Pentagon sees Taliban deal as allowing fuller focus on China
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s peace deal with the Taliban opens the door for an initial American troop wi...
Congress warns Pentagon not to move money to fund Trump wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers from both parties told Pentagon leaders on Wednesday that the Defense Department is undermin...
US and SKorea may cut back military moves due to coronavirus
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and South Korea are considering curtailing joint military exercises due to concerns ...
New Army training team heads to Africa
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army, for the first time, will send soldiers from one of its new training brigades to Africa in th...
Esper says Taliban deal is promising but not without risk
MUNICH — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withd...
US defense chief slams China as rising threat to world order
MUNICH, Germany — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order — saying the world's most populous nation...
Esper defends shifting defense funds for Trump’s border wall
MUNICH, Germany — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday defended his decision to divert billions of dollars in funding for Navy and Air Force ai...
While US worries about China, Europe stays focused on Russia
BRUSSELS — China and its increasingly sophisticated and far-flung military sit atop U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's list of international security...
Stormy US-Europe relations as top officials head to Munich
WASHINGTON — Some of President Donald Trump’s top foreign policy priorities stand at pivotal moments as two high-level national security officials hea...
Philippines notifies US of intent to end major security pact
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines notified the United States on Tuesday it would end a major security pact allowing American forces to train in th...
US to seek more help from NATO to counter Islamic State
BRUSSELS, Belgium — US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday he is looking to NATO allies for more help countering the Islamic State extremist gro...
US military chief in Africa argues for vital US presence
DAKAR, Senegal — The head of U.S. military forces in Africa argued Thursday against troop cuts on the vast and booming continent, saying strategic par...
Pentagon seeking Iraqi permission to deploy missile defenses
WASHINGTON — The United States has asked Iraq for permission to put Patriot missile systems at bases hosting U.S. troops to improve defenses against a...
Pentagon adding to restrictions on foreign military students
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is imposing new restrictions and controls on all international military students at American bases, including barring them f...
US points to dissent in Iran in wake of deadly drone strike
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other administration officials joined President Donald Trump in trying to draw attention to dissent in I...
Pentagon rejects Trump threat to hit Iranian cultural sites
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday distanced itself from President Donald Trump’s assertions that he would bomb Iranian cultural sites despite intern...
Attack on US Embassy exposes widening US-Iraq divide on Iran
WASHINGTON — The New Year's Eve attack on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad has exposed a deepening divide between the United States and Iraq over ...
Trump deploys more troops to Mideast after US embassy attack
WASHINGTON — Charging that Iran was “fully responsible” for an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, President Donald Trump ordered about 750 U.S. soldi...
Attack on US Embassy in Iraq shows stark choices for Trump
WASHINGTON — The attack on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iran-supported militiamen Tuesday is a stark demonstration that Iran can still stri...
US strikes hit Iraqi militia blamed in contractor’s death
WASHINGTON — The U.S. carried out military strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia blamed for a rocket attack that killed ...
WWII allies, Germany mark 75 yrs since Battle of the Bulge
BASTOGNE, Belgium — Side by side, the Allies and former enemy Germany together marked the 75th anniversary of one of the most important battles in Wor...
At Army-Navy game, Trump touts new pro sports option
PHILADELPHIA — President Donald Trump used his appearance at the annual Army-Navy football game to pitch to the players an administration policy chang...
Pentagon chief plans to shift US focus to China and Russia
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday he still plans to shift the American military’s focus to competing with China and Rus...
Fired Navy Secretary Spencer criticizes Trump in SEAL case
WASHINGTON — Richard Spencer, who was fired as Navy secretary for his handling of a SEAL war crimes case championed by President Donald Trump, wrote t...
Esper says Trump ordered him to stop SEAL review board
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper declared on Monday that President Donald Trump ordered him to stop a disciplinary review of a Navy SEAL accu...
The Latest: Trump: I am backing ‘war fighters’ in SEAL case
WASHINGTON — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the case of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher (all times local):
Amazon sues Pentagon over $10B contract awarded to Microsoft
WASHINGTON — Amazon is suing the Pentagon over a $10 billion cloud-computing contract awarded to Microsoft.
Korean peninsula troubles pose US security challenge
HANOI, Vietnam — Defense Secretary Mark Esper is returning from Asia with the U.S. still facing a trio of troubles on the Korean peninsula that pose r...
Kim Jong Un supervises another N. Korean military drill
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a parachuting drill of military sharpshooters and vowed to build an “invincible army,”...
Esper defends as fair Pentagon contract disputed by Amazon
SEOUL, South Korea — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday he was certain that the awarding of a $10 billion cloud-computing contract to Micro...