Is the U.S. losing grip on submarine advantage over China and Russia?

The US is worried that it’s submarine fleet is falling behind China and Russia’s as both countries aggressively push to expand and modernize their navies. Admiral Harry Harris told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that US Pacific Command “suffers shortage of submarines today, my requirements are not being met.” And, according to Foreign Policy, […]

Libyan politics complicating ISIS fight

Efforts to establish a capable central government in Libya have complicated the Obama administration’s efforts to root out the growing base used by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), top intelligence said Thursday. There are “a spectrum of political views” within the two competing factions trying to control Libya, Director of National Intelligence […]

U.S. considers selling weapons to Vietnam to stave off Chinese ‘hegemony’

The top admiral in charge of U.S. military operations in Asia says Washington should drop its remaining restrictions on weapons sales to Vietnam in order to better defend against China’s military buildup in the South China Sea. Navy Adm. Harry Harris Jr., the head of U.S. Pacific Command, told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that they’d have to […]

Reports reveal ceasefire deal between U.S. and Russia in Syria

A new deal between the US and Russia to enforce a ceasefire in Syria has been reached, with the cessation of hostilities set to come into force on 27 February. The ceasefire, subject to the agreement between the warring parties, would exclude Islamic State, al-Nusra Front and other groups deemed to be terrorist organizations. Skepticism […]

Could Turkey implode?

Turkey, an erstwhile U.S. ally long hailed as a bastion of secular democracy in the Muslim world, could be spiraling towards all-out civil war and potential dissolution as conflicts between Turkish security forces and Kurds and other ethnic minorities continue to escalate. These conflicts have been exacerbated by the catastrophic war in neighboring Syria, which has […]

Pentagon requests that Russia be mindful of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Syria

(CNSNews.com) – After saying for months that the U.S. is not cooperating with Russia in Syria – beyond basic air safety “deconfliction” measures – a senior military official disclosed Thursday that the Pentagon has asked Russia to avoid areas where U.S. Special Forces troops are located in northern Syria. The U.S. and Russia are both […]

Obama not interested in targeting ISIS hub in Libya

Despite the growing threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Libya, the Obama administration has turned down a U.S. military plan for an assault on ISIS’s regional hub there, three defense officials told The Daily Beast. In recent weeks, the U.S. military—led by its Africa and Special Operations Commands—have pushed for more airstrikes and the deployment of elite troops, particularly in […]

French foreign minister slams Obama over lack of leadership in Middle East

The United States is coming under increasingly bitter criticism for its perceived lack of leadership over Syria as the country’s brutal civil conflict heads toward new levels of intensity. Washington appears unable or unwilling to prevent its ally Turkey from bombing Kurdish fighters inside Syria, its critics say. And it has done little to rein […]

Obama calls for halt to new construction and militarization in Asian Pacific waters

President Barack Obama called Tuesday for a halt to any new construction or militarization of Asia’s oceans and reaffirmed the U.S. right to operate freely in international areas. Speaking at the close of a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders in California, Obama called for a “halt to reclamation, new construction and militarization” of Asia’s oceans, […]

Russia claims they are in ‘new Cold War’ with U.S.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said his country is in a new Cold War with the U.S. and its allies, underscoring the tenuous level of trust that’s putting a day-old plan for a truce in Syria at risk. The clash, with echoes of superpower rhetoric during the 20th century, played out at the Munich Security […]