A 9/11 ceremony at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sept. 9, 2021. US Army Photo
Seven injured U.S. Marines remain at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., following the attack last month in Afghanistan that killed 13 service members, according to the Marine Corps. Read More
Moon over U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2016. NASA Photo
The Biden administration is calling on Congress to pass a stopgap spending measure for the upcoming fiscal year as lawmakers continue the appropriations process. Read More
Gunner’s Mate Kyle Mendenhall shows the Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) system aboard USS Kansas City (LCS-22) on Aug. 16, 2021. USNI News Photo
ABOARD THE LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP USS KANSAS CITY, OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA – With the use of drones becoming more prevalent, the Navy has found a way to ensure all of its surface ships can repel unmanned aerial vehicles. Read More
U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Service Committee, is briefed on the capabilities of the F-35A Lightning II during his visit at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Oct. 10, 2019. The congressman learned about several aspects of the 56th Fighter Wing F-35 pilot training and how the wing works to enhance lethality and readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jensen Stidham)
Questioning the $12 billion price tag of new aircraft carriers, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said “presence still matters” in reassuring allies in the Persian Gulf and the South China Sea so they have a role in future strategy. Read More
Vice President Kamala Harris visits the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16), Aug. 23, 2021. US Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR – The United States will stand with its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region against any threats to the rules-based order, Vice President Kamala Harris said during a swing through the region this week. Read More
Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) search luggage during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 18, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo
Troops from NATO member states, including the U.S., U.K. and France, are all working in Kabul to remove citizens and Afghans eligible for resettlement out of the country. But there isn’t a coordinated effort between the allies to communicate with the Taliban or ensure people get to the Hamid Karzai International Airport safely, Pentagon officials acknowledged on Thursday. Read More
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks with reporters on Afghanistan, at the Pentagon on Aug. 18, 2021. DoD Photo
This post has been updated with a statement from President Joe Biden.
The U.S. doesn’t have enough troops in Kabul to secure safe passage for tens of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies seeking to leave the country, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a press conference on Wednesday. Read More
The following is an Aug. 18, 2021 letter from Gen. David Berger and Sgt. Maj. Troy Black to Marines on the current situation in Afghanistan. Read More
A Vietnamese woman, carrying her son, is given a numbered tag as she arrives onboard USS Hancock (CV-19) on April 29, 1975. US Marine Corps Photo
The Pentagon acknowledged on Monday the evacuation of Americans and other U.S. diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan and Afghan emigrants is a “non-combatant evacuation operation,” a mission for U.S. forces to safeguard the exit of civilians and other non-combatants from a country. Read More
Afghanistan civililans attempt on the airfield as a C-17 attempts to take off from the Kabul airport.
This post has been updated with additional comments from President Biden and Pentagon officials.
The mass exodus of U.S. citizens and American allies from Afghanistan is now a military-assisted non-combatant evacuation operation as the security situation in the capital of Kabul has continued to devolve, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday. Read More
