By Lara Seligman

The attacks and retaliatory strike marked the first major military action of the Biden administration. The strike was calculated to signal to Iran that such attacks through proxies in the region would not be tolerated, the officials said, while avoiding escalation into a wider conflict as Biden seeks a diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran on the Iran nuclear deal. The “proportionate” military response was conducted along with […]

The airstrikes were designed to damage the militia group’s ability to conduct future attacks, a defense official told POLITICO. The U.S. military alone carried out the operation, without the aid of allies. However, Kirby said the U.S. conducted the strike “together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with Coalition partners.” “The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel,” Kirby […]

The move was seen as a way to elevate the needs of America’s elite special operations forces — Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets, Marine Raiders — which have borne the brunt of the fighting in the Middle East and Afghanistan over the past two decades. It was also designed to increase civilian oversight following the fatal ambush of U.S. special forces in Niger in 2017 and […]

The U.S. Embassy is seen from across the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq Jan. 3, 2020. | AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed Three rockets fell near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Monday, the third such attack in Iraq in the span of one week. The Katyusha rockets landed inside the Green Zone on Monday evening Iraqi time, according to a defense official. The official said there are […]

After former President Donald Trump repeatedly disparaged NATO and threatened to pull the United States out of the alliance, President Joe Biden has signaled he intends to reset the relationship. Austin “wants to revitalize to the alliance and again I think you will see that overall that will be the message that he sends, that we’re better when we act together,” Kirby said. Context: The news […]

Ely Ratner, a longtime Biden aide and Asia expert who Austin tapped as his special adviser on China matters, will lead a task force of up to 15 members in a “sprint” effort dedicated to reviewing Pentagon policy on Beijing, according to the Defense Department. The task force will provide Austin and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks its final findings and recommendations in the next four […]

“There has to be a balance,” top Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told POLITICO, pointing out that Austin did not minimize the advisory role the generals play. “It’s not about swinging the rudder over all the way to the other extreme. What the secretary wants to achieve is a balanced approach to the development of the advice that he has to give the commander in chief.” This […]

The effort is aimed at scrubbing the members of the advisory boards “to determine if appointments were politically motivated vice professionally made,” said one of the people. The freeze announced on Wednesday pertains only to appointees who have not yet been sworn in or have completed all the required paperwork, the people said. Several new board members, including Earl Matthews and Anthony Tata, were sworn in […]

Austin, a former head of U.S. Central Command, is expected get questions from lawmakers about his approach to China on Tuesday as he goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing. “Ely Ratner is a strong addition to the DoD,” said Randy Schriver, a former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs under President Donald Trump. “He cares deeply about our allies and […]

The news comes as authorities are in a heightened state of alert, scrambling on Monday morning to respond to a fire in the general area of the U.S. Capitol. While the Capitol was briefly placed on lockdown, upending a rehearsal for Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, the source of the fire turned out to be a propane tank that had exploded at a homeless camp nearby. Altogether, […]

The Pentagon announced Nov. 30 that Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller had accepted Maier’s resignation after the department disbanded his office, reflecting the success of the U.S.-led effort to defeat the terrorist group. His duties would be folded into two other offices overseeing special operations and regional policies being run by Trump political appointees, Ezra Cohen-Watnick and retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, who once called former […]

The Guardsmen deployed to the Capitol will also carry a protective helmet, gas masks and Kevlar body armor, she said. She stressed that Guard members are trained to “try everything to de-escalate a situation before having to draw their weapon and use it” as part of civil disturbance response. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy approved the request by federal and local authorities for armed Guardsmen to support […]

Amid concerns that Trump would try to use the military to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in recent weeks, Milley has reiterated that the troops would have no role in determining the outcome of the election. In the memo, the Joint Chiefs affirmed Biden’s win, noting that on Jan. 20 he will be inaugurated and become the commander in chief “in accordance with the Constitution.” The […]

D.C. National Guard stands outside a mostly quiet Capitol, Thursday morning, Jan. 7, 2021 in Washington, as workers place security fencing in place. | AP Photo/John Minchillo The Pentagon has authorized up to 15,000 National Guardsmen from across the country to deploy to the nation’s capital to support law enforcement before and during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, defense officials announced Monday. About 6,200 Guardsmen […]

