Oct 15 Watch 2:32 U.S. reverses plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan By PBS News Hour In a policy reversal, President Obama announced that U.S. forces will keep nearly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016, drawing down to 5,500 in 2017. Despite plans to leave the country completely by the end of next year,… Continue watching
Oct 15 Watch 4:31 News Wrap: U.S. analysts knew Kunduz target was hospital By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. special operations analysts knew the Kunduz clinic that was the target of an airstrike was a medical site. Also, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert will plead guilty to… Continue watching
Oct 01 Military transport plane crashes in Afghanistan killing 11, including 6 service members By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The plane crashed at Jalalabad Airport in eastern Afghanistan at about midnight local time. Continue reading
Oct 01 Tensions rising, U.S. and Russian military holding Syria talks By Robert Burns, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Pentagon began talks Thursday with Russian military officials on ways to avoid U.S. and Russian forces firing on each other in Syria as tensions escalated over Russian airstrikes that apparently are serving to strengthen Syrian President Bashar… Continue reading
Sep 25 Navy SEALs ready to open combat roles to women By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The commander of the Navy SEALs is recommending that the naval special warfare units be opened to women, but warns that women will have greater risks of injury and the service will be pressured to adjust or lower standards for… Continue reading
Sep 22 Watch 8:06 Navy secretary: Gender should not bar women from Marine combat roles By PBS News Hour The U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy are expected to allow women to serve in all combat roles starting next year. But the Marine Corps commandant has asked that Marines be excluded from the new rule. Secretary of the Navy… Continue watching
Sep 18 Marines expected to bar women from combat jobs By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps is expected to ask that women not be allowed to compete for several front-line combat jobs, inflaming tensions between Navy and Marine leaders, U.S. officials say. Continue reading
Sep 17 Taliban captive Bergdahl 'snuck off' his military post, prosecutors say By Larisa Epatko U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl intentionally left his outpost in rural Afghanistan in 2009, resulting in his capture by the Taliban, prosecutors said at his preliminary hearing on Thursday. Continue reading
Sep 16 Watch 9:00 Did U.S. intelligence officers downplay Islamic State reports? By PBS News Hour A number of intelligence officers say that senior officials have been painting an overly optimistic picture of the fight against the Islamic State group. A Pentagon investigation is now underway, and the issue was the subject of a Capitol Hill… Continue watching
Sep 10 They served their country. Now they can't live in it By P. J. Tobia Some 65,000 green card holders now serve in the U.S. armed forces. Some of the men who serve never became full citizens, instead remaining legal permanent residents or another designation that allows them to live in the U.S. legally. And… Continue reading