Carlo Muñoz

China joins U.S. in RimPac 2016 navy exercises amid rising tensions over South China Sea

A contingent of five Chinese warships is set to sail alongside U.S. and allied vessels when the world's biggest maritime naval exercises kick off Thursday -- despite rising tensions and occasional standoffs between Chinese and U.S. forces in the increasingly sharp struggle for dominance in the South China Sea.

June 29, 2016

Ashton Carter condemns Istanbul terror attack as investigation continues

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter personally condemned Tuesday's brutal terrorist attack in Istanbul, vowing to provide the Pentagon's resources to support Turkey's ongoing counterterrorism efforts against Islamic State.

June 29, 2016

Pentagon reboot of Syrian rebel fighter training off to slow start

After a first attempt to train rebel fighters to take on Islamic State militants and the army of Syrian President Bashar Assad ended in an ignominious, expensive failure, the Obama administration is off to another slow start with a revamped train-and-equip program that hopes to develop a class of Sunni Arab battlefield leaders that has produced fewer than 100 graduates since March.

June 27, 2016

Year-end goal to retake Mosul in question despite Fallujah victory: Pentagon

The opportunity to flush out the Islamic State from its self-proclaimed Iraqi capital of Mosul by the the end of the year could be slipping out of reach of American-backed Iraqi troops and local militias, despite the recapture of the critical city of Fallujah.

June 27, 2016

Ashton Carter: Brexit can’t break military ‘special relationship’

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and British Defense Minister Michael Fallon discussed the potential national security fallout from the United Kingdom's vote to separate from the European Union, hours after the polls closed in the nonbinding referendum.

June 26, 2016

Harold Schultz identified as Iwo Jima flag-bearer after three-month investigation

For over 70 years, the image of six Marines raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi, high above the beaches and jungles of Iwo Jima, stood an icon to generations of Americans to the struggle, sacrifice and ultimate victory over Japan in World War II.

June 23, 2016

North Korea missile launch a concern for U.S.

North Korea's ballistic missile tests this week were not the complete failure Pentagon officials initially believed, with one missile traveling 200 miles before crashing into the Sea of Japan, reigniting concerns Pyongyang is inching closer to possessing a long-range nuclear weapon.

June 22, 2016

Military leaders press Obama to ramp up U.S. action against ISIS in Libya

Rifts have emerged between U.S. military leaders and the Obama White House on Washington's future role in Libya, with the generals questioning the White House's argument that the recent success against Islamic State shows Libya can go it alone in the fight against terrorism, without direct U.S. assistance.

June 21, 2016

Ruling on South China Sea claim threatens to increase U.S., China tensions

A highly-anticipated ruling over Philippine territorial claims in the South China Sea could ratchet up tensions between Washington and Beijing ahead of a key military meeting between the two countries set for next month.

June 20, 2016

Taliban exploiting child abuse by Afghan forces to launch attacks: Defense lawmaker

The Taliban are reportedly exploiting the pervasive culture of sexual child abuse by senior and mid-level Afghan military and police commanders to launch deadly insider attacks against local forces and their U.S. and NATO advisers, says one senior defense lawmaker.

June 20, 2016

Ashton Carter confirms U.S. will rethink troop withdrawal timeline

The White House and Pentagon are re-evaluating the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, opening the door to keeping thousands of American troops in the country beyond President Obama's expressed timeline to draw down the mission.

June 15, 2016

Obama effectively restarts Afghanistan combat operations a year after officially ending them

More than a year since the Obama administration officially ended American combat operations in Afghanistan, the White House's newly minted battle plan for the country effectively restarts the combat mission for the 9,800 U.S. service members still in the country.

June 14, 2016

Turkey wavers on ISIS fight amid rising tensions with U.S., allies

Even as U.S., Iraqi and Kurdish forces make significant gains against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, rising friction between Turkey and America's key regional allies threatens to scuttle the hopes of coalition forces to drive the terrorist group from the region.

June 13, 2016

Afghan ambassador calls for ‘solidarity’ in wake of Orlando massacre

Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S. condemned Sunday's terrorist attack in Orlando, saying the time had come for unity and solidarity in the fight against terrorism.

June 13, 2016

Omar Mateen on FBI radar as known ISIS sympathizer

Omar Mateen, the 29-year-old man responsible for the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, was reportedly on the FBI's radar as a known Islamic State sympathizer, though federal authorities remain unclear about the extent of his ties to the terrorist group.

June 12, 2016

Islamic State claims responsibility for Orlando nightclub massacre

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a mass shooting in Florida that left 50 people dead and over 50 wounded.

June 12, 2016

Islamic State stronghold in Libya near collapse

Libyan forces on Thursday were the verge of driving Islamic State fighters out of their main outpost in the country, but the surprising success of the campaign against Sirte has not eased doubts at the Pentagon that the fledgling government in Tripoli and the Libyan army are cohesive enough to begin new U.S.-led military training and advising operations.

June 9, 2016

ISIS losing territory, foreign fighters as coalition forces attack on multiple fronts

As losses continue to mount for Islamic State fighters along multiple fronts in Iraq and Syria, the terrorist group is facing the most serious threat to its Middle East strongholds since the beginning of the U.S.-led coalition campaign.

June 8, 2016

U.S. ‘dangerously’ miscalculating China’s military goals and capabilities

As Washington and Beijing spar in a dangerous game of one-upmanship to determine who will control the strategically critical waterways of the South China Sea, some defense observers and regional analysts worry that the U.S. effort will prove an exercise in futility in the long term against the full weight of China's growing military and economic prowess.

June 6, 2016

Ashton Carter seeks faster tempo in fight on Islamic State

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is growing impatient with the pace of U.S.-backed forces in Iraq and Syria in their efforts to retake Islamic State's strongholds in Mosul and Raqqa, urging American and coalition to intensify operations in both countries, U.S. military officials said Monday.