The package marks the first time the U.S. has used new authority from Congress to transfer military equipment directly from Pentagon inventory to Taiwan. The transfer is done under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, the same mechanism Washington uses to send weapons to Ukraine. The U.S. did not release the contents of the package publicly due … Read more
The issue of UFOs and potential extraterrestrial visits to Earth have attracted global interest in the last few years, after news reports in 2017 revealed a shadowy Pentagon office set up more than a decade ago to investigate incidents. Although U.S. officials have pushed back against speculation that the mysterious objects involve aliens, lawmakers on … Read more
“Putin has a pretty clear track record of at least operating within his own country with impunity,” a U.S. official familiar with Russia policy said. “I don’t get the sense there’s any mechanism under which he’ll be held accountable … Just because people hate you doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to be out of power.” … Read more
In the brief letter, Shaw said she decided to review the situation following a letter from the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that raised a host of questions about the State Department and called on her to act. “OIG considers several factors when determining whether to initiate work, including statutory requirements, available resources, … Read more
Austin brought both arguments to President Joe Biden’s desk and asked the commander in chief to settle the debate. Biden on Monday determined that the command should stay in Colorado, infuriating Alabama lawmakers and touching off a round of accusations that the current president was only seeking to punish the former one. This story is … Read more
The decision to pull U.S. diplomats out of the West African country, which POLITICO first reported was in the works, is a difficult one politically for President Joe Biden. Niger, which only recently transitioned to democracy, is a key U.S. partner in the battle against terrorism, and the U.S. military has a presence in the … Read more
This unit helped rescue the stepfather of Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the waning days of the war. Freeman made a stop at the Pentagon to promote an upcoming documentary he executive produced on the battalion, set to be released this month. It includes interviews Freeman conducted with Austin and one of the last … Read more
The USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, 2023. | Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP Photo The Department of Justice announced Thursday that two U.S. Navy sailors in California have been arrested on espionage charges after allegedly spying on behalf of China. … Read more
“The failure to confirm our superbly qualified senior uniformed leaders undermines our military readiness,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the changeover ceremony at an Army installation just outside Washington on an uncharacteristically cool and rainy morning. “It undermines our retention of some of our very best officers. And it is upending the lives of … Read more
He was referring to the promotions blockade put into place by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, which has already jammed up the transfer of responsibility for two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with more problems to come. The promotions standoff is also affecting the military command structure in the Middle East, just as tensions … Read more
