Aug 19 U.S. sends jets to protect forces from Syrian regime strikes By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The U.S. scrambled fighter aircraft Thursday to protect American special operations forces and allies from Syrian government warplane attacks near the northeastern Syrian city of Hassakeh, the Pentagon said. Continue reading
Aug 12 Watch 5:59 News Wrap: Top ISIS leader killed in drone strike, says Pentagon; bombings rock Thailand By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Friday, a U.S. drone attack has killed a top ISIS leader in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. The designated ‘global terrorist’ Hafiz Saeed Khan died in a strike on July 26. Meanwhile, a series of bombings… Continue watching
Aug 04 Watch 7:16 Obama appears at Pentagon to discuss strategy for countering ISIS By PBS News Hour President Obama spoke at the Pentagon Thursday about the U.S. plan for continued military action in Libya. His report came three days after the U.S. launched airstrikes in and around Sirte, in an attempt to reclaim the Islamic State stronghold. Continue watching
Aug 04 Obama warns of lone-wolf attacks and says U.S. didn’t pay ransom to Iran By Associated Press President Barack Obama said Thursday that Islamic State militants will probably continue to be a threat to the U.S. even after the group is ousted from key strongholds in Iraq and Syria. But he stressed that the U.S. and its… Continue reading
Jul 12 Pentagon chief seeks better use of U.S. forces in Afghanistan By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that the decision to give U.S. commanders more authority to work with Afghan troops and strike the Taliban will maximize the use and effectiveness of American forces in… Continue reading
Jun 30 Watch 3:21 How will lifting the ban on transgender soldiers affect the military? By PBS News Hour The Pentagon has lifted its ban on transgender troops. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the move Thursday and officials said health services for trans soldiers, including sexual reassignment surgery, will be covered in 90 days. Of the military’s 1.5 million… Continue watching
May 21 U.S. airstrike targets Taliban leader Mullah Mansour By Alan Fram, Associated Press The Pentagon has announced that the U.S. has conducted an airstrike targeting Taliban leader Mullah Mansour. One American official says the U.S. believes Mansour was killed in what was a drone strike authorized by President Barack Obama. Continue reading
May 13 China has reclaimed 3,200 acres in South China Sea, Pentagon says By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A new Pentagon report says China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the southeastern South China Sea. But the country's focus has shifted to developing and weaponizing those man-made islands. Continue reading
May 05 Pentagon says fewer sex-assault victims faced retaliation By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is lowering its estimate of the number of people it believes have faced retaliation for making claims of sexual assault, arguing that what might sometimes feel like revenge may actually be an attempt to help. Continue reading
May 01 Watch 3:08 Are airstrikes successfully weakening ISIS? By PBS News Hour The Islamic State insurgency in Iraq and Syria has drawn an estimated 38,000 recruits from all over the world, including the U.S. But the Pentagon recently said recruits have dropped from 2,000 a month to 500, in part because of… Continue watching