“If accurate, it would be a disgraceful insult to the vast majority of servicemembers who honorably serve our Nation in accordance with the core values of their respective Services,” Duckworth wrote in the letter. If any such individuals are identified, Duckworth urged Miller to take “appropriate action to hold individuals accountable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” “Upholding good order and discipline demands that the […]

The problem became worse on Wednesday, after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, prompting several senior officials to resign in protest amid wide condemnation of Trump by Democrats and Republicans. “I’ve had conversations with people who’ve worked on the national security teams, many who are career intelligence officers, who are concerned about what happens next,” said Olivia Troye, a former Homeland Security and White House official […]

After the Pentagon on Wednesday approved an initial request from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to send in more members of the D.C. National Guard — opting to mobilize all 1,100 of them — top Pentagon leaders huddled to decide whether to take additional action on Wednesday night, the official said. Miller and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy ultimately decided to mobilize additional personnel due to the severity […]

Miller made the move over the objections of top commanders, a development first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by a defense official. Officials said Miller made the decision to send the carrier home as a “de-escalation” tactic as tensions with Tehran continued to simmer. But the ship was also scheduled to return around that time for routine maintenance anyway, and the Navy had […]

The official went on to described the recent intelligence as “rumors” and lacking “hard evidence.” But the allegations involving Chinese operatives in Afghanistan are being handled very differently by Trump officials than the those involving Moscow earlier this year. Trump initially denounced media reports on the alleged Russian bounties, calling it a “hoax.” He said intelligence officials told him he was not briefed about those allegations […]

The Pentagon | Charles Dharapak/AP President-elect Joe Biden has picked Kathleen Hicks, a former Pentagon official under President Obama, to serve as deputy defense secretary, according to two people familiar with the discussions. If confirmed, she would make history as the first woman to hold the No. 2 Pentagon job. Formerly a civil servant in the office of the secretary of defense who rose to hold […]

“The Department of Defense will continue to provide all required support to the Agency Review Team (ART) to keep our nation and her citizens safe,” Miller said, noting that the Pentagon has already supported 139 interview sessions with more than 200 DoD personnel and disclosed thousands of pages of documents. “Again, I remain committed to a full and transparent transition — this is what our nation […]

On Thursday, the White House unveiled a sweeping plan to build new Navy ships by drastically cutting Army and Air Force priorities. The same day, the Pentagon said it was considering withdrawing support for all CIA counterterrorism missions early next year. The changes are likely to be short-lived after President-elect Joe Biden arrives in the West Wing. But in the meantime, the moves could hamstring the […]

The Pentagon announced Thursday that it flew a pair of B-52 bombers from their base in Barksdale, La., to the Middle East and back to “deter aggression” in the region. The military has also taken other steps in recent weeks, including sending the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz back to the Middle East and dispatching an additional fighter jet squadron from Europe. The moves are designed to […]

Initially, the Biden transition team had improperly reached out directly to the agencies instead of the DoD transition team, and was told that they instead needed to submit requests to the Pentagon. “That was more of an internal issue for the Biden team than a DoD issue,” said the defense official. The issue has been resolved and meetings are now scheduled on Monday and Tuesday with […]

The Pentagon is continuing to conduct contact tracing to determine the extent of possible infections among its civilian leaders. Tata tested positive after a visit by Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis to the Pentagon on Nov. 13 and will isolate at home for 14 days. Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and the three service secretaries also met with Karoblis, who tested positive days after his Pentagon […]

All of the U.S. officials were tested after the Lithuanian Embassy notified the Pentagon on Thursday that Karoblis had tested positive, according to chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman. Tata tested positive on two successive tests. None of the other officials is quarantining. Hoffman said the Pentagon is continuing to conduct further contract tracing on DoD personnel who have had close contact with the Lithuanian delegation or […]

The move, which Esper had resisted, put Miller at odds with Trump allies on Capitol Hill who worry that a hasty withdrawal based on a political calendar — Trump will leave office six days after the Jan. 15 drawdown deadline — could destabilize security conditions in Afghanistan. But Biden is unlikely to reverse the drawdown. As vice president, Biden was the most senior dissenting voice against […]

