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 […]

Secret Norwegian caves being used to store U.S. tanks, artillery

Washington (CNN) – Marines are prepositioning battle tanks, artillery and logistics equipment inside Norwegian caves as the U.S. pushes to station equipment near the NATO-Russia frontier. “Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crisis, so we’re able to fall in on gear that is ready-to-go […]

Department of Defense indicates even more U.S. troops for Iraq

(CNSNews.com) – Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday the United States is “aiming to accelerate” the anti-ISIS campaign “in every possible way.” And on Wednesday, Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq, indicated that additional U.S. “forces” will be forthcoming. A reporter asked Warren about “potential force increases” for training, […]

Air Force One being serviced by company with Saudi links

WASHINGTON — A company owned by a Saudi investor works on Air Force One and other VIP aircraft that fly Cabinet secretaries and other dignitaries around the world, USA TODAY has learned. GDC Technics has been servicing President Obama’s jet as a contractor for Boeing, according to the Air Force. This is the first time the Pentagon has acknowledged that […]

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 […]

Boeing working with Pentagon on Air Force One replacement

Air force officials and Boeing engineers have started the years-long process of replacing Air Force One, the legendary aircraft that whisks the American president and his entourage around the world. The Pentagon last week approved the first of a series of contracts with Boeing, the US aerospace giant chosen to convert a pair of its […]

George Washington’s ruthless, secret spy history

With all due respect to early-American hagiographer Parson Weems, George Washington knew how to tell a lie. In fact, he told a lot of them. Moreover, talent for deception was shared by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, all of whom, to borrow from former Vice President Dick Cheney, worked the “dark side.” And though these […]

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 […]

Pentagon claims North Korean military not to be overlooked

Washington (CNN) A new Pentagon report concludes that North Korea “is committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a direct threat to the United States.” The report, required by law, updates Congress regularly on the status of and changes in North Korea’s military capabilities. While the report, released Friday, was […]

Former U.S. allies now working against them in fight against ISIS

Iraqi militias who once fought ISIS with U.S. help are now working with Russian and Iranian forces to crush American-backed rebels in the strategic Syrian city of Aleppo, two defense officials have told The Daily Beast. At least three Shia militias involved in successful battles against ISIS in Iraq—the Badr Brigade, Kata’ib Hezbollah, and the League of the […]