in a series of attacks outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday is now 13, with another 18 wounded, according to a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.
-
US kept exact details of Bagram exit from Afghan commander for OPSEC, says Pentagon spokesman
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The U.S. decision to leave Bagram Airfield at night after 20 years without informing the new Afghan base commander of the exact day and hour was a matter of “operational security”.
-
US should consider ‘irregular warfare’ response to pipeline hack: Gallego
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The U.S. should consider an irregular warfare response to the hacking attack on a key gasoline pipeline if a link to Russia can be established, the chairman of the newly formed House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations told a special operations forces forum Wednesday.
-
No, SOCCENT Twitter wasn’t hacked as the command initially said
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Special Operations Command Central now says a curious tweet on its official account was not a hack, as it initially reported on social media.
-
US adds 500 troops in Germany, ends large-scale troop cut plans despite Trump pledge: SECDEF
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops and has stopped planning for large-scale troop cuts ordered by the Trump administration.
-
Ukraine should look to US for air defenses, improved air force, says former defense adviser
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Experts in both Kyiv and Washington are wondering if the Biden administration is willing to share with Ukraine’s military.
-
US announces $125 million in military aid for Ukraine
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The Pentagon announced Monday a $125 million military aid package for Ukraine, the first of its kind under the Biden administration.
-
Mobile vet centers deployed at Capitol to provide mental health resources for siege survivors, responders
PENTAGON & CONGRESS To help those who responded to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege cope with the unseen wounds of that attack, the Department of Veterans Affairs is moving two of its mobile vet centers onto Capitol Hill.
-
US down to 2,500 troops each in Afghanistan and Iraq, as ordered by Trump
PENTAGON & CONGRESS The Afghanistan decision was seen by some as unnecessarily complicating the decision-making of the incoming administration.
-
Former defense secretaries Mattis, Esper decry attack on the Capitol and Trump’s rhetoric
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Former Defense Secretaries Jim Mattis and Mark Esper both condemned both Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol building by rioters and President Donald Trump for his role in the violence.
-
$250 million aid package to Ukraine will support US security too, defense experts say
PENTAGON & CONGRESS A $250 million military aid package to Ukraine, pushed by the Trump administration and approved by Congress Thursday, should benefit U.S. security by helping keep Russian forces bogged down, experts with experience in the region tell Military Times.
-
How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response
PENTAGON & CONGRESS A Kim Jong Un demise could destabilize the region, create a massive refugee flow and force the U.S., South Korea and possibly other regional allies to react to the upheaval.
-
Fired Theodore Rosevelt skipper tests positive for COVID-19
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Capt. Brett Crozier, fired as the skipper of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, has tested positive for COVID-19.
-
SECDEF issues guidelines for how troops will start wearing face coverings in public to prevent COVID-19 spread
PENTAGON & CONGRESS Service members will be instructed to start wearing face coverings in public to limit the spread of coronavirus said Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
-
How to protect sensitive military information in the age of COVID-19 teleworking
PENTAGON & CONGRESS As more and more military installations around the country move towards telework to help stop the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing concern about operational security.
-
President Trump to address AMVETS 75th national convention
PENTAGON & CONGRESS President Donald J. Trump will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, later this month to deliver remarks to the AMVETS 75th national convention.
-
A dozen companies chosen to work on up to $5B in construction projects for Trump’s border wall
PENTAGON & CONGRESS President Donald Trump’s vision for a border wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico took a big step forward Wednesday as a dozen companies from around the nation have been selected to compete on up to $5 billion worth of horizontal construction projects over a five-year period ending in 2024.