National security adviser Robert O’Brien also touted the drawdown on Tuesday, echoing Miller’s comments that the move does not reflect a change in policy. “By May, it is President Trump’s hope that they will all come home safely and in their entirety. I want to reiterate that this policy is not new. This has been the president’s policy since he took office,” O’Brien said at the […]

News of the Pentagon order was first reported by CNN. The military is in the midst of drawing down from roughly 8,600 to 4,500 troops in Afghanistan under the terms of a peace agreement with the Taliban announced in February. The new order would roughly halve the number of American troops in the country again, to 2,500 ahead of the full withdrawal planned by May 2021 […]

The team is also seeking the former officials’ help because they don’t expect current Pentagon leadership to be cooperative or particularly knowledgeable, the former official said. Since early this year, the White House has been purging Pentagon officials who were deemed insufficiently loyal to the White House and installed those who can be trusted to carry out the president’s wishes. On Monday, Trump fired Defense Secretary […]

“This is a matter of national security,” said Arnold Punaro, former staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee and a retired Marine Corps major general. With an official result that could be hours, days or even weeks away, Esper’s presence sends a signal to allies and adversaries that operations will continue as usual. Some say Esper should stay on until a winner is called, while […]

The judge denied the motion on Thursday, arguing that the alleged assault could not “conceivably serve any military purpose.” “Regardless of whether General Hyten came to Plaintiff’s hotel room under the pretense of work-related purposes, it is not conceivable that his military duties would require him to sexually assault Plaintiff, or that such an assault would advance any conceivable military objective,” according to the ruling. The […]

The military has strict rules against uniformed service members participating in political campaigns, and the ad is just the latest example of the president or those around him pulling the nation’s highest-ranking officer and other Defense Department officials into the political realm. “As a matter of long-standing policy, military service members and federal employees acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate […]

“Senior leaders should stay in Washington because of the concern about continuity of government with the condition of the White House and our senior military leaders,” said Mick Mulroy, an ABC News analyst who formerly served in the CIA and at the Pentagon until late last year. This would also serve to “send a message to any adversary that may want to exploit the situation.” Miles […]

The rate of testing is higher than usual. Typically Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten get tested when they visit the White House, but not this frequently, the official said. It was not immediately clear which type of test they are using. Milley, Hyten, all but one of the service leaders, the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the assistant […]

“For the first three years of the administration, the Navy and DoD did very little to advance that goal beyond 300 ships, other than broad statements of support for the 355 number,” said Modly, who stepped down amid an outcry over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. “It was a goal written into law and it had the president’s […]

The new plan will draw on findings from the Joint Staff’s “in-stride” review of the Covid-19 response, completed a few weeks ago and viewed by POLITICO, which detailed some of the military’s shortcomings in responding to the pandemic and recommendations for future crises. The results of the study have not been previously reported. In confronting Covid-19, the Pentagon failed to initially account for the “global nature” […]

“Let’s [expletive] kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the [expletive] lot of them,” Trump is said to have told Mattis. According to the book, Mattis acknowledged Trump’s request but later turned to an aide and said he would not do “any of that.” Following the book’s publication, Trump denied the account, dismissing the book as “fiction” and telling journalists that assassinating Assad “was never contemplated, […]

The news also comes as Trump faces backlash over allegations that he called U.S. troops “losers” and “suckers,” and as he trails his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, in the polls just weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. McKenzie said the force reduction is due to “the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the Government of […]

McConville acknowledged today’s “political environment,” but noted that the military needs to remain an “apolitical organization,” particularly with an election around the corner. The general’s comments mark the Pentagon’s first public response to Trump’s remarks during a combative White House news conference on Monday, in which he said “top people in the Pentagon” probably aren’t “in love with me” because “they want to do nothing but […]

Still, it’s a difficult situation for Trump, who from the beginning of his presidency has surrounded himself with military trappings and boasted about “rebuilding” the armed services. Experts and former top military officials say the quotes from the article are dangerous not just for losing actual voters tied to the military — but potentially turning off a narrow slice of undecided voters who may not love […]

