Military and Defense

"Austin was hit with a spray of bullets and died there on the battlefield. The 21-year-old had saved his friend's life twice in exchange for his own."

Commanders in Iraq took every necessary step to ensure the safety of U.S. forces during the Jan. 8 missile attack by Iran on Al Asad Air Base, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Alyssa Farah said today. Pentagon leaders were notified yesterday that several service members were examined for concussions following the attack, Farah told members of the Pentagon press corps. “This is ...

The Defense Department will announce updates to the vetting process for foreign military students “in the coming days,” the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs said in response to the attack on U.S. servicemen at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper will visit Pensacola Naval Air Station and U.S. Southern Command headquarters in ...

As long as he is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten said he will make sure speed is put back into every element of the Pentagon. Inserting speed into everything the Defense Department does is a priority, the vice-chairman told the Center for Strategic and International Studies today in a discussion on ...

Ah jeez...

Amazon filed a restraining order Monday to temporarily block Microsoft from building out a multi-billion dollar Pentagon project, a move that could potentially delay implementation of the program. The two tech behemoths crafted a proposed schedule to deal with the ongoing lawsuit, including Amazon’s court order, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Amazon is suing to overturn the Department of Defense’s decision to ...

Vice President Mike Pence swore in Air Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond as the highest-ranking military leader of the newly created U.S. Space Force in a ceremony that recognized the arrival of the nation’s newest military branch. Raymond was formally designated the first chief of space operations in a formal ceremony sponsored by the White House and held at ...

In the past few decades, several service members from the Civil War have received posthumous Medals of Honor for their actions in keeping our nation together more than 150 years ago. One of them was Army 1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing, who helped stop Confederate soldiers from breaking through the Union line during Confederate Maj. Gen. George Pickett’s famous charge at ...

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper reiterated his belief on Sunday morning talk shows that elimination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani would prevent an attack that could lead to more dangerous, open conflict with Iran. “We had information that there was going to be an attack within a matter of days, that would be broad in scale, in other words ...

Since March, Mae Krier has traveled a lot. She’s been to the Pentagon four times, to the Capitol three times, all over the United States, and even to Normandy, France, for the 75th anniversary of D-Day. During World War II, Krier worked at an aircraft factory in Seattle building B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress aircraft. She wasn’t the only ...

The United States must maintain overmatch — be stronger, better armed, or more skillful than its adversaries, the Army secretary said at the Brooking Institution in Washington. Ryan D. McCarthy addressed Indo-Pacific region Army strategy at the nonprofit public policy organization today. “Our modernization focus — how we fight, what we fight with and who we are — is in ...

The Defense Department’s people will ultimately be the difference between the United States and any potential adversary, and Air Force Gen. John Hyten wants to ensure they have all the support they need. The new vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will use his position to highlight the role people play in all aspects of the department. “I ...

Although Iranian missiles damaged equipment and infrastructure at U.S. and ally-occupied military installations in Iraq yesterday, training and defensive readiness paid off in no lives being lost, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. “There’s sirens that go off on these bases. … There’s bunkers and jersey barriers, and there’s places to go hide and all that,” said Army ...

Statement from Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Jonathan Hoffman: At approximately 5:30 p.m. (EST) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq.  It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition ...

The Al-Asad and Erbil (Irbil) Airbases in Iraq were attacked this evening as multiple surface-to-surface missiles were fired at the facilities by Iran and an unconfirmed report says that there are multiple Iraqi military casualties. The Pentagon issued a statement saying that at about 5:30 p.m. EST, Iran launched more a dozen ballistic missiles against at least two facilities in ...