Aug. 13, 2018

President Signs Fiscal 2019 Defense Authorization Act at Fort Drum Ceremony

WASHINGTON — The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act provides $700 billion to the Defense Department and paves the way for the most significant investment in the U.S. military and its warfighters in modern history, President Donald J. Trump said.

Aug. 10, 2018

Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marks 69th Anniversary

In 1949, President Harry Truman signed an amendment to the 1947 National Security Act, which officially created the position of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to help provide unified direction of the services following World War II to address the growing nuclear Soviet threat.

Aug. 10, 2018

Selva Highlights Need for Nuclear Enterprise Recapitalization

WASHINGTON — The Air Force launched the first Minuteman III missile off the coast of Florida in 1968 and the same missiles are still in inventory, which is why recapitalization of the entire nuclear triad is needed, Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva said.

Aug. 10, 2018

Proposed Space Force to Protect, Expand U.S. Cosmic Capabilities

WASHINGTON — The proposal to form the U.S. Space Force is rooted in protecting America’s advantages in space and in ensuring such advantages continue, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan said during a roundtable discussion with reporters at the Pentagon.

Aug. 8, 2018

Centcom Commander: Afghan Government Will Prosecute ISIS-K Terrorists

WASHINGTON — Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan members held in Afghanistan will be tried as war criminals and those found guilty will be held accountable for their war crimes, the commander of U.S. Central Command said.

Aug. 7, 2018

Mattis Comments on DoD Role in Election Security, Space as Warfighting Domain

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department will provide all support necessary to the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies to protect U.S. elections from Russian interference and other bad actors, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said.

Aug. 7, 2018

Mattis Says Taliban Under Increasing Pressure to Reconcile

WASHINGTON — The president’s South Asia Strategy is working in Afghanistan and pressure is increasing on the Taliban to enter reconciliation discussions, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

Aug. 6, 2018

Army Engineers to Battle Western Wildfires

WASHINGTON — Two hundred active-duty soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, will join thousands of National Guardsmen to assist firefighting efforts throughout the region, Pentagon officials announced.

Aug. 6, 2018

New DoD Policy Prohibits GPS-Enabled Devices in Deployed Settings

WASHINGTON — Deployed service members are going to have to ditch their “geolocation devices” in response to a new memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan.

Aug. 2, 2018

DNA Testing To Begin Immediately on Remains From North Korea, Officials Say

WASHINGTON — DNA testing will begin immediately on the 55 boxes of service members’ remains returned to the United States from North Korea, where they were contained since the fall of 1950, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency officials told reporters.