Mark Esper

Pentagon chief seeks to reassure NATO over US troop plans

Jun. 26, 2020 11:59 AM EDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday sought to reassure allies at NATO that Washington will consult them on any future troop movements, after President Donald Trump surprised partners at the military alliance by announcing the withdrawal of thousands of personnel from Germany. At a...

FILE - In this March 19, 2020, file photo Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, center, accompanied by Col. Darrin Cox, left, Sgt. Maj. Michael Grinston, second from left, and Gen. James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army, speaks at a news conference at U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. McCarthy announced Thursday, June 25, that beginning in August the service will no longer include soldiers' photos when they are being considered for promotion. He and McConville, said however, that they are still reviewing whether to redact the box on the form that identifies a person's race when soldiers are up for promotion. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Army is taking limited steps to counter racial divisiveness

Jun. 25, 2020 6:54 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army will take a few limited steps to counter racial divisiveness among its force, but is delaying a number of more contentious decisions, including recommendations on banning Confederate symbols and changing the names of bases. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced Thursday that...

A North Korean woman lays a bouquet of flowers during a visit to the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery to pay respects to the monument to the fallen soldiers of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, June 25, 2020. North and South Korea on Thursday marked the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War with largely subdued commemorations amid the coronavirus pandemic, a day after the North abruptly halted a pressure campaign against the South. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

2 Koreas mark war anniversary after pause in rising tensions

Jun. 25, 2020 9:26 AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North and South Korea on Thursday separately marked the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War with largely subdued commemorations amid the coronavirus pandemic, a day after the North abruptly halted a pressure campaign against the South. South Korea issued a joint...

FILE - In this July 4, 2019, file photo, fireworks seen from the Lincoln Memorial explode over the Potomac River in Washington. President Donald Trump is moving ahead with a lower-key “Salute to America

White House announces plans for July 4th celebration

Jun. 19, 2020 7:08 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is moving ahead with a lower-key “Salute to America" celebration this year on July Fourth, despite concerns from some lawmakers about the crowds the event could generate during the coronavirus pandemic. Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for...

In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, Capt. Brett Crozier, then-commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), addresses the crew on Jan. 17, 2020, in San Diego, Calif. In a stunning reversal, the Navy has upheld the firing of Crozier, the aircraft carrier captain who urged faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak, according to a U.S. official. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Alexander Williams/U.S. Navy via AP)

Navy upholds firing of carrier captain in virus outbreak

Jun. 19, 2020 6:59 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The two senior commanders on a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier didn't “do enough, soon enough," to stem the outbreak, the top U.S. Navy officer said Friday, a stunning reversal that upheld the firing of the ship's captain who had pleaded for faster action to protect the crew....

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a video conference of NATO Defense Minister at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, June 17, 2020. NATO Defense Ministers began two days of video talks focused on deterring Russian aggression and a US decision to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany. (Francois Lenoir, Pool Photo via AP)

NATO chief says US to consult allies on future troop plans

Jun. 17, 2020 2:51 PM EDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The United States remains committed to its European allies and has pledged to consult them on any future U.S. troop moves in Europe, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday, after President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement that he plans to pull thousands of...

FILE - In this June 1, 2020 file photo police move demonstrators away from St. John's Church across Lafayette Park from the White House, as they gather to protest the death of George Floyd in Washington. Only a few legacy-defining moments have clung to President Donald Trump. But the forceful clearing of demonstrators from the park across from the White House has resonated like few others, sending Trump’s poll numbers tumbling and prompting top military leaders and usually lockstep Republicans to distance themselves from the president. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Lafayette Square could decide Trump's legacy — and election

Jun. 17, 2020 8:36 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlottesville. Helsinki. The children in cages at the Mexican border. And now Lafayette Square. Only a few legacy-defining moments have clung to President Donald Trump, who often appears to emerge relatively unscathed from a seemingly endless stream of crises and controversies. But the...

FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2016, file photo, Army Secretary Eric Fanning speaks during a groundbreaking for the new U.S. Army Cyber Command Complex at Fort Gordon, Ga. Fanning, who served as Army secretary from 2016 to 2017, says he’s supporting Joe Biden for president, the latest endorsement from a former military leader who had criticized President Donald Trump over his handling of anti-racism demonstrations. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP, FIle)

Former Army secretary backs Biden, citing ‘moral leadership’

Jun. 17, 2020 8:02 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first openly gay Army secretary says he’s supporting Joe Biden for president, the latest endorsement from a former military leader who had criticized President Donald Trump over his handling of anti-racism demonstrations. Eric Fanning, who held a variety of Navy and Air Force...

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 file photo, U.S President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend ceremonies at the Arc de Triumphe in Paris. After more than a year of thinly veiled threats that the United States could start pulling troops out of Germany unless the country increases its defense spending to NATO standards, President Donald Trump appears to be going ahead with the hardball approach with a plan to reduce the American military presence in the country by more than 25 percent. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool, File)

NATO chief plays down concern over US troop plans in Germany

Jun. 16, 2020 12:36 PM EDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday played down concern that the United States will rush to pull thousands of its troops out of Germany, as doubts swirled in Europe about when such a withdrawal might take place. President Donald Trump has said that he is ordering a major...

President Donald Trump applauds as Army helicopters fly over and West Point cadets toss their caps into the air at the end of commencement ceremonies on the parade field, at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., Saturday, June 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's overblown boasts about military, vets

Jun. 15, 2020 12:52 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is exaggerating his accomplishments for the military and veterans. With his relationship with Pentagon leaders under strain, the president bragged to West Point cadets over the weekend that his administration wholly destroyed the Islamic State group. He also...

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