Kristina Wong

Army sets up response team in East Africa months after Benghazi attack

The Army now has a rapid response force in East Africa in case of another terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, the Army' deputy director of strategy, plans and policy said Thursday.

May 30, 2013

Marines ready to roll, with nowhere to go: Still plan missions — but for Afghan, not U.S., forces

As U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan, "hurry up and wait" — which many enlisted personnel have long referred to jokingly as their standing order — applies now more than ever, illustrated by a recent operation briefing at this Marine base.

May 29, 2013

Coalition troops are ready to ‘rough it’ while closing Afghan bases

Troops stationed at bases in Afghanistan enjoy some of the comforts of home: living quarters, bathroom facilities, cooked meals, even laundry and mail services.

May 26, 2013

Explosion, gunfire near hospital rocks Kabul in second recent attack

A loud explosion, followed up by heavy gunfire, was heard in the capital city of Kabul near government buildings on Friday afternoon around 4 p.m local time.

May 24, 2013

Flying with the Afghan Air Force

It will take nearly five years for the Afghan Air Force to become fully capable of flying all types of missions, but some of its pilots are testing out the skies today.

May 17, 2013

Car bomb kills 15, including 6 Americans, in Afghanistan

A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing 15 and wounding several dozen more.

May 16, 2013

Afghan Air Force graduates first female pilot in 30 years

The Afghan Air Force's first female pilot to be trained inside Afghanistan in more than 30 years earned her flying wings on Tuesday, after graduating from Undergraduate Pilot Training.

May 14, 2013

Blast from the past: Soviet scraps abound in Afghan ‘boneyard’

At this airfield in western Afghanistan's Herat province, there is a stark reminder of the Soviets' occupation during the 1980s — the Shindand boneyard.

May 14, 2013

Medics train Afghans to treat their own in war zone

Amid the unrelenting sun and ubiquitous sand of Helmand province, U.S. and Afghan forces last week unpacked bandages, scalpels and operating tables — the makings of the region's first mobile surgical unit for Afghan medics to treat their wounded soldiers.

May 12, 2013

U.S. troops serving overseas salute mom on Mother’s Day

Troops serving in Afghanistan go for months without the comforts of home and seeing loved ones regularly -- something that can be felt more deeply on Mother's Day.

May 11, 2013

In the air today: Afghan air force developing its capabilities

In southwestern Afghanistan, this reporter for The Washington Times recently hitched a ride on a helicopter manned by Afghans, including the pilot and two door gunners, as well as U.S. military personnel.

May 9, 2013

Turkeys rule the roost at Marine camp in Afghanistan

There's a bunch of turkeys at Camp Leatherneck — and they're not Marines.

May 8, 2013

U.S.: Afghan troops ready to defend country

Afghan troops are now mostly in the lead in Afghanistan and are ready to defend the country in their first fighting season against the Taliban, U.S. commanders said Thursday at a ceremony in Kabul on Thursday.

May 2, 2013

U.S. reluctance to arm Syrian rebels may embolden Assad

The U.S. reluctance to become deeply involved in Syria has likely emboldened dictator Bashar Assad to use chemical weapons in his country's 2-year-old civil war, analysts say.

April 25, 2013

General: NATO drones, airmen to remain in Afghanistan long after 2014

U.S. and British drones will maintain operations over Afghanistan long after most international ground troops have left the country after 2014, NATO's most senior air officer in country said Tuesday.

April 23, 2013

Turbulent Mali braces for elections

Mali will need all the international support it can get to successfully conduct elections in July, the country's first since an international military intervention helped the West African nation beat back a takeover by Islamic extremists in the North, a Mali official said Monday.

April 22, 2013

Sanctions having effect, but Tehran policy unchanged

International sanctions are squeezing Iran's economy but are doing little to dissuade the regime's nuclear ambitions, the top U.S. intelligence officer told Congress on Thursday.

April 18, 2013

General: Afghan troops’ training shifts to ‘special skills’

U.S. and international forces in Southwest Afghanistan are shifting their training of Afghan troops from general combat know-how to specialized skills, a Marine general who recently led troops in the region said Wednesday.

April 17, 2013

Dempsey: Generals, flag officers face cuts in budget trimming

The Pentagon is reconsidering a reduction in the number of its generals and flag officers as its active duty ranks decrease by 100,000 troops over the next five years, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.

April 16, 2013

Hagel: Pentagon to decide on civilian furloughs by next month

The Pentagon will decide in the next two or three weeks whether it will require its 800,000 civilian workers to take unpaid leave this year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress on Tuesday.

April 16, 2013