Russian ship Moscow in 2009.
Several Russian warships are bound for the Eastern Mediterranean for high-end exercises, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence. Read More
Undated photo of ISIS fighters.
The extreme radical beliefs and brutal actions that caused al Qaeda in Iraq to fail earlier remain the heart of the success of today’s Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL), all because the political context of a decade ago and today have changed, a leading scholar on Islamic terrorism said Monday. Read More
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia (left) are greeted by Falah Mustafa Bakir (center), Minister of Foreign Relations for the Kurdistan Regional Government in a recent trip to the Middle East. Photo courtesy Rep. Gabbard’s office.
“The devil is in the details” in deciding whether the current deal with Iran to bar it from building or acquiring nuclear weapons is acceptable, a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees said Wednesday. Read More
Marine patrols through southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, Sept. 3, 2014. US Marine Corps Photo
Arab countries may look to develop their own nuclear capabilities regardless of the United States’ ability to reach an agreement with Iran, panelists agreed at the discussion of a new Atlantic Council report on changing the American approach to Middle East security. Read More
Undated photo of ISIS fighters.
Since the fall of Mosul—Iraq’s second largest city—a year ago, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) has proven to be a “stronger, tougher and smarter” adversary than the United States expected, displaying the ability to recover quickly even after suffering the deaths of key leaders and sustaining heavy casualties. Read More
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sunliners of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81 launches from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during an air-power demonstration on May 31, 2015. US Navy photo.
The Carl Vinson Strike Group will return to the San Diego area today and tomorrow after a nearly 10-month deployment to U.S. 5th Fleet and 7th Fleet that included six months of strikes against the Islamic State. Read More
“Justice Brigade” run through an olive grove to avoid Syrian Army snipers as they travel between villages on foot in the northwestern Jabal al-Zawiya area. Freedom House Photo via The Atlantic Council
Supporting the Nationalist Opposition to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria is critical to countering the Islamic extremist threat undermining the stability of the region, the author of a new report from the Atlantic Council said Tuesday. Read More
MQ-9 Reaper UAV. US Air Force Photo
“The shortage of ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) is not limited to Africa,” the senior Pentagon official for special operations and low-intensity conflict told a Senate subcommittee Tuesday. “The number of orbits is decreasing” in monitoring terrorist activities in all combatant commands. Read More
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) operate in the Arabian Sea on April 21, 2015. US Navy Photo
PENTAGON — The build up of U.S. naval presence in the vicinity of Yemen is the result of the deteriorating security situation inside the country and to “preserve options” to maintain maritime security in the region, Department of Defense officials told reporters this morning. Read More
Helicopters fly from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on April 13, 2015. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include additional information from Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
Nine U.S. warships have moved closer to Yemen — including the bulk of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (CSG) — pulling U.S. forces away from the ongoing airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) militants, U.S. Navy officials told USNI News on Monday. Read More
