Author: Lolita C. Baldor
-
Army to send female infantry, armor officers to Fort Carson, 2 more bases
WASHINGTON — As more female soldiers move into frontline combat jobs, the Army’s top leaders have decided to integrate female officers into infantry and armor brigades at three more military bases around the country. The decision comes a year after the first women began enlisting in the ground combat units, and it will send female…
-
Mattis nixes holiday tradition of seeing troops in war zones
WASHINGTON — For only the second time since 9/11, America’s defense secretary didn’t visit U.S. troops in a war zone during December, breaking a long-standing tradition of personally and publicly thanking service members in combat who are separated from their families during the holiday season. Pentagon boss Jim Mattis, who spent more than four decades…
-
APNewsBreak: US soldier ambushed in Niger wasn’t captured
WASHINGTON — Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times as he took cover in thick brush, fighting to the end after fleeing militants who had just killed three comrades in an October ambush in Niger, The Associated Press has learned. A military investigation has…
-
Transgender people can enlist in military, Pentagon says despite Trump opposition
WASHINGTON — Transgender recruits will be allowed to enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1, the Pentagon said Monday, as President Donald Trump’s ordered ban suffered another legal setback. The new policy reflects the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to cross to enforce Trump’s demand earlier this year to bar transgender individuals from…
-
Officials: U.S. captures key militant in Benghazi attack
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say special operations forces have captured a militant who was instrumental in the attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The attack resulted in the death of the American ambassador to the country. The officials say U.S. commandos captured the man in Libya and are transporting him back to…
-
US general: Many questions remain about Niger attack
WASHINGTON — The U.S. special forces unit ambushed by Islamic militants in Niger didn’t call for help until an hour into their first contact with the enemy, the top U.S. general says, conceding many questions linger about the assault that killed four American troops and triggered a political brawl. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of…
-
Bergdahl expected to plead guilty to desertion, misbehavior
WASHINGTON — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for half a decade after abandoning his Afghanistan post, is expected to plead guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, two individuals with knowledge of the case said. Bergdahl’s decision to plead guilty rather than face trial marks another twist in…
-
3 U.S. Army special operations commandos killed in Niger
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said three U.S. Army special operations commandos were killed Wednesday and two others were wounded when they came under fire in southwest Niger. The officials said the two wounded were taken to Niamey, the capital, and are in stable condition. The officials were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly so…
-
Army looks for new ways to address misbehaving generals
WASHINGTON— Struggling with an embarrassing series of misconduct and behavior problems among senior officers, the Army is putting together new mental health, counseling and career management programs to shape stronger, more ethical leaders. The programs stem from a broader worry across the military about the need to bolster professionalism within the officer corps while holding…
-
Officials say Trump’s Afghan plan involves 3,900 more troops
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plan to end the stalemate in America’s longest war and eliminate Afghanistan’s rising extremist threat involves sending up to 3,900 additional U.S. forces, senior officials said Tuesday. The first deployments could take place within days. In a national address Monday night, Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the…