The Pentagon has pledged a full investigation into a nude photo scandal hitting the American armed forces. Defence Secretary James Mattis said “all appropriate action” was being taken in all branches of the armed forces. The scandal began when nude photos of female Marines were published online by male colleagues. But fewer than 10 female … Read more
South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual, massive military exercises on Wednesday as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered his troops to prepare for a “merciless strike” against the enemy forces. The drills always raise tensions on the divided Korean peninsula and this year they come after the North’s recent ballistic missile … Read more
More than 120 retired admirals and generals urged President Donald Trump not to slash spending on diplomacy and development aid, CNN reported Monday. Retired General David Petraeus, a former CIA director, and retired Admiral James Stavridis, an ex NATO supreme allied commander, are among those who pressed Trump not to make good on his repeated … Read more
The Pentagon presented the White House with possible new battle plans Monday to defeat the Islamic State group, after President Donald Trump demanded top brass find additional ways to destroy the jihadists. A pillar of Trump’s campaign was to quicken the fight against IS, which despite losing thousands of fighters still controls parts of northern … Read more
The Pentagon was due to present the White House on Monday with possible new battle plans to defeat the Islamic State group, after President Donald Trump demanded top brass find additional ways to destroy the jihadists. One of Trump’s central campaign pledges was to quicken the fight against IS, and he berated the Barack Obama … Read more
Iraqi forces backed by jets and helicopters battled their way towards southern Mosul on Monday and prepared to take on the Islamic State group’s stronghold in the city’s west bank. The fresh push in the four-month-old operation to retake Mosul has sparked fears for 750,000 trapped civilians who risk being killed if they try to … Read more
The U. S. military is not in Iraq “to seize anybody’s oil”, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, distancing himself from remarks by President Donald Trump at the start of a visit to Iraq on Monday. Mattis, on his first trip to Iraq as Pentagon chief, is hoping to assess the war effort as U.S.-backed Iraqi … Read more
The United States is not about to plunder Iraq’s oil reserves, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, who arrived in Baghdad on Monday, said in a bid to soothe Iraqi partners rattled by remarks President Donald Trump made. Trump has repeatedly said both while campaigning and since his election that America, whose troops occupied Iraq for eight … Read more
US Vice President Mike Pence meets EU and NATO leaders Monday at the end of a European trip aimed at reassuring allies worried that President Donald Trump might abandon them. Upon arrival in Brussels on Sunday, Pence said he looked “very much forward” to his meetings with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, European Council … Read more
The USS Carl Vinson is no stranger to the region US aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson has started what it calls “routine operations” in the South China Sea, with a fleet of supporting warships. The deployment comes days after China’s foreign ministry warned Washington against challenging Beijing’s sovereignty in the region. China claims several … Read more
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday said he is compiling an assessment for President Donald Trump to weigh on Afghanistan, which remains mired in a brutal and seemingly intractable conflict. The Afghan war is the longest in US history but Trump has scarcely given it a passing mention — either while campaigning or since … Read more
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday said America’s vast military continues to run smoothly, even though President Donald Trump’s first month has been marked by consecutive crises. “Welcome to democracy,” Mattis told reporters in Abu Dhabi during his first trip to the region as Pentagon chief. “It’s at times wildly contentious, it’s at times … Read more
US President Donald Trump insisted Saturday that the White House is running smoothly, and used a campaign-style rally in Florida to bring his message to supporters “without the filter of the fake news.” Trump employed a loud and muscular delivery — one which won over millions of voters on the campaign trail last year — … Read more
US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, his first trip to the Middle East since taking office last month. A retired Marine general who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mattis knows the region well and was a frequent visitor during his time heading up the US military’s Central … Read more
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard is to conduct military drills next week, a senior commander announced Saturday, despite warnings from the United States and fresh sanctions over a ballistic missile test. “The manoeuvres called ‘Grand Prophet 11’ will start Monday and last three days,” General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the force’s ground units, told a news … Read more
US Vice-President Mike Pence Saturday pledged an “unwavering” commitment to transatlantic ties, in an emphatic reassurance to allies including German Chancellor Angela Merkel who pleaded with nations not to go it alone. Capping a week of whirlwind diplomacy by American officials who have descended on Europe to calm nerves rattled by Donald Trump, Pence underlined … Read more
Leaders of the Islamic State group are leaving their Syrian stronghold of Raqa, fleeing in the face of the Arab-Kurd offensive backed by the international coalition, the US Defense Department said Friday. “We are starting to see now that a lot of senior ISIS leaders, a lot of their bureaucrats… are beginning the process of … Read more
A G20 gathering in Bonn was supposed to herald onto the world stage Washington’s new top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, but instead he kept a low profile and even left without the normally de rigueur press conference. The contrast with his predecessor John Kerry could not be more marked. The one was an inveterate traveller, ready … Read more
A former navy admiral reportedly tapped by President Donald Trump to be his national security advisor has declined the post, US media said on Thursday. Robert Harward’s rejection leaves President Donald Trump without a replacement for retired general Michael Flynn, who resigned over a scandal involving his links with the Russian ambassador in Washington. Officially … Read more
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday faces a grilling by global peers seeking clarity about Washington’s position on the Syria conflict ahead of crunch UN peace talks in Geneva. On the sidelines of a G20 gathering in Germany, Tillerson will join a group of countries supporting the Syrian opposition for talks pushing a … Read more