Military

The Hill reports: The U.S. Space Force (USSF) late Friday unveiled camouflage uniforms bearing the branch’s first nametapes for its members. “The first #SpaceForce utility uniform nametapes have touched down in the Pentagon,” the service branch tweeted from its official account, attaching a photo of the uniforms. The uniforms were welcomed with praise by some, including the official Twitter account …

CNN reports: Several US service members were injured during last week’s Iranian missile attack on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq Pentagon. “While no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed,” the US-led military coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq …

Roll Call reports: Defense Department brass are expected Wednesday afternoon to brief President Donald Trump on their plans for standing up a new military branch called the Space Force, and a Pentagon official said they may even present several logo options for the new armed service. The White House meeting is expected to include Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Air …

Politico reports: Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), a vocal critic of President Trump, on Saturday accused the president of selling U.S. military support to Saudi Arabia. Trump said in an interview with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham the day before that he had pressured Riyadh to compensate the U.S. for a recent deployment to the Middle East. “We have a very good …

The Navy Times reports: The warship Farragut was “aggressively approached” by a Russian naval ship Thursday in the North Arabian Sea, U.S. 5th Fleet officials said. The American guided-missile destroyer was conducting routine operations at the time of the approach, according to a statement from the Bahrain-based command. “Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of …

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling in Roe & Voe v. Esper that halted efforts by the Trump administration to discharge members of the Air Force because they are living with HIV. The decision will allow two active-duty Airmen living with HIV, identified pseudonymously as …

The Associated Press reports: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has told the U.S. secretary of state to send a delegation to Iraq tasked with formulating the mechanism for the withdrawal of U.S troops from Iraq, according to a statement released Friday. The statement, from the office of the Iraqi caretaker prime minister, said the request came in a telephone call …

And he very nearly made it. Fox News reports: A 37-year-old Naples, Fla. man was arrested Sunday after allegedly lying about being an active Marine Corps member to gain access to Palm Beach International Airport prior to President Donald Trump departure, a report said. Brandon Mark Magnan, who was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps and required to register …

The Insider reports: The US is sending 3,500 Army paratroopers to the Middle East on a snap deployment as tensions with Iran soar, and they have been told to leave their cellphones and other personal electronic devices behind. “This is not a standard deployment,” Lt. Col. Mike Burns, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, said, telling Insider that the …

CNN reports: “We are not looking to start a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Tuesday.  He also insisted the US had evidence to justify the attack that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq last week. “I can assure you it’s more than razor thin, it’s persuasive. …

CNN reports: US forces and air-defense missile batteries across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday to possibly shoot down Iranian drones as intelligence mounted about a threat of an imminent attack against US targets, two US officials tell CNN. The alert reflects the heightened tensions between the US and Iran in the wake of last week’s …

Politico reports: Eric Chewning, chief of staff to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, is stepping down at the end of the month, the latest in a series of high-profile civilians to leave the Pentagon. He’ll be replaced by Jen Stewart, the top Republican staffer on the House Armed Services Committee and a former top adviser to the chairman of the Joint …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week” that he was concerned Trump’s decision will “get us into another ‘endless war’ in the Middle East,” adding the U.S. is “closer to that” because of his actions. “I am really worried, and that is why Congress must assert itself,” the Senate minority leader said, saying the …

CNN reports: The Trump administration has warned members of Congress that Iran is expected to retaliate against the US “within weeks” for the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani even as they failed to convince some that the operation was merited due to an imminent threat against American lives. There are also intense discussions taking place inside US military and intelligence …

Mother Jones reports: As concerns about violent reprisals or a Middle East war unfolded following reports that President Donald Trump had ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Thursday, some Americans were also worried about more personal implications of the event. So many Americans Googled “draft requirements“ and “military exemptions“ that the United States Selective Service website …

CBS News reports: The targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani, one of Iran’s top military leaders, has escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with Iran vowing revenge. CBS News senior national security contributor, and former acting and deputy CIA director Michael Morell told “CBS This Morning” the drone strike on Soleimani will lead to “dead civilian Americans.” “Soleimani was an …

The Associated Press reports: The United States is sending nearly 3,000 more Army troops to the Mideast as reinforcements in the volatile aftermath of the killing of an Iranian general in a strike ordered by President Donald Trump, defense officials said Friday. The dispatching of extra troops reflects concern about potential Iranian retaliatory action for the killing Thursday of Gen. …

The Independent reports: Donald Trump says that Iran general Qassem Soleimani was “caught” as he was “plotting to kill” many Americans, after years of anti-US military actions that have left thousands “killed or badly wounded.” The president ordered the air strike on Soleimani, the leader of the elite Quds Force, on Friday morning, raising concerns of unrest and destabilisation in …

The Associated Press reports: Global powers warned Friday that the world has become a more dangerous place and urged restraint after the U.S. assassinated Iran’s top general, although Britain and Germany also suggested that Iran shared blame for provoking the targeted killing that dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the Mideast. China, Russia and France, all permanent members of the U.N. …

Via press release from the Department of Defense: At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq …