Overnight Defense: Trump weighs leaving some troops in Syria to 'secure...
Happy Monday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I'm Rebecca Kheel, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the...
View ArticleVeterans group backs lawsuits to halt Trump's use of military funding...
A prominent veterans association on Monday evening backed a pair of lawsuits against President Trump’s move to divert millions of dollars in military funding to his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico...
View ArticleDefense secretary says he was on the call with Trump, Erdoğan
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday said he was a part of the phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in which Erdoğan informed Trump that he would be...
View ArticlePentagon chief recusing himself from $10B 'war cloud' contract
Defense Secretary Mark Esper will recuse himself from the Pentagon’s $10 billion "war cloud" contract competition due to his son’s employment with one of the companies that sought the deal, the Defense...
View ArticleTrump's Syria envoy says he wasn't consulted on troop withdrawal
The Trump administration’s special envoy for Syria and the anti-ISIS coalition said Tuesday he was not consulted on President Trump’s decision this month to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.Testifying...
View ArticleSenate votes for North Macedonia to join NATO
The Senate on Tuesday voted in support of North Macedonia joining NATO, paving the way for the Balkan country to become part of the alliance.Lawmakers voted 91-2 to make North Macedonia NATO’s 30th...
View ArticleHouse calls on Russia to release Paul Whelan or else provide evidence of...
The House on Tuesday passed a resolution by voice vote calling on the Russian government to provide evidence of wrongdoing or else release former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. Whelan was arrested in...
View ArticleSenate Democrats to hold caucus meeting Wednesday with ex-ISIS envoy
Senate Democrats will hold a special caucus meeting on Wednesday with President Trump's former ISIS envoy as lawmakers weigh how to respond to the administration's Syria strategy. "Democrats are set...
View ArticlePence on Syria: 'Our troops are coming home'
Vice President Pence said Tuesday that President Trump is following through on his promise to bring U.S. troops home from Syria and talked up the prospect of a permanent ceasefire in the region.Pence...
View ArticleOvernight Defense: Trump's Syria envoy wasn't consulted on...
Happy Tuesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I'm Ellen Mitchell, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the ...
View ArticleDefense official arrives for testimony in Trump impeachment inquiry
A top Pentagon official arrived at the Capitol Wednesday to provide closed-door testimony related to President Trump's contacts with the Ukraine, the latest witness deposition as Democrats charge...
View ArticleMissing West Point cadet found dead on academy grounds
A 20-year-old West Point cadet who had been missing since Friday was found dead Tuesday night at the military academy in New York, the school announced in a Wednesday statement.Cadet Kade Kurita, from...
View ArticleIraqi defense minister: US troops leaving in four weeks
Iraq's prime minister and defense minister on Wednesday reaffirmed the country's stance that U.S. troops relocating from Syria's northeastern border into the Kurdish region of Iraq are not welcome...
View ArticleMattis said he'd 'rather swallow acid' than watch Trump's...
A new book written by a former top aide to ex-Defense Secretary James Mattis reportedly claims that the retired general said privately he'd "rather swallow acid” than watch the massive Fourth of July...
View ArticlePentagon official starts impeachment testimony after GOP protest causes...
Five hours after it was scheduled to begin, a top Pentagon official provided testimony in the Capitol, where dozens of House Republicans had blocked her Wednesday morning deposition to protest the...
View ArticleCheney says Congress needs to place sanctions on Turkey despite Trump...
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and other defense hawks are pushing back on President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Turkey following the announcement that a deal had been reached Wednesday for a...
View ArticleOvernight Defense: Trump lifts sanctions on Turkey | Trump says 'small...
Happy Wednesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I'm Rebecca Kheel, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the...
View ArticleGraham implores Trump on Syria: 'Listen to your commanders'
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday urged President Trump to "listen to your commanders" rather than "policy shop civilians" on the conflict in Syria. Graham, who had been one of the more vocal...
View ArticleMattis's office blasts ex-aide over tell-all book
Ex-Defense Secretary James Mattis’s office criticized a former top aide for the planned publication of a memoir that reportedly quotes Mattis as saying he would “rather swallow acid” than watch the...
View ArticlePelosi, Democrats send message on foreign policy with high-profile trip
House Democrats are sending an implicit message that President Trump and his administration aren’t the only ones setting U.S. foreign policy.Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her party are seeking to...
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