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” Trump is reported to have said. But current and former Defense Department officials, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, said they never heard Trump use such words when referring to troops. Esper, who was in France during the incident, remembers that the flight to the cemetery was canceled for weather reasons, and “never […]

Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov spoke with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley by phone about the Tuesday incident, the Russian embassy wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, citing Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. During the conversation, Gerasimov told Milley that coalition commanders were notified in advance about the passage of the Russian military through the area, according to the post. […]

“We’re positioning ourselves to provide them whatever assistance we can, humanitarian aid, medical supplies, you name it, to assist the people of Lebanon,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that most officials believe the deadly explosion in Beirut this week was “an accident,” just hours after President Donald Trump called it an attack. While Esper is still getting information about the […]

Since Trump announced his intent to nominate Tata earlier this year, the former Army general has been widely criticized for tweets calling former President Barack Obama a “terrorist leader” and referring to Islam as the “most oppressive violent religion I know of,” among other controversial statements. Tata later said he regretted the now-deleted tweets. His nomination to be undersecretary of defense for policy, the department’s number […]

“I have no personnel announcements other than to say that the president still supports him,” she said. White House officials have discussed the possibility of installing Tata, who has been a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Mark Esper since earlier this year, in a different position in an acting capacity. This would be allowed under a provision in the Vacancies Reform Act that permits the White […]

Hoffman defended the use of the term “adversaries” to describe anti-government protesters and journalists in a fictional scenario presented in the training materials, noting that “adversaries” is a common term for “a person or group that opposes one’s goal.” However, he acknowledged that “it clearly has different implications when used by the military.” To avoid confusion and respond to criticism following the disclosure, Esper directed that […]

In another section of the course on insider threats, the media is labeled an adversary, and DoD personnel are instructed to report any contact with the press to their “information security office.” Price Floyd, who served as acting assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in the Obama administration and director of media relations at the State Department in the George W. Bush administration, also criticized […]

Defense Secretary Mark Esper | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Esper may be looking to have a conversation with Attorney General William Barr, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and their teams about the issue in the near future, Hoffman said, but did not specify a timeline. Hoffman’s comments come amid rising alarm over federal agents dressed as troops sweeping into Portland, Ore., this week on President […]

The Pentagon on Friday unveiled a new policy that effectively bans the display of the Confederate flag — without actually naming it.The policy reflects an effort to find a compromise on the divisive issue, as Defense Secretary Mark Esper strives to satisfy military leaders without irking President Donald Trump, who has criticized NASCAR for banning the flag.A draft version of the policy explicitly banned the Confederate […]

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, in particular, is pushing Esper “hard” to issue a ban on the Confederate flag, two defense officials reported. McCarthy has recently taken steps aimed at eliminating unconscious bias in the ranks, including doing away with the use of official photos as a requirement in the promotion board process for officers. “Anything that is a divisive symbol, we do want to take those […]

Esper also told lawmakers on Thursday that he never received any intelligence briefing that included the word “bounty,” in response to a carefully worded question about the reports. The narrow remarks left open the possibility that intelligence officers briefed Esper and other Pentagon leaders on the issue, but did not use that particular wording. “To the best of my recollection I have not received a briefing […]

Mitchell would not confirm details of the flyovers, which will involve Defense Department and “heritage” aircraft. But another defense official said the request for the Washington, D.C., event included the Air Force’s Thunderbirds demonstration team, while the Navy’s Blue Angels will fly over Mount Rushmore on July 3. This would mark the Thunderbirds’ first time participating in Trump’s “Salute to America” event. Last year’s festivities involved […]

In addition, the countries have agreed on a location for a U.S. armored brigade combat team and are in discussions about additional support infrastructure as well as a combat aviation brigade, the official said, declining to give details on the specific location. The officials did not mention plans for naming a military base in honor of the U.S. president, what Duda once called “Fort Trump.” Reuters […]

McCusker was nominated for the top position late last year, but the White House pulled her nomination in March after emails leaked to the media showed that she expressed concern over the administration’s demands to hold up aid to Ukraine. In one email exchange published by The New York Times in December, McCusker pushed back on Michael Duffey, an official at the White House Office of […]

