pentagon

As U.S. shot down shot down Chinese balloon, calls to China went unanswered

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press

When a giant Chinese balloon made an uninvited visit to the United States, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin turned to a hotline system set up with Beijing to defuse the situation.

WATCH: Pentagon says China has conducted a spy balloon program for years

By Associated Press

The Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon said Wednesday.

WATCH: Pentagon holds news briefing as Russia responds to U.S. plan to send tanks to Ukraine

By Associated Press

Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder will hold a news briefing on Thursday after the U.S. and Western allies agreed to send more tanks to Ukraine to support it against an invasion by Russia.

In reversal, U.S. is expected to send Abrams tanks for Ukraine

By Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee, Associated Press

According to one official, the U.S. announcement is expected to come on Wednesday in coordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Poland's request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

WATCH: Pentagon holds news briefing as the U.S. plans to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine

By Andrew Meldrum, Associated Press

In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode.

WATCH: Pentagon holds briefing on UFO reports, fighting in eastern Ukraine

By Associated Press

The U.S. has now collected 510 reports of unidentified flying objects, many of which are flying in sensitive military airspace.

Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccine requirement for troops

By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press

The Pentagon has formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

WATCH: Pentagon speaks on announced $3.75 billion in military aid to Ukraine

By Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee, Associated Press

The U.S. will send $3.75 billion in military weapons and other aid to Ukraine and its neighbors on NATO's eastern flank, the White House announced Friday, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on.

WATCH: Pentagon holds news briefing after U.S. announces more military aid to Ukraine

By Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee, Associated Press

The U.S. will send Ukraine nearly $3 billion in military aid, in a massive new package that will for the first time include several dozen Bradley fighting vehicles.

WATCH: Pentagon calls Zelenskyy’s leadership ‘key aspect’ to Ukraine defense

By E. Eduardo Castillo, Associated Press

Congressional leaders unveiled a government-wide $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that includes a nearly 10 percent boost in defense spending.