Articles written by Lolita C. Baldor


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  • Leader of the free world has never been a role Trump has embraced. The world has gotten the message

    ELLEN KNICKMEYER and LOLITA C. BALDOR|Nov 8, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. presidents usually at least pay lip service to being leaders of the free world, at the helm of a mighty democracy and military that allies worldwide can rally around and reasonably depend on for support in return. Not so under President-elect Donald Trump, a critic of many existing U.S. alliances, whose win of a second term this week had close European partners calling for a new era of self-reliance not dependent on American goodwill. "We must not delegate forever our security to America," French President Emmanuel M...

  • US will appeal judge's ruling that 9/11 defendants can plead guilty and avoid the death penalty

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Nov 8, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will appeal a military judge's ruling that plea agreements struck by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and two of his co-defendants are valid, a defense official said Saturday. The ruling this past week voided Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's order to throw out the deals and concluded that the plea agreements were valid. The judge granted the three motions to enter guilty pleas and said he would schedule them for a future date to be determined by the m...

  • North Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading toward Ukraine, US says

    TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR|Oct 30, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving to the Kursk region near Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development. Austin was speaking at a press conference in Washington with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, as concerns grow about Pyongyang's deployment of as many as 11,000 troops to Russia. The U.S. and South Korea say some of the North Korean troops are heading to Russia's Kursk region on the bor...

  • The US is sending a few thousand more troops to the Middle East to boost security

    TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR|Sep 27, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending a "few thousand" troops to the Middle East to bolster security and to defend Israel if necessary, the Pentagon said Monday. The announcement follows word that Israel has already launched limited raids across the border into Lebanon. The additional forces would raise the total number of troops in the region to as many as 43,000. The increased presence will involve multiple fighter jet and attack aircraft squadrons, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. U.S. officials said the total includes s...

  • As recruiting rebounds, the Army will expand basic training to rebuild the force for modern warfare

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Aug 2, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Buoyed by an increase in recruiting, the Army will expand its basic combat training in what its leaders hope reflects a turning point as it prepares to meet the challenges of future wars. The added training will begin in October and comes as the Army tries to reverse years of dismal recruiting when it failed to meet its enlistment goals. New units in Oklahoma and Missouri will train as many as 4,000 recruits every year. Army leaders are optimistic they will hit their target of 55,000 recruits this year and say the influx of n...

  • Chinese and Russian bombers patrolling off Alaska raise concerns about growing military cooperation

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and DIDI TANG|Jul 26, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, in a new show of expanding military cooperation that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday raises concerns. The flights Wednesday were not seen as a threat, and the bombers were tracked and intercepted by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets. But it was the first time that Chinese bomber aircraft have flown within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. And it was the first time Chinese and Russian aircraft hav...

  • US says troops are leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Jul 5, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will remove all its forces and equipment from a small base in Niger this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will leave a critical drone base in the West African country in August, ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline set in an agreement with the new ruling junta, the American commander there said Friday. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said in an interview that a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. But the bulk of the f...

  • This is how the US-built pier to bring aid to Gaza has worked - or not

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP|Jun 28, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military-built pier has been pulled again from the Gaza shore due to rough seas, and its future role in the distribution of aid to Palestinians is uncertain. Humanitarian aid groups stopped distributing supplies that arrived by sea on June 9 due to security concerns and have not started again. U.S. officials say the pier may not be reinstalled unless aid agencies reach an agreement to begin distributing the aid again. Meanwhile, food and other provisions shipped from Cyprus are piling up on shore, and soon the the s...

  • US military says Gaza pier project is complete and aid will soon flow as Israel-Hamas war rages

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP|May 17, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Thursday that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach overnight and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately. Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters the U.S. believes there will be no backups in the distribution of the aid, which is being coordinated by the United Nations. The U.N., however, said fuel imports have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to deliver the aid to Gaza's people, a...

  • Trucks are rolling across a new US pier into Gaza. But challenges remain to getting enough aid in

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and JON GAMBRELL|May 17, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hindered the delivery of food and other supplies. The shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day, all while Israel presses in on the southern city of Rafah in its seven-month offensive against Hamas. At the White House, National Security C...

  • Reported sex assaults in the US military have dropped. That reverses what had been a growing problem

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|May 15, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of reported sexual assaults across the military decreased last year, and a confidential survey found a 19% drop in the number of service members who said they had experienced some type of unwanted sexual contact, according to new figures obtained by The Associated Press. Both are dramatic reversals of what has been a growing problem in recent years. More than 29,000 active-duty service members said in the survey that they had unwanted sexual contact during the previous year, compared with nearly 36,000 in the 2...

  • US special operations leaders are having to do more with less and learning from the war in Ukraine

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|May 10, 2024

    FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Forced to do more with less and learning from the war in Ukraine, U.S. special operations commanders are juggling how to add more high-tech experts to their teams while still cutting their overall forces by about 5,000 troops over the next five years. The conflicting pressures are forcing a broader restructuring of the commando teams, which are often deployed for high-risk counterterrorism missions and other sensitive operations around the world. The changes under consideration are being influenced by Russia's i...

