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The White House is giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to determine the number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, in another move by President Trump to shift greater power to his military leaders. The decision will give Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to send more forces into Syria, to assist U.S.-backed local troops as they move to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State group, which has used the city as a de facto capital. It will also let him adjust the force numbers in Iraq, in the ongoing fight to oust ISIS from Mosul and stabilize it as...

U.S. Special Operations Command launched a raid in Yemen’s Baida Province on Jan 29, targeting Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The first high-profile special forces operation of Trump’s presidency, the raid resulted in the deaths of at least 14 Al Qaeda fighters, 20 civilians and Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens. Three other Americans were reportedly wounded and an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft was destroyed by U.S. forces after it was heavily damaged in a forced landing. Over the past few days, it has emerged that al-Rimi survived the raid and he has subsequently released an audio...

A Russian official has criticized Washington's lack of authorization from Syria to deploy troops. The UN warned Damascus and Moscow of increased violence against civilians after a hospital was bombed, leaving 30 dead. Moscow sees the deployment of an additional 250 US military personnel in Syria as an affront to Damascus' territorial sovereignty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia's state-owned TASS news agency on Friday. "If we are talking from the position of the foreign minister, we - of course - cannot not be concerned over the fact that the US carries out such actions without coordination with...

The Ministry of Defence admits it is reviewing military physical fitness standards in preparation for the expected announcement later this year that women will be allowed to serve in all front-line combat units, including the infantry and SAS. The MoD denies that standards will be reduced, but of course that is precisely what is going to happen. Generals – having put up a fight for many years – have been told women will join front-line units and, like the good soldiers they are, intend to make it work. The people who have demanded this change – politicians desperate to be...

President Obama’s nominee to head U.S. Central Command recently penned a memo to Defense Secretary Ash Carter demanding that the Pentagon stop discussing the operations of elite American troops. Foreign Policy, which obtained an excerpt of the memo, reported that Gen. Joseph Votel, currently the chief of U.S. Special Operations Command, wrote the December 8 memo to express concern about the Obama administration’s exposure of special operations forces’ activities. “I am concerned with increased public exposure of SOF activities and operations, and I assess that it is time to get our forces back into the shadows,” Votel wrote to Carter....

Military Sources, "About 50 N. Korean Submarines Left Their Bases...Can't be Located" 2015.08.23 15:23 /begin my translation Dozens of N. Korean submarines left their bases at both Eastern and Western coast, and can't be located. Military are increasing their surveillance capability to track them, it is confirmed. That accounts for 70% of (N. Korea's) submarine fleet, which totals 70 ships. This is the largest rate of deployment since the Korean War. Military sources said, "This is 10 times more than their normal deployment level. Dozens of them left their bases at both coasts, and we are unable to track them."...

SOCHACZEW, Poland (AP) — U.S. air defense troops are training rapid deployment of Patriot missile launchers in Poland amid concerns that the conflict between Russia-backed rebels and government forces in Ukraine is threatening the security in the region. On Saturday, at a test range in Sochaczew near Warsaw, two U.S. soldiers demonstrated for reporters the procedure of emplacement of a Patriot launching station of 16 missiles, as part of their week-long exercise.

<p>FORT STEWART, Georgia — The U.S. Army is sending more than 3,000 Fort Stewart soldiers to Europe to help assure American allies in the region and deter Russian aggression in Ukraine.</p> <p>Officials at the southeast Georgia Army post said Tuesday that soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division will deploy next month.</p>

Garcia has her hands full. But when a soldier friend needed someone to give a temporary home to her German shepherd, Garcia didn't hesitate to help. "Taking on a German shepherd, I was like, 'Oh, this is going to be interesting,'" Garcia said. In the weeks since she assumed temporary care of Kaiser, the 7-year-old German shepherd has become like part of the family for Garcia. As soon as her friend gets settled at her new assignment in Florida, however, Garcia will turn the dog back over to his owner. In a military community like Fayetteville, the issue of what...

President Barack Obama told Congress on Monday the United States was deploying up to 275 military personnel to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the country's embassy in Baghdad after militants seized control of the north of the country.

