Articles written by Lolita C. Baldor
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New recruiting programs put Army, Air Force on track to meet enlistment goals. Navy will fall short
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, e...
Austin tells Congress Israel is taking steps to boost aid to Gaza as lawmakers question US support
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. "...
US defense chief vows continued aid to Ukraine, even as Congress is stalled on funding bill
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 f...
Pentagon to give Ukraine $300 million in weapons even as it lacks funds to replenish US stockpile
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 p...
US Army is slashing thousands of posts in major revamp to prepare for future wars
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 i...
US and British strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen answer militants' surge in Red Sea attacks on ships
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 f...
US begins strikes on militias in Iraq, Syria, retaliating for fatal drone attack, officials tell AP
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 k...
US, Britain begin new strikes on Yemen's Houthis, retaliating for attacks by Iran-backed militants
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 t...
No diploma? No problem! Navy again lowers requirements as it struggles to meet recruitment goals
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 e...
Enemy drone that killed US troops in Jordan was mistaken for a US drone, preliminary report suggests
WASHINGTON (AP) — An enemy drone that killed three American troops and wounded dozens of others in Jordan may have been confused with an American drone returning to the U.S. installation, two U.S. officials said Monday. As the enemy drone was f...
Who are the Houthis and why did the US and UK retaliate for their attacks on ships in the Red Sea?
WASHINGTON (AP) — When U.S. and U.K. warships and aircraft launched waves of missiles at Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen early Friday in Sanaa, it capped weeks of warnings to the group to cease their drone and missile attacks against commercial...
Two Navy SEALs are missing after Thursday night mission off coast of Somalia
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after conducting a nighttime boarding mission Thursday off the coast of Somalia, according to three U.S. officials. The SEALs were on an interdiction mission, climbing up a vessel when one got k...
Independent lawyers begin prosecuting cases of sexual assault and other crimes in the US military
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Thursday opened a new chapter in how it investigates and prosecutes cases of sexual assault and other major crimes, putting independent lawyers in charge of those decisions and sidelining commanders after years...
How the US keeps funding Ukraine's military - even as it says it's out of money
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has been increasingly pressuring Congress to pass stalled legislation to support Ukraine's war against Russia, saying that funding has run out. On Tuesday, however, President Joe Biden touted a new military aid packa...
Zelenskyy issues plea for support during Washington visit as Ukraine funding stalls in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy kicked off a quick visit to Washington on Monday, warning in a speech at a defense university that Russia may be fighting in Ukraine but its "real target is freedom" in America and around t...
In first call with Palestinian president Abbas, Biden discusses support for humanitarian aid to Gaza
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging the leaders to allow humanitarian aid to the region and affirmed his support for e...
2 US Navy sailors charged with providing sensitive military information to China
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two U.S. Navy sailors were charged Thursday with providing sensitive military information to China — including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material. The two sailors, both based in Cal...
'The Few, the Proud' aren't so few: Marines recruiting surges while other services struggle
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Not long ago, Marine Col. Jennifer Nash, a combat engineer with war deployments under her belt, made a vow to fellow officers as they headed to a dinner in Atlanta: She would get two new recruiting contacts by the end of th...
A Russian fighter jet fired flares at a US drone over Syria and damaged it, the US military says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian fighter jet flew within a few meters of a U.S. drone over Syria and fired flares at it, striking the American aircraft and damaging it, the U.S. military said Tuesday, the latest in a string of aggressive intercepts by R...
Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the Pentagon
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is waging an unprecedented campaign to try to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, forcing less experienced leaders into top jobs and raising c...
Why the US is willing to send Ukraine cluster munitions now
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to help its military push back Russian forces entrenched along the front lines. The Biden administration is expected to announce on Friday that it will send t...
Biden picks history-making Air Force fighter pilot to serve as next Joint Chiefs chairman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that he is tapping Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., a history-making fighter pilot with deep knowledge of China, to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brown's confirmation would m...
Leaked documents a 'very serious' risk to security: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The online leaks of scores of highly classified documents about the Ukraine war present a "very serious" risk to national security, and senior leaders are quickly taking steps to mitigate the damage, a top Pentagon spokesman said Mo...
US investigating whether Ukraine war documents were leaked
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the possible release of Pentagon documents that were posted on several social media sites and appear to detail U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine, but may have been altered or u...
US is providing Ukraine with $2.6 billion in military aid
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and new weapons to help Kyiv counter drones in the coming months, the Pentagon said T...
