Maggie Ybarra

Sen. Inhofe: Obama’s military too weak to help Ukraine

A powerful member of the Senate Armed Services Committee says that President Obama's mismanagement of the military's defense budget is the reason why the U.S. has limited options for assisting Ukraine while it is under siege.

Governors unite against National Guard cuts

In a rare case of unanimity, the nation's governors said Friday they are prepared to fight a Pentagon plan that would greatly reduce the number of Army National Guard soldiers available to respond to national emergencies.

Pentagon: Syrian request for chemical weapons extension ‘unacceptable’

The Pentagon on Thursday dismissed the Syrian government's recent request for a 100-day extension to meet a U.N.-backed deadline for destroying the nation's chemical weapons stocks, asserting that any further delays by Damascus would be "unacceptable."

Hagel appoints official to oversee Bowe Bergdahl release efforts

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has asked a senior Defense Department official to oversee the Pentagon's efforts to rescue an Army soldier from the clutches of an Islamist insurgent group affiliated with the Taliban.

Pentagon budget cuts won’t bode well for NATO

The Pentagon's budget reorganization could hobble the U.S.' ability to contribute to NATO, following a trend in which other major alliance members have cut their contributions in recent years.

John McCain places hold on Obama Defense Department nominees

McCain's frustration with Bob Work and Christine Wormuth mounted during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday morning when they failed to provide adequate responses to questions he was asking.

Obama plans complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by year’s end

Tuesday brought a fresh reminder that the more-than-decade-long conflict in Afghanistan will not conclude on U.S. terms, with the Obama administration revealing it’s planning for a complete withdrawal from the troubled country at the end of the year.

Chuck Hagel: U.S. can afford diminished military

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday that the Army must shrink to pre-World War II troop levels to preserve funding for elite counterterrorism operations and maintain the cybersecurity programs needed to counter threats by emerging rivals such as China.

Taliban says it suspends talks on held U.S. soldier

Afghanistan's Taliban said Sunday they had suspended "mediation" with the United States to exchange captive Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five senior Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, halting - at least temporarily - what was considered the best chance yet of securing the 27-year-old soldier's freedom since his capture in 2009.

War’s New Frontier: DOD presses for EMF spectrum used by cell phones for next generation weapons

The Pentagon is pressing federal and commercial players to yield as much space as they can on the electromagnetic radiation frequency spectrum to help meet the voracious appetite of the U.S. military's current fleet of drones and its next generation F-35 stealth jet.

Lawmakers want Kerry to take a stand on Georgia’s NATO membership

While political unrest in Ukraine dominates headlines, lawmakers in Washington are quietly pressuring the Obama administration to take a more aggressive stand toward allowing NATO membership for Georgia — another former Soviet republic and source of contention between the U.S. and Russia.

Lawmaker hits confusion in efforts to free U.S. sergeant