FORT HUACHUCA — It was zero-dark-thirty — a military term to express something really early, a time when even the sun is slumbering. But the Murr Community Center was full of soldiers and family members, although some of them were taking cat naps, stretched out on the floor or with heads on tables. Others, especially children, were flashes of energy at 3:45 a.m., belying the truth it was still bed time. Sunday was the day the second contingent of 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion soldiers were deploying — the first group left Thursday — this time eventually to Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain,...

FORT HUACHUCA — Again it was a farewell ceremony for deploying Signal Corps soldiers, a representative group of Americans of different races, faiths and marital status, including at least one same-sex couple. A company-sized group — about 100 — were at the post’s Murr Community Center Thursday morning, some with family members, some without. The 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. David Thomas, told them the battalion and its Company A, have trained for deployment and are ready to go. “You guys are really ready to deploy,” Thomas said, using the word “guys” for all the soldiers — men...

The top U.S. military officer told American troops in Jordan on Thursday that their mission to help the kingdom contain the fallout from Syria's war would likely last years, as the United States bolsters support for the key regional ally. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a group of mostly U.S. planners who have arrived over the past several months as America expands assistance that now includes stationing F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missiles there. The U.S. military has roughly 1,000 troops stationed in Jordan. Dempsey fielded questions, including on how long the mission might...

I was talking with a young man who graduated high school last week and has joined the National Guard in Indiana. He said he is being sent to Egypt eventually. I thought I had misunderstood him and said "Egypt?" He said, "Yes, and my Dad and I thought/wondered the same thing." Why would our NG be going to Egypt? Is it part of a NATO deployment? I haven't heard anything about this on the news, etc. I have read many suspect Obama had a role in overthrowing Murabek, and is in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood. Anybody has insight into...

I was talking with a young man who graduated high school last week and has joined the National Guard in Indiana. He said he is being sent to Egypt eventually. I thought I had misunderstood him and said "Egypt?" He said, "Yes, and my Dad and I thought/wondered the same thing." Why would our NG be going to Egypt? Is it part of a NATO deployment? I haven't heard anything about this on the news, etc. I have read many suspect Obama had a role in overthrowing Murabek, and is in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood. Anybody has insight into...

Just finished packing for my deployment to Afganistan. My orders start tomorrow and we will be at home station until the 4th. Going to Ft. Bliss for mobility training, then to the sandbox. I know we have internet access there but has anyone heard if any Freepers posting form there? I sure hope this site is not blocked so I can keep-up with whats going on back here.

The daughter of a prominent New York lawyer has told of her amazing transformation from sheltered, society girl to seasoned combat veteran. Former Manhattan jetsetter Jane Blair swapped her pampered life in New York to become one of the first women on the frontline in Iraq. In her new memoir Hesitation Kills, Mrs Blair, now a 38-year-old captain in the Marine Reserves, recalls the moment that changed her life. She said: 'I grew up in this environment where I never had to work for a living. My dad told me, "I will always take care of you".' She was in...

Those who have been following our series of US naval updates will not be surprised to learn that US forces are amassing around Tripoli. The LHD-3 Kearsarge is now within striking distance, and certainly within No Fly Zone enforcement, while the CVN 65, which according to some prior reports had already passed the Suez, is waiting just on the Southern tip of the canal. This is somewhat odd as it indicates that Naval command is still split as to where the Enterprise may be needed more: Libya or off the Persian Gulf where the Vinson is keeping watch for a...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2010 – A training program is equipping Defense Department civilian employees with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully deploy in support of humanitarian, reconstruction and combat-support military missions across the globe. A class of about 150 Defense Department civilians and contractors, part of the civilian expeditionary work force, learn the basics in emergency medical aid at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in central Indiana, June 29, 2010, before deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. Army photo by John Crosby  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The joint civilian expeditionary work force training -- a 10-day...

FORT HUACHUCA — Saturday was a day of time changes for the last contingent of 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion soldiers who were deploying to Afghanistan. Initially, the soldiers and their families were to gather at Eifler Gym at 4 a.m., then 7 a.m., then 11 a.m. and, finally, the time was moved up an hour to 10 a.m., which held. The changing of the arrival of the commercial contract aircraft and its departure time was the reason for the fluctuating times. But soldiers, being soldiers, and family members of GIs took it all in stride. Inside the gym, the goodbye...