  • Faceless people, invisible hands: New Army video aims to lure recruits for psychological operations

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|May 3, 2024

    FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — The video is unsettling, with haunting images of faceless people, fire and soldiers. The voiceover is a cascade of recognizable historical voices as the screen pulses cryptic messages touting the power of words, ideas and "invisible hands." Hints of its origin are tucked into frames as they flash by: PSYWAR. The Army's psychological warfare soldiers are using their brand of mental combat to bring in what the service needs: recruits. And if you find the video intriguing, you may be the Army's target audience as it w... Full story

  • A US-led effort to bring aid to Gaza by sea is moving forward. But big concerns remain

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and JULIA FRANKEL|Apr 26, 2024

    JERUSALEM (AP) — The construction of a new port in Gaza and an accompanying U.S. military-built pier offshore are underway, but the complex plan to bring more desperately needed food to Palestinian civilians is still mired in fears over security and how the humanitarian aid will be delivered. The Israeli-developed port, for example, has already been attacked by mortar fire, sending high-ranking U.N. officials scrambling for shelter this week, and there is still no solid decision on when the aid deliveries will actually begin. While satellite p...

  • US announces new Patriot missiles for Ukraine as part of new $6 billion aid package

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP|Apr 26, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as part of a massive $6 billion additional aid package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday. The missiles will be used to replenish previously supplied Patriot systems. The package also includes more munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and additional gear to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars into Ukraine's existing weaponry, much of which still dates back to t...

  • Pentagon set to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine once bill clears Senate and Biden

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and AAMER MADHANI|Apr 24, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is poised to send $1 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday as the Senate began debate on long-awaited legislation to fund the weapons Kyiv desperately needs to stall gains being made by Russian forces in the war. The decision comes after months of frustration, as bitterly divided members of Congress deadlocked over the funding, forcing House Speaker Mike Johnson to cobble together a bipartisan coalition to pass the bill. The $95 billion foreign aid package, including billions for I...

  • New recruiting programs put Army, Air Force on track to meet enlistment goals. Navy will fall short

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Apr 17, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — After several difficult years, the Army and Air Force say they are on track to meet their recruiting goals this year, reversing previous shortfalls using a swath of new programs and policy changes. But the Navy, while improving, expects once again to fall short. The mixed results reflect the ongoing challenges for the U.S. military as it struggles to attract recruits in a tight job market, where companies are willing to pay more and provide good benefits without the demands of service and warfighting. And even those who are m...

  • Austin tells Congress Israel is taking steps to boost aid to Gaza as lawmakers question US support

    TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR|Apr 10, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress Tuesday that pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza appears to be working, but he said more must be done, and it remains to be seen if the improvement will continue. "It clearly had an effect. We have seen changes in behavior, and we have seen more humanitarian assistance being pushed into Gaza," Austin said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "Hopefully that trend will continue." Austin's comments came during a session that was interrupted several times b...

  • US defense chief vows continued aid to Ukraine, even as Congress is stalled on funding bill

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Mar 20, 2024

    RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine's war effort against Russia, even as the U.S. Congress remains stalled over funding to send additional weapons to the front. "The United States will not let Ukraine fail," said Austin, addressing more than 50 defense leaders from Europe and around the world who are meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. "This coalition will not let Ukraine fail. And the free world will not let Ukraine fail." The meeting comes a w...

  • Pentagon to give Ukraine $300 million in weapons even as it lacks funds to replenish US stockpile

    TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR|Mar 13, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will rush about $300 million in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its desperate fight against Russia, the White House announced Tuesday. It's the Pentagon's first announced security package for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds. It wasn't until recent days that officials publicly ac...

  • US Army is slashing thousands of posts in major revamp to prepare for future wars

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Feb 28, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army is slashing the size of its force by about 24,000, or almost 5%, and restructuring to be better able to fight the next major war, as the service struggles with recruiting shortfalls that made it impossible to bring in enough soldiers to fill all the jobs. The cuts will mainly be in already-empty posts — not actual soldiers — including in jobs related to counterinsurgency that swelled during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but are not needed as much today. About 3,000 of the cuts would come from Army special opera...

  • US and British strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen answer militants' surge in Red Sea attacks on ships

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP|Feb 23, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Britain struck 18 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel. According to U.S. officials, American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and air defense systems. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide early details of an ongoing military o...

  • US begins strikes on militias in Iraq, Syria, retaliating for fatal drone attack, officials tell AP

    TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR|Feb 2, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds force Friday, in the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend, officials told The Associated Press. President Joe Biden and other top U.S. leaders had been warning for days that America would strike back at the militias, and they made it clear it wouldn't be just one hit but a "tiered response" over time. The o...

  • US, Britain begin new strikes on Yemen's Houthis, retaliating for attacks by Iran-backed militants

    LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP|Feb 2, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Britain struck at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The latest strikes against the Houthis were launched by ships and fighter jets. The strikes follow an air assault in Iraq and Syria on Friday that targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard i...

  • No diploma? No problem! Navy again lowers requirements as it struggles to meet recruitment goals

    LOLITA C. BALDOR|Jan 26, 2024

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Navy is starting to enlist individuals who didn't graduate from high school or get a GED, marking the second time in about a year that the service has opened the door to lower-performing recruits as it struggles to meet enlistment goals. The decision follows a move in December 2022 to bring in a larger number of recruits who score very low on the Armed Services Qualification Test. Both are fairly rare steps that the other military services largely avoid or limit, even though they are all finding it increasingly d...

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