US military kills senior Islamic State official in Somalia

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. special operations forces have killed a senior Islamic State group official and 10 other terrorist operatives in remote northern Somalia, the Biden administration announced Thursday. The operation carried out on Wednesday targeted Bilal al-Sudani, a key...

$2.5 billion aid sends Strykers, but no tanks, to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send 90 Stryker combat vehicles and an additional 59 Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in addition to hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, the Pentagon announced on Thursday. It is the latest aid package timed to help Ukraine push back against...

Coast Guard monitoring Russian spy ship on patrol off Hawaii

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian spy ship has been patrolling off the coast of Hawaii but so far has remained in international waters, the Pentagon said Thursday. While the appearance of a Russian surveillance ship along the U.S. coastline is not unusual, this one has attracted more...

Expanded US training for Ukraine forces begins in Germany

BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.S. military's new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces began in Germany on Sunday, with a goal of getting a battalion of about 500 troops back on the battlefield to fight the Russians in the next five to eight weeks, said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint...

UM leads research into hybrid super reefs to defend coasts

MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. military has an idea to save its seaside bases from some of their most relentless foes: flooding, erosion and storm surge. The Defense Department spends billions of dollars to repair hurricane- and flood-related damage to its bases; in 2018, a particularly...

Remains of Ohio fighter pilot shot down in WWII identified

LIMA, Ohio (AP) — Authorities have positively identified the remains of an Army Air Forces pilot from Ohio who died when his plane was shot down over Germany during World War II, the Defense Department announced Thursday. On May 29, 1944, 1st Lt. Carl Nesbitt was the pilot of a...

Late Pentagon chief Ash Carter honored as 'force of nature'

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden honored the late Ash Carter, the former defense secretary who opened the way for women to fight in combat and for transgender personnel to serve, as a “force of nature” at a memorial service on Thursday at Washington National Cathedral. ...

Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, 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. Austin’s memo has been widely...

Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccination mandate but gives commanders some discretion in deployment of unvaccinated troops

Ukrainian troops to train on Patriot system in Oklahoma

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 100 Ukrainian troops will head to Oklahoma's Fort Sill as soon as next week to begin training on the Patriot missile defense system, getting Kyiv closer to obtaining the long-sought protection against Russia's missile attacks. Ukraine for months requested...