The U.S. military is warning about what analysts have described as a major expansion of China‘s nuclear missile silo fields at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Washington. Researchers at the Federation of American Scientists estimate that China has approximately 250 underground missile silos under construction after they used satellite imagery to identify … Read more
July 29, 2021 — It has been 2 days since the CDC reversed itself and said people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus should wear masks again when indoors, and businesses and government entities are already following suit. On July 27, the agency called for masks in K-12 school settings and in areas … Read more
The Pentagon‘s watchdog said on Tuesday it would evaluate the safety protocols surrounding the president’s “nuclear football” – containing codes needed for a strike – after one such briefcase nearly came within range of rioters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6. In a brief notice, the Inspector General’s office said it would evaluate the extent … Read more
The United States conducted a drone strike against al-Shabab militants in Somalia on Tuesday, the first such military action against the al-Qaida affiliate in East Africa since the Biden administration took office in January. The strike was carried out by military aircraft against al-Shabab fighters who were attacking members of the Danab, an elite American-trained … Read more
As the Defense Department prepares to solicit bids for cloud-computing work that could yield billions of dollars for Amazon, members of Congress are raising new questions about the company’s efforts to win a $10 billion contract during the Trump administration. Previously unreleased emails show that Pentagon officials in 2017 and 2018 lavished praise on several … Read more
The U.S. military will remain involved in the Afghanistan war into September, keeping the option of launching airstrikes against the Taliban to defend Afghan forces, U.S. officials said Thursday, even as the final combat troops prepare to leave the country in coming days. For weeks, officials have said the withdrawal of the main U.S. military … Read more
Taliban fighters took control of a key district in Afghanistan‘s northern Kunduz province Monday and encircled the provincial capital, police said, as the insurgent group added to its recent battlefield victories while peace talks have stalemated. The Taliban’s gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal was still on pace to conclude by … Read more
The Joe Biden administration will seek $11 billion to buy 85 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 jets in the coming fiscal year, tracking a plan outlined last year by the Trump administration, according to a U.S. official. With a $715 billion budget request for fiscal year 2022, the Pentagon had considered increasing the quantity of next-generation … Read more
The top American commander in the Middle East said Tuesday that it would be “extremely difficult” for the United States to watch and counter terrorist threats in Afghanistan such as al-Qaida after U.S. troops leave the country by Sept. 11. The head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., offered the first extensive … Read more
More than 100,000 Russian troops have massed on Ukraine‘s border and in annexed Crimea, the office of the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister. In a press conference on Monday, Borrell had originally spoken of more than 150,000 troops, and declined to give a source … Read more