Carlo Muñoz

Pentagon issues final rules on Trump’s transgender ban

Current U.S. service members looking to transition sexes could face forced retirement or be discharged from the military for medical reasons, as part of the Pentagon's new transgender policy outlined Friday.

April 12, 2019

Pentagon nears ‘Defeat ISIS’ coalition extension as Trump weighs Syria withdrawal

The Islamic State's physical caliphate is now in ruins, but the Trump administration is talking about keeping the broad international coalition in place to counter the terrorist group's efforts to reorganize and reform in emerging hot spots around the globe, a top Pentagon official said in an interview.

April 9, 2019

White House pegs U.S. Strategic Command chief as the Pentagon’s No. 2 officer

The White House has tapped Air Force Gen. John Hyten to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing fellow Air Force Gen. Paul Selva as the No. 2 military officer at the Pentagon.

April 9, 2019

No F-35s for Turkey if Russian missile defense deal goes through: Pentagon

The Defense Department's top spokesman minced no words on Thursday, saying the Pentagon will pull the plug on sales of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey if the NATO ally closes a major weapons deal with Russia.

April 4, 2019

Turkish minister says Russian defense system buy a ‘done deal’ despite U.S. warnings

Turkey's foreign minister said Wednesday that Ankara's purchase of a Russian-made S-400 missile defense system is a "done deal" despite strong objections from the Trump administration and other NATO allies.

April 3, 2019

Gen. Stephen J. Townsend worries over Russian ‘green little men’ in Africa

The Pentagon is keeping a wary eye on the recent influx of Russian "little green men" into Africa, as concerns rise over whether Moscow is looking to replicate its military successes in Ukraine and Syria in the competition for influence and allies on the continent.

April 2, 2019

Gen. Todd Wolters: Turkish plan to buy Russian system not ‘compatible’ with F-35 sale

Turkey cannot field the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system and expect Washington to move ahead with plans to sell it the cutting-edge U.S.-made F-35 stealth jet fighter, the Trump administration's pick to lead U.S. forces in Europe told Congress Tuesday.

April 2, 2019

U.S. moves closer to killing F-35 jet sale to Turkey over Russia fears

The Pentagon is canceling all transfers of critical equipment related to the sale of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey, in what is seen as the first steps toward the outright cancellation of Ankara's purchase of the cutting-edge fighter jet.

April 1, 2019

Patrick Shanahan weighs military role in Mexico border shutdown

Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to discuss what role the U.S. military may have in a possible shutdown of the southern border threatened by President Trump.

April 1, 2019

Russian fleet on alert as NATO warships deploy to Black Sea for drills

Russia has put its warships steaming through the Black Sea on alert, after several of NATO combat vessels deployed to the region for bilateral drills with the Ukrainian navy.

April 1, 2019

Afghan peace hopes clouded by U.S.-backed government’s weaknesses

As American negotiators inch closer to a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the U.S.-backed government in Kabul remains heavily dependent on foreign money and military support to fight insurgent groups, finance its security forces, and prevent regional warlords from splintering the country, the top U.S. watchdog for the 18-year conflict warned Thursday.

March 28, 2019

Patrick Shanahan lobbies Iraqi leaders to allow U.S. troops to stay

Defense Department chief Patrick Shanahan made his case for a continued U.S. military presence in Iraq, despite growing opposition in Baghdad to keeping American troops in country long-term.

March 28, 2019

Philip Davidson: Navy carriers. submarines to curb China must be doubled

The Navy's Pacific fleet is battling to curb China's growing military influence in the region with only half of the submarines, aircraft carriers and assault ships it needs to counter Beijing, Navy officials warned Congress Wednesday.

March 27, 2019

Pentagon sidelines Trump push for more money from Asian allies for defense

The Pentagon is sidelining a White House proposal designed to require U.S. allies to pay more for U.S. military deployments in the Pacific, the department's top official overseeing the region told Congress Wednesday.

March 27, 2019

U.S. diplomats walk out amid growing tensions with Afghan government

U.S. diplomats walked out of a senior-level meeting with Afghan officials Tuesday to protest biting criticisms from the country's national security chief over the Trump administration's direct peace talks with the Taliban that have excluded Kabul.

March 26, 2019

Hunt intensifies for Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

With the Islamic State's once-extensive caliphate now in ruins, the hunt is now on for the terror group's elusive leader -- Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

March 25, 2019

ISIS ‘caliphate’ ends in Baghouz, Syria

The five-year battle to wrest control of much of Syria and northern Iraq from the grip of the Islamic State came to an end this weekend in the small, dusty eastern Syrian village of Baghouz, with U.S.-backed forces liberating that last patch of land under Islamic State control and bringing an end to the group's dreams of a restored "caliphate" in the Middle East.

March 24, 2019

John Allen, retired general, says ISIS fight far from over

The battle against the Islamic State may have been won, but the war against the terror group remains far from over, a retired four-star general said Sunday.

March 24, 2019

Patrick Shanahan faces ethics probe over Boeing advocacy at Pentagon

The Defense Department's inspector general has formally opened an investigation into allegations that acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan lobbied for defense giant Boeing, his former employer, after coming to work at the Pentagon in 2017.

March 20, 2019

Frustration, anger on fifth anniversary of Crimea takeover

On the fifth anniversary of Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, the operation remains a frustrating symbol of the West's inability to roll back President Vladimir Putin's risk-taking foreign policy, a top Ukrainian security official said Tuesday.

March 19, 2019