Turkey’s Erdogan takes tough EU line after PM quits

Turkey’s president has told the EU it will not change its anti-terror laws in return for visa-free travel. “We’ll go our way, you go yours,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The EU has asked Turkey to revise its laws as a condition for allowing Turkish citizens visa-free travel for short stays. The plan is part of […]

John Kerry vows not to let Aleppo fall to Bashar Assad

Secretary of State John F. Kerry vowed Tuesday not to allow Syria’s largest city and onetime moderate opposition stronghold of Aleppo to fall to the regime of Syrian president Bashar Assad — even if that means abandoning the fragile cease-fire that U.S. officials have been trying to uphold in the war-torn nation. “If Assad’s strategy is to somehow think he’s going to just […]

Obama Plan to Cut Refugee Screening Time Raises Concerns About Terrorism

An Obama administration plan to resettle a greater number of foreign refugees in the United States by expediting the screening process is drawing concern from Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are warning that the administration is not capable of properly screening these individuals for ties to terrorism. The Obama administration has committed to bring at least 10,000 […]

Kerry urges Assad regime to quit bombing contested Aleppo

Secretary of State John Kerry urged Syrian government forces Saturday to stop bombarding the city of Aleppo as it moves in to retake it. Kerry said the priority was “a durable, nationwide cessation.” The UN envoy for Syria and the lead opposition negotiator have urged the U.S. and Russia to step in and take control […]

How the CIA failed a spy who went missing in Iran

In a world of seemingly random massacres in Paris, Brussels and San Bernardino, Calif.; Islamic State beheadings; and an erratic potentate in a nuclear-armed North Korea, we like to think that the CIA, the FBI and the other 14 agencies charged with gathering intelligence are doing their damnedest to keep us safe. And, for the […]

Trump gives foreign policy speech filled with glittering generalities

Presidential candidate Donald Trump gave a speech today outlining his foreign policy direction.  By comparison to some of his past statements on foreign policy issues, this was a bit more polished and clearly Trump has started reading off the script (and using a teleprompter) rather than shooting from the hip.  That may be a helpful […]

WATCH: JSOC Operators in Syria, Obama announces 250 more troops to deploy to Rojava

In a scenario eerily reminiscent to US Special Forces deployments to Central America in the 1980’s, Obama announced today that 250 more Special Operations troops would be deployed to Syria to help fight ISIS.  In the 80’s the numbers of Special Forces troops allowed in countries like El Salvador and Nicaragua was capped around 50, […]

North Korea ready to halt nuclear tests if US stops military drills with South Korea

A day after North Korea’s foreign minister told The Associated Press that his country is ready to halt its nuclear tests if the United States suspends its annual military exercises with South Korea, President Barack Obama said Sunday that Washington isn’t taking the proposal seriously and Pyongyang would “have to do better than that.” North […]

Pro-Russian Separatist Eye Bulgaria – Russian Hybrid Warfare Expands

An assembly of paramilitary pro-Russian separatist met within the borders of a member of the European Union and NATO – Bulgaria. In February 2016 in Bourgas, Bulgarian city on the Black Sea shore, a gathering of 13 various pro-Russian organizations including the “Organization for the Protection of Bulgarian citizens” – Burgas, “20th April”, “Veliko Tarnovo […]

Obama rules out sending US ground troops to Syria

President Obama ruled out Sunday sending U.S. ground troops to Syria, saying that military efforts alone aren’t going to solve the conflict. “It would be a mistake for the United States, or Great Britain, to send in ground troops and overthrow the Assad regime,” he said in an interview with the BBC. Obama said he […]

A-10s and Pave Hawks on Patrol in South China Sea

U.S. Pacific Command’s Air Contingent began flying operations at Clark Air Base, Philippines, April 19, with the successful launch of four A-10C Thunderbolt IIs and two HH-60G Pave Hawks. The aircraft are part of the newly stood up Air Contingent here conducting operations ranging from air and maritime domain awareness, personnel recovery, combating piracy, and […]