Blog Posts

"President Trump officially nominated Mark T. Esper to become the nation’s next defense secretary on Monday afternoon, prompting the retired Army officer to step down as acting defense secretary and hand over his duties to Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer for the duration of the confirmation process."

"His police chief in Nangarhar Province needed more heavy weapons. His police chief in Paktia Province needed more radios. And Brig. Gen. Khoshal Sadat needed the two men to stop reading directly from their PowerPoint slides as they rattled off the security situation in their districts during their video conference.}

"The most recent retaliatory strike window looks set to close with more US sanctions being placed on Iran. A short term conclusion to what was very nearly a military strike. Large scale military action against Iran has been touted repeatedly since the start of the War on Terror."

"When he resigned as defense secretary last December, Jim Mattis thought it might take two months to install a successor. That seemed terribly long at the time."

"The guerrillas of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, have been battling Colombian governments for half a century, but a new advantage is helping them thrive as never before: sanctuary and open support in Venezuela."

"The convergence of foreign jihadists in the country, encouraging violent extremism particularly in Sulu, is part of the Islamic State (IS)’s plan to reestablish a caliphate in Mindanao, an Army official said."

Netanyahu also added that unlike the terror leader, Israel will "not reveal the details of our plans."

"A Russian military leader revealed the blueprint for using mercenaries, militias, and special operations forces to backup dictators from Venezuela to Africa."

Iran called on Britain on Friday to release an Iranian supertanker seized off the coast of ­Gibraltar last week, warning British authorities against playing a “dangerous and unclear” game.

"A Russian plane carrying the first components of the S-400 surface-to-air defense system landed in Turkey on Friday, in a move that is opposed by the Pentagon and could damage Turkey’s relationship with the United States and other NATO allies."

"Naval vessels are increasingly protecting oil tankers as they carry crude through one of the world’s most critical waterways after Iran threatened retaliation for the British Navy’s capture of one of its ships."

"While much of the world’s focus on the Middle East centers on rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the Syrian government and its Russian allies have intensified airstrikes on Idlib and the surrounding areas in a months-long campaign to recapture the territory, upending lives and leaving residents wondering where else they can go, eight years into a brutal war."

"At least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in southern Somalia."

"Just days before President Trump made light of Russia’s interference in American elections during a meeting last month with President Vladimir V. Putin, teams of Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs were practicing support missions for local resistance forces in Eastern Europe and the Baltics should they have to confront Russian commandos without insignia, the so-called little green men who helped Moscow seize Crimea in 2014."

Today the Department of Defense provided to Congress the semiannual report “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan” covering events during the period from Dec. 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019. The report was submitted in accordance with requirements in Section 1225 of the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act as amended by Sections 1231 and 1531 of the fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017 NDAA.

"After months of threatening quick, severe action against Turkey should Ankara accept the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, the Trump administration has yet to react to the delivery of the weapon system."

"The United States wants to be the preferred military partner for the countries surrounding China, and the Army’s 1st Special Forces Group has been working that angle for decades."

Withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan too soon would be a “strategic mistake,” President Trump’s nominee for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said Thursday, clearly outlining the Pentagon’s position as the White House wrestles with whether to pull military forces and end the 18-year war.

"Military and civilian leaders ignored a lot in both the planning and the ensuing 18 years of fighting in Afghanistan. A new report finds the most important thing they ignored was each other."

"Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's willing to sit down with Ukraine's new president for talks to settle a deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine"

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to ratchet up sanctions on Iran and has again denounced the 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers as the UN nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting on Tehran's breach of the deal.

When you think “great power competition," you probably think Russia and China in Eastern Europe and the Pacific. But both of those countries are meddling in South America, U.S. Southern Command’s chief told lawmakers on Tuesday.

"A cache of powerful American missiles was sold to France before ending up in the hands of rebel fighters loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who is seeking to overthrow the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli."

This CSIS report concludes that the mission in Afghanistan expanded from a limited focus on counterterrorism to a broad nation-building effort without discussion about the implications for the duration and intensity of the military campaign.

"The killings were the latest in a series of retaliatory Taliban attacks against the families and homes of Afghan soldiers and police officers. They have continued even as American and Taliban negotiators have reported progress in talks aimed at reaching a lasting peace agreement."