The following is the Dec. 1, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy in Brief. Read More
Tag Archives: Afghanistan
Essex ARG, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Back From 7 Month Pacific, Middle East Deployment
Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) board a landing craft, utility in the well deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD-27) on March 2, 2022. US Navy Photo
Amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) pulled into San Diego Naval Base, Calif., on Friday morning to wrap up a seven-month deployment that took the three-ship force and embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Force to the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific regions. Read More
CENTCOM Nominee Kurilla: Iran Largest ‘Destabilizing Factor’ in Middle East
Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, gives a speech at the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) change of command on March 5, 2021. US Army Photo
Iran is “the number one destabilizing factor” in the 21-nation region covered by U.S. Central Command, the nominee to head the command testified Tuesday. Read More
CENTCOM: Iran Wants Nuclear Agreement and To Retain Ballistic Missile Capability
Iran’s Khalij Fars single-stage ballistic missile
Iran “wants some type of agreement” over its nuclear program as a way to lift sanctions on the regime, but Tehran views its ballistic missile arsenal “as their crown jewels” not to be bargained away, the senior American commander in the Middle East said Thursday. Read More
One Explosive Device Responsible for Deaths of 13 U.S. Service Members in Kabul Attack, Pentagon Says
A Marine assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) provides over-watch during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 21, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo
One explosive device detonation caused the death of 13 U.S. troops in an attack during the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
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Essex Amphibious Ready Group Leaves 5th Fleet; No U.S. Capital Ship in Middle East
USS Essex (LHD-2), front, transits the Indian Ocean with the guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG-77) on Jan. 9, 2022. US Navy Photo
The three-ship Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit left the Middle East last week after operating in the region since late September, according to USNI News’s Fleet and Marine Tracker. Read More
Afghan Ambassador to U.S. Says Taliban Struggling to Govern a ‘Drastically’ Different Country
Evacuees load on to buses to be processed during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 22, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo
The Taliban is struggling to govern a drastically changed country in Afghanistan, the nation’s ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. Read More
24th MEU, Iwo Jima ARG Arrive Home From Deployment
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) arrives at its homeport of Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Oct. 11, 2021. US Navy Photo
This story has been updated to correct that USS San Antonio (LPD-17) pulled into its homeport on Friday, not Saturday.
The three ships that make up the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group pulled into their respective homeports the last few days, ending a deployment that supported the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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SECNAV Del Toro’s Strategic Guidance to Navy, Marines Corps
The following is Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro’s strategic guidance to the Department of the Navy. Read More
SECNAV: New Navy Strategic Guidance Emphasizes Deterrence in the Pacific
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro discusses his strategic guidelines with Naval Academy midshipmen during a Forrestal Lecture on Oct. 5. USNI News Photo
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy’s approach to China is to deter, not to fight a war, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told Naval Academy midshipmen on Tuesday night. Read More
