Latest U.S. Department of Defense News
US Pentagon chief speaks with Chinese counterpart for first time since November 2022
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with China's national defense minister Tuesday morning, in the latest in a series of U.S. steps to improve communications with the Chinese military and reduce unsafe and aggressive incidents in the Indo-Pacific. It was the...
US defense official had 'Havana syndrome' symptoms during a 2023 NATO summit, the Pentagon confirms
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Defense Department official who attended last year's NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, had symptoms similar to those reported by U.S. officials who have experienced “Havana syndrome," the Pentagon confirmed Monday. Havana syndrome is still under...
Controversial military reproductive health care travel policy was used just 12 times in 7 months
WASHINGTON (AP) — A controversial military policy that allows service members to be reimbursed for travel if they or a family member have to go out of state for reproductive health care — including abortions — was used just 12 times from June to December last year, the Pentagon said Tuesday. ...
Pentagon urges Israel to protect civilians in Gaza as military chiefs meet at time of high tensions
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. defense leaders pressed their Israeli counterparts Tuesday to ensure that any military operation in the southern city of Rafah unfold in phases to protect civilians and secure the delivery of aid, a senior Pentagon official said. Israel’s defense minister...
Finding money: How the Pentagon dug down and found $300M for Ukraine but is still deep in the red
WASHINGTON (AP) — Even with a budget of more than $800 billion and the ability to buy millions of weapons and pieces of equipment every year, the Pentagon sometimes can find a few dollars in the couch cushions. Or, make that $300 million. For the second time in nine months, Defense...
US says it has not received a formal request by Niger junta to leave military bases
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Pentagon official told Congress on Thursday that the U.S. has not received a formal request from Niger's junta to depart the country, saying it has received mixed signals on whether the hundreds of U.S. troops there are no longer welcome. Celeste Wallander,...
US defense chief vows continued aid to Ukraine, even as Congress is stalled on funding bill
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine's war effort against Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains stalled over funding to send additional weapons to the front. “The United States will not...
US weighing options in Africa after Niger junta orders departure from key counterterrorism base
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is working with Niger officials, seeking a way for U.S. troops to stay in the country — a key base for counterterrorism operations in sub-Saharan Africa — following a weekend directive that they leave. Last week a high level-delegation of U.S....
US military chief tours arms plants with GOP lawmakers to show that Ukraine aid boosts jobs at home
CAMDEN, Ark. (AP) — As they stood before massive rocket launchers built in part by their Arkansas constituents, Republican lawmakers were getting an unambiguous message Thursday from America’s top military officer: A Ukraine aid package that’s stalled in Congress will not only help in the...
US Army boats head out on a mission to build a floating pier off Gaza's shore for food deliveries
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four U.S. Army boats, loaded with tons of equipment and steel pier segments, left Virginia on Tuesday, heading to Gaza as part of the U.S. effort to expand the delivery of food and other supplies to starving Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas drags on. The...
