President Trump has a pool of roughly $21 billion in military construction funds he can use to build the border wall by emergency declaration, congressional aides said Thursday -- though much of that is already destined for other projects that would have to be put on hold. Published February 14, 2019
The U.S. will not unilaterally pull its forces from Afghanistan and any drawdown will be done in close consultation with NATO allies, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday in comments that raise questions about the Trump administration's strategy to exit a war zone in which it's operated for 17 years. Published February 14, 2019
With an Afghanistan peace deal seemingly within reach, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made a surprise trip to the country Monday to visit U.S. troops and meet with top government officials in Kabul, his first trip abroad since taking over the Pentagon's top job last month. Published February 11, 2019
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan took a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Monday, his first-ever visit to the country where U.S. troops have been stationed for 17 years. Published February 11, 2019
A sweeping 40-page report by the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies challenges the notion that the Islamist terror group, also known as ISIS, expanded by attracting disenfranchised foreign young men with few skills who lack legitimate opportunities in society. Published February 7, 2019
China's status as a rising global power has rendered Cold War-era missile pacts between Washington and Moscow obsolete, and President Trump this week signaled the only way such agreements can be preserved is if Beijing also is willing to limit its burgeoning military capabilities as well. Published February 6, 2019
President Trump on Tuesday night stood firmly by his decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria, telling the American people that he vowed to be a different kind of commander in chief and is following through on that promise. Published February 5, 2019
President Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam, the president announced Tuesday night. Published February 5, 2019
President Trump's statement Sunday that he plans to keep U.S. troops stationed in Iraq indefinitely sparked an uproar in Baghdad on Monday, complicating an already tense relationship and potentially throwing a wrench into U.S. plans to contain Iran and monitor neighboring Syria. Published February 4, 2019
From Iraq to Lebanon to Somalia, U.S. military withdrawals over the past 40 years have often been temporary as American troops are routinely pulled back into the fight. Published February 3, 2019
Saying they remain committed to the Iran nuclear deal despite the U.S. exit last year, the United Kingdom, France and Germany late Thursday announced plans to launch a new joint system allowing them to trade with Tehran. Published February 1, 2019
A fresh wave of protests swept Venezuela Wednesday as U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido ramped up a pressure campaign to oust embattled President Nicolas Maduro, who remained defiant in the face of rising economic pressure and international calls for a new election. Published January 30, 2019
Top Pentagon officials said this week that they are aiming to make President Trump's Space Force service "as small as possible" and are resisting the White House's proposal to establish a fully independent sixth branch of the armed forces. Published January 30, 2019
Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro alleged Wednesday that the U.S. wants him dead and that the Trump administration is working with the Colombian mafia to see that he's assassinated. Published January 30, 2019
Thousands of miles away from the political crises in Washington and the chaos in Venezuela, the Trump administration is making quiet, unexpected progress toward a tentative peace deal in Afghanistan, with top U.S. officials saying they are closer than ever to a comprehensive agreement with the Taliban in the 18-year conflict. Published January 27, 2019
The Trump administration has insisted that "all options are on the table" in dealing with unrest and instability in Venezuela, but one prominent lawmaker said Sunday that no one in Washington is seriously considering the idea of using military force to top the embattled regime in Caracas. Published January 27, 2019
President Trump's hard-charging, blunt approach to dealing with NATO has paid dividends and led nations to ramp up their defense spending, the organization's leader said Sunday, crediting the president with spurring major changes that have strengthened the alliance. Published January 27, 2019
The U.S. has made real progress in peace talks with the Taliban and the two sides are having "more productive" discussions than at any time before, America's envoy to Afghanistan said over the weekend. Published January 27, 2019
Venezuela's military leaders came down squarely Thursday on the side of embattled President Nicolas Maduro, giving a boost to the socialist leader in the fight to save his job and setting the stage for a long, potentially violent standoff that carries deep geopolitical implications from Caracas to Washington. Published January 24, 2019
Top Russian officials on Thursday warned the Trump administration not to intervene militarily in Venezuela and said the coordinated effort to push socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power in Caracas underscores the hypocrisy of the West. Published January 24, 2019