The June 1 images of Milley walking the streets of D.C. in his combat uniform prompted outrage from current and retired officials, and many accused Pentagon leaders of allowing the military to be used as a political prop by the Trump administration. Trump had just announced to reporters that if states do not call up the National Guard to handle civil unrest following the killing of […]

Trump’s break with Pentagon leaders on the controversial issue comes just a week after a flap with Esper over the defense secretary‘s expressing his opposition to deploying active-duty troops on the streets to respond to civil unrest, two days after Trump threatened to do just that. A Pentagon spokesperson referred questions to the White House. An Army spokesperson did not immediately return a phone call. Prompted […]

People gather at the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, Va. Recent protests have renewed calls for the removal of Confederate monuments. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy is now “open” to renaming the service’s 10 bases and facilities that are named after Confederate leaders, an Army official told POLITICO, in a reversal of his previous position. “The Secretary of the Army is […]

“On Sunday evening, the security elements were almost overwhelmed,” McCarthy said. Ultimately, the Pentagon did not have to deploy active-duty troops to D.C. to help quash the protests, but “we came right up to the edge” of doing so, McCarthy said. On Monday, the Pentagon ordered 1,600 active-duty soldiers from infantry and military police units, including the 82nd Airborne Division, to the national capital region in […]

McCarthy also said he ordered D.C. Guardsmen to not carry weapons on Monday when it became clear there were enough federal law enforcement defending the city. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo McCarthy detailed the chain of events that took place this week, noting that the decision on Monday to put active-duty troops on alert in the D.C. area was made after an “incredibly […]

The second reversal comes as White House aides made clear their irritation with Esper for declaring his opposition to deploying active-duty troops to quash recent unrest just two days after President Donald Trump threatened to do so. Officials say the Defense secretary is on thin ice with the president. The units — a total of 1,600 troops — also include an infantry battalion assigned to the […]

“At this point it’s just direction from the WH on what they want to do,” the official said. The flyover and previously announced fireworks at Mount Rushmore will kick off this year’s Independence Day celebrations across the country, but the main event will be a “Salute to America” on the National Mall on July 4 that may include military aircraft, band performances and other displays, according […]

“I hold all members of the District of Columbia National Guard to the highest of standards,” Maj. Gen. William Walker, DCNG commanding general, said in a statement. President Donald Trump activated the nearly 1,300 D.C. National Guardsmen on Monday to help local law enforcement respond to the protests, and on Tuesday governors sent an additional 1,500 Guardsmen from other states. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the […]

But Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Myers Vasquez said the sailors who do not meet the criteria to return to the ship and require additional time to recover will remain in isolation on Naval Base Guam, where they will continue to receive medical care. Once the sick sailors have recovered, the Navy will either fly the sailors back to the ship or back to their home station once […]

During Trump’s phone call with governors, Milley pointed to studies showing that “when there is an overwhelming National Guard presence it actually deescalates the situation and causes less civil unrest,” McEnany said. During the call, Esper can be heard urging officials to “dominate the battlespace.” “The sooner that you mass and dominate the battlespace the sooner this dissipates and we can get back to the right […]

Naval security forces responded to the shooter around 6:15 a.m. at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Security forces “neutralized” an active shooter this morning at a Texas naval installation, the Navy announced. One naval security force member was injured. It was not immediately clear if there were any other casualties. Advertisement Naval security forces responded to the shooter around 6:15 a.m. at Naval Air Station Corpus […]

“It feels great to be back at sea,” said Rear Adm. Stu Baker, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9. “Getting Theodore Roosevelt and Carrier Air Wing 11 one step closer to returning to their mission in the Indo-Pacific is a great achievement for the crew.” While completing their deployment, the crew will execute Covid-19 mitigation measures including wearing masks, sanitizing shared spaces and maintaining social distance, […]

The evidence “shows that the Pensacola attack was actually the brutal culmination of years of planning and preparation by a longtime AQAP assocaite,” said Wray. Wray stopped short of saying al Qaeda directed the attack, but noted that Alshamrani had been coordinating with the group. He shared “plans and tactics,” including making pocket videos of his classroom building, said Wray. “We know that he was coordinating […]

