A top US admiral said Wednesday that America wants to bring North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to “his senses,” as senators attended an extraordinary briefing at the White House. Admiral Harry Harris, who heads the Pacific Command, welcomed recent efforts by Beijing to try to defuse soaring tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, and suggested a … Read more
The US admiral who ordered an aircraft carrier and other warships toward the Korean Peninsula in a much-hyped deployment took responsibility Wednesday for any “confusion” after the ships sailed in the opposite direction. Amid soaring tensions ahead of North Korea’s apparent ramping up for a sixth nuclear test, the US Navy on April 8 said … Read more
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in Saudi Arabia Wednesday to reinvigorate the Riyadh-Washington alliance, with both seeing a common adversary in Iran and its “destabilising” activities. The United States and Saudi Arabia have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil. But ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly … Read more
The US State Department is removing human rights conditions on a large sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain, as the Trump administration moves to shore up ties with the Gulf ally, reports said Thursday. President Donald Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama had imposed the conditions on the sale to Bahrain of the 19 single-engine supersonic … Read more
Houthi rebels in Yemen are threatening free movement into and out of the Red Sea with missiles, mines and other sophisticated defenses on a key strait, a top US general said Wednesday. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, a strategic passage for world trade. Bordering it to the east, … Read more
The Pentagon under President Donald Trump is experiencing greater freedom to run wars without seeking White House approval. Many in the military appreciate this increased autonomy, but critics charge it could raise civilian death rates, puts the lives of US troops at greater risk and leads to a lack of oversight of America’s conflicts. Nowhere … Read more
The Pentagon under President Donald Trump is enjoying greater freedom to run its wars the way it wants — and not constantly seek White House approval on important decisions. Many in the military appreciate this increased autonomy, but critics charge it is raising civilian death rates, puts the lives of US troops at greater risk … Read more
Russia may be supplying the Taliban in Afghanistan, a US general has said Russia has denied a top Nato general’s allegation it may be secretly sending supplies to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Gen Curtis Scaparrotti told lawmakers in Washington on Thursday that Moscow was “perhaps” supplying the extremist group. On Friday, Zamir Kabulov, the Kremlin’s … Read more
Russia on Friday denied allegations by the commander of NATO that Moscow may be assisting the Taliban as the insurgents fight US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. “These claims are absolutely false,” Zamir Kabulov, head of the Russian foreign ministry’s department responsible for Afghanistan and the Kremlin’s special envoy in the country, told RIA Novosti … Read more
The top US general in Europe said on Thursday he has seen growing Russian influence on the Afghan Taliban, and raised the possibility that Moscow was helping supply the fighters. Russia has been critical of the US over its handling of the war in Afghanistan – now in its 16th year – where the Soviet … Read more
President Donald Trump’s proposed gutting of the State Department budget and other “soft power” agencies could hamper long-term security goals and make the military’s job tougher, US generals are warning. Trump wants to slash federal spending across an array of agencies and foreign aid programs, and eliminate other organizations to pay for a boost in … Read more
Russia is “perhaps” supplying the Taliban as they fight US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a top US general said Thursday. General Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander who also heads the US military’s European Command, told lawmakers he had seen Russian influence expand in multiple regions, including in Afghanistan. “I have seen the influence … Read more
The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria faces “tough decisions” on how much it should support Kurdish fighters in an offensive to reclaim Raqa from the jihadists, a senior US lawmaker warned Wednesday. Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Trump administration is weighing the thorny issue … Read more
U. S. President Donald Trump says he wants to build dozens of new warships in one of the biggest peace-time expansions of the U.S. Navy. But interviews with ship-builders, unions and a review of public and internal documents show major obstacles to that plan. The initiative could cost nearly $700 billion in government funding, take … Read more
Senior US lawmakers on Tuesday blasted the leader of the Marine Corps over a “repugnant” scandal involving the nonconsensual posting of nude photos of women Marines online. The scandal has rocked the Marines, which tout their “core values” of honor, courage and commitment, and have built a proud legacy in the American psyche of iconic … Read more
Russia appears to have deployed special forces to an airbase in western Egypt near the border with Libya in recent days, U. S., Egyptian and diplomatic sources say, a move that would add to U.S. concerns about Moscow’s deepening role in Libya. The U.S. and diplomatic officials said any such Russian deployment might be part … Read more
US servicemen from all parts of the military have been sharing nude photos of their female colleagues online, it has emerged. Reports last week uncovered widespread photo sharing by current and former Marines on Facebook, triggering a navy investigation. But the BBC has seen a message board where servicemen from other branches have shared hundreds … Read more
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
Iraqi special forces battled the Islamic State group on Friday in west Mosul, where a commander said jihadist resistance is showing signs of weakening under repeated assaults. The jihadists are also facing simultaneous offensives in Syria by government forces, Turkish-backed rebels and a US-supported alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, piling more pressure on IS. … Read more
Up to a dozen civilians died during a controversial January raid against Al Qaeda in Yemen, but an investigation did not uncover “bad judgment” during the operation, the head of US forces in the Middle East said. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Joe Votel said “somewhere between four and 12 casualties” resulted … Read more