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Lauren Toms

lmeier@washingtontimes.com

Lauren Toms is a national security reporter for The Washington Times, covering national security committees on Capitol Hill, foreign affairs, defense, and diplomacy. She began covering politics at CNN during the 2016 presidential election, working closely with the national security and justice teams, and later joined Axios as an editor specializing in international and military coverage.
Lauren holds a master's degree in U.S. law from Washington University in St. Louis school of law, and a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications from the George Washington University school of media and public affairs. She can be reached at ltoms@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Lauren Toms

In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, reviews armed forces with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, during a graduation ceremony at Iran's Air Defense Academy, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. Khamenei, speaking at the academy, was quoted as saying that U.S. and Western intelligence services "are making chaos" in the region. He urged Iraq and Lebanon to prioritize national security and respect for law while also saying the protesters' demands are "right." (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

U.S., Gulf allies impose new sanctions on Iran-linked businesses

The Trump administration joined six Persian Gulf nations on Wednesday in levying sanctions on over two dozen corporations, banks and entities that are connected to Iran's support of Hezbollah and other organizations the U.S. government designates as terrorists.

October 30, 2019
Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., speaks as U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Joseph Votel appears before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

Senate eyes stripped-down defense policy bill

The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday unveiled plans for a stripped-down, "skinny" version of the annual defense policy bill as lawmakers remain deadlocked on President Trump's border wall and other divisive issues.

October 29, 2019
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is joined at left by Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ** FILE **

House approves Turkey sanctions in Trump rebuke

In a clear rebuke of President Trump's move to pull out U.S. forces from a key buffer zone between Turkey and Syria, the House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan sanctions bill against Ankara in response to its military offensive in northern Syria.

October 29, 2019
U.S. Secretary for Defense Mark Esper speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. NATO defense ministers on Friday discussed efforts to deter Russia in eastern Europe and the future of the mission training security forces in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) **FILE**

Senate Democrats press Pentagon over role in Ukraine aid delay

Leading Senate Democrats are demanding information from Defense Secretary Mark Esper on what the Pentagon knew about the Trump administration's decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine, a decision at the center of President Trump's impeachment fight.

October 29, 2019
In this Feb. 12, 2009, photo, the Pentagon is seen from Air Force One. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) ** FILE **

Pentagon denies White House influence in Amazon loss of cloud contract

The White House did not influence the Pentagon's decision to award Microsoft a prized $10 billion "war cloud" contract over Amazon -- despite President Trump's frequent and public criticism of the web retail giant and its founder Jeff Bezos -- Mr. Trump's pick to be the Defense Department's chief intelligence officer told a congressional hearing Tuesday.

October 29, 2019
This March 27, 2008, file photo, shows the Pentagon near Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Hill concerns mount over defense spending stalemate

The U.S. "will be tested" in the following weeks as a new deadline looms for Congress to strike a compromise on funding the military, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee warned Wednesday.

October 23, 2019
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after their joint news conference following their talks in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Erdogan says Turkey and Russia have reached a deal in which Syrian Kurdish fighters will move 30 kilometers (18 miles) away from a border area in northeast Syria within 150 hours. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool Photo via AP)

Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan agree on Syria patrols

Russia and Turkey on Tuesday struck a deal to jointly patrol a large zone in northeast Syria recently monitored by American forces and to remove Kurdish forces that remain in the region as the U.S.-brokered Turkey cease-fire expired.

October 22, 2019
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, center, is greeted by U.S. military personnel upon arriving in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. Esper arrived Sunday in Afghanistan, where stalled peace talks with the Taliban and persistent violent attacks by the insurgent group and Islamic State militants have complicated the Trump administration’s pledge to withdraw more than 5,000 American troops. He told reporters traveling with him that he believes the U.S. can reduce its force in Afghanistan without hurting the counterterrorism fight against al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Lolita C. Balbor)

Mark Esper says Syria troop withdrawal reversal is possible

The Trump administration signaled Monday it may re-thinking its troop withdrawal strategy in Syria, with the president and military officials now saying a small number of U.S. forces may remain in the country to protect oil supplies and keep them from falling into the hands of the Islamic State terror group.

October 21, 2019
In this June 7, 2017 file photo, Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the global coalition against IS, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq. McGurk has resigned in protest to President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, joining Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in an administration exodus of experienced national security officials. AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Brett McGurk: Syria crisis ‘going to get worse’

President Trump's former special envoy to the fight against Islamic State warned on Monday that the situation in northern Syria is "going to get worse" following the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region and a burgeoning clash between NATO ally Turkey and U.S.-allied Kurds.

October 21, 2019
In this file photo, Ryan McCarthy, at the time nominated to be Secretary of the Army, speaks during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) **FILE**

Ryan McCarthy: Syria withdrawal decision meant to keep U.S. troops safe

The decision to withdraw American troops from a key buffer zone along the border between Turkey and Syria was ultimately made in an effort to ensure the safety of U.S. troops in the region as Turkish forces made advances toward the region, said the newly minted U.S. Army secretary.

October 17, 2019