CNN first reported on Thursday that five sailors had tested positive after reboarding the ship, so the new number means the positive cases have more than doubled. The 13 Covid-positive sailors have been removed from the ship and are back in isolation on U.S. Naval Base Guam, according to the officials. “This week, a small number of TR Sailors who previously tested COVID positive and met […]

Navy Adm. Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo Michael Gilday, the Navy’s top admiral, will self-quarantine this week despite testing negative for Covid-19 after coming in contact with a family member who tested positive, the Pentagon confirmed on Sunday. Meanwhile, Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, tested positive for Covid-19 Saturday afternoon, but a subsequent test the same day […]

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt move ready-to-eat meals for sailors who have tested negative for Covid-19. | Julio Rivera/U.S. Navy via AP Photo By LARA SELIGMAN 04/13/2020 09:25 AM EDT Updated: 04/13/2020 11:11 AM EDT A sailor assigned to the virus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who was admitted to the intensive care unit last week died of coronavirus-related complications today, the […]

“The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crewmembers and patients on board,” Fage said. The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported that the number of cases had reached seven. The 1,000-bed Mercy docked in Los Angeles in late March to relieve the pressure on local hospitals by treating non-coronavirus patients. The Mercy, along with its twin the […]

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo The top U.S. general said evidence that the coronavirus originated at a Chinese research lab is “inconclusive,” following a report that U.S. officials warned of safety concerns at a research facility in the city of Wuhan two years ago. “We’ve had a lot of intelligence take a hard look at that,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark […]

Eleven Iranian vessels conducted “dangerous and harassing” approaches of U.S. ships in the international waters of the northern Persian Gulf on Wednesday. Source link

But the biggest problem is the lack of reliable information about the status of the ship or the outside world, the sailor said. “It’s not terrible, honestly. We could be on a boat,” the sailor said. “It’s just frustrating because we have no idea what’s going on.” Support for the skipper After reports of the first Covid-19 cases on board the ship emerged last month, a […]

Navy leadership took the steps after a number of sailors tested positive for the novel coronavirus even after their 14-day isolation period, three crew members told POLITICO. Some of the sailors who recently tested positive had previously tested negative, one Navy official said. “Results of out-testing portions of the TR crew following 14 days of quarantine leads us to reevaluate our assessment of how the virus […]

“If you come across and you are at a safe distance and you are waving, that’s one thing. If you have a gun and you point it at me, that’s another thing,” Hyten said. “We know what that line is and we will respond.” “The president’s message was crystal clear,” he said. An Iranian armed forces spokesman responded to the tweet by suggesting the U.S. government […]

“The first patient transported is already improving and will self-isolate. We are taking every precaution to ensure we identify, isolate, and prevent any further spread onboard the ship,” said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. “Our medical team continues coordinating with the ship and our focus is the safety and well-being of every Sailor.” The Kidd is the second U.S. Navy […]

Esper is likely to support the Navy’s decision. Esper said last week that he has an “open mind” on the investigation and the Pentagon said he was inclined to support Navy leadership. But Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wants “a different approach,” according to the senior defense official. The news of the recommendation was first reported by The New York Times. […]

Navy leaders verbally briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper on the recommendations in the service’s preliminary inquiry Friday afternoon, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. Once Esper receives a written copy of the completed inquiry, he will “thoroughly review” the report and will meet again with Navy leaders to discuss “next steps,” Hoffman said. Pentagon leaders are now at an impasse about how to move […]

The decision not only delays Crozier’s potential return by at least a month, but it also opens the possibility that the earlier recommendation to bring him back on board could be overturned, according to a senior defense official. The controversy over the captain, who in late March wrote a letter pleading for help from Navy leadership as coronavirus spread throughout his ship and was later fired […]

“These sailors will be reevaluated after their symptoms clear before they are allowed on the ship,” she said, adding no sailors currently on the ship are showing flu-like symptoms. The news is the latest setback for the crew after an outbreak of Covid-19 forced it to halt its Pacific deployment and dock the ship in Guam on March 27. The Navy planned to begin returning sailors […]