Tara Copp

U.S. officials say Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles, striking a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian troops in another occupied area overnight. The strikes come about a month after the U.S. secretly provided the weapons so Ukraine could strike targets up to 190 miles away. One U.S. official says the delivery of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, was approved by President Joe Biden in February, and then in March the U.S. included a “significant” number of them in a $300 million aid package announced. The official says the U.S. is providing more in the latest aid package.

National News |
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say

April 24, 2024 at 1:38 p.m.

U.S. officials say Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles, striking a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian troops in another occupied area overnight. The...

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is telling senators that pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza appears to be working, but more must be done, and it remains to be seen if that improvement will continue. At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Austin said the U.S. has seen changes in Israel’s behavior and hopes that the trend continues. His comments came during a session that was interrupted several times by protesters shouting at him to stop sending weapons to Israel. The hearing was the first time lawmakers on both sides were able to question Pentagon leaders on the administration’s Israel strategy following Tel Aviv’s deadly strike on World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid workers in Gaza.

National News |
Austin tells Congress Israel is taking steps to boost aid to Gaza as lawmakers question US support

April 10, 2024 at 4:04 p.m.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is telling senators that pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza appears to be working, but more must be done, and it remains to...

Japan says it'll join the U.S. military in returning its Ospreys to flight following the deaths of eight U.S. service members in a crash there in November. U.S. Naval Air Systems Command on Friday announced the return of the Ospreys, which fly like an airplane and convert to a helicopter. Japan’s defense minister says his nation will likewise return its Ospreys to flight status following an “adequate” analysis of the crash. Before clearing the Osprey, U.S. officials said they put increased attention on its proprotor gearbox, instituted new limitations on how it can be flown and added maintenance inspections. The U.S. fleet was grounded Dec. 6, a week after a CV-22B Osprey crashed off Yakushima island.

National News |
Military’s Ospreys cleared to return to flight, 3 months after latest fatal crash in Japan

March 8, 2024 at 9:34 a.m.

Japan says it'll join the U.S. military in returning its Ospreys to flight following the deaths of eight U.S. service members in a crash there in November. U.S. Naval Air...

The U.S. military says a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden has killed three of its crew members and injured at least four. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. U.S. Central Command says the missile caused significant damage to the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier called True Confidence, and the crew had to abandon the ship. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed the attack on the vessel and insisted their assaults would continue as long as Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues.

World News |
Houthi missile attack kills 3 crew members in Yemen rebels’ first fatal assault on shipping

March 6, 2024 at 8:45 p.m.

The U.S. military says a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden has killed three of its crew members and injured at...

US military C-130 cargo planes have airdropped food and aid in pallets over Gaza. It's the opening stage of an emergency humanitarian assistance authorized by President Joe Biden after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops. Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 a.m. EST Saturday. The bundles were dropped in southwest Gaza, on the beach along the territory’s Mediterranean coast and U.S. officials said after the drops they were able to see civilians access the food. The U.S. says the airdrop is expected to be the first of many.

National News |
U.S. military aircraft airdrop thousands of meals into Gaza in emergency humanitarian aid operation

March 2, 2024 at 8:01 p.m.

US military C-130 cargo planes have airdropped food and aid in pallets over Gaza. It's the opening stage of an emergency humanitarian assistance authorized by President Joe Biden after more...

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized again Sunday to address a bladder issue as he continues to recover from prostate cancer and has transferred authorities to his deputy, the Pentagon said.

National Politics |
Defense Secretary Austin is hospitalized with bladder issue, transfers powers to his deputy

February 12, 2024 at 7:41 a.m.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized again Sunday to address a bladder issue as he continues to recover from prostate cancer and has transferred authorities to his deputy, the Pentagon...

Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after conducting a nighttime boarding mission Thursday off the coast of Somalia, according to three U.S. officials.

National News |
Two Navy SEALs are missing after Thursday night mission off coast of Somalia

January 13, 2024 at 2:05 p.m.

Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after conducting a nighttime boarding mission Thursday off the coast of Somalia, according to three U.S. officials.

The U.S. will still have military capability in the region and flexibility to deploy additional cruisers and destroyers in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the senior U.S. official told ABC.

News |
Carrier USS Ford to leave Eastern Mediterranean, return to Norfolk

January 1, 2024 at 4:20 p.m.

The U.S. will still have military capability in the region and flexibility to deploy additional cruisers and destroyers in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the senior U.S. official told...

The U.S. and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the force in Bahrain on Tuesday. Under the new initiative, dubbed Prosperity Guardian, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will protect transiting ships. Some will conduct joint patrols while others provide support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The attacks have led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed.

World News |
Pentagon announces new international mission to counter attacks on commercial vessels in Red Sea

December 19, 2023 at 2:22 a.m.

The U.S. and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles...

Multiple U.S. officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public. Other ships in the Norfolk-based Ford’s strike group had already had their deployments extended.

News |
Pentagon orders USS Gerald R. Ford to remain in Mediterranean, extending deployment for 3rd time

December 16, 2023 at 2:43 p.m.

Multiple U.S. officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public....

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