Southeast Asian defense chiefs are meeting with China, the United States and other partner nations in Laos for security talks, which come as Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in its claim to most of the South China Sea is leading to more confrontations.

The U.S. decision to provide Ukraine with antipersonnel land mines expands the use of a weapon that the international community has long condemned because of its danger to innocent civilians.

The U.S. defense chief says the Biden administration will give Ukraine antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield advances.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has expressed regret that his Chinese counterpart chose not to hold talks with him during meetings of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Laos, calling it a setback for the entire region.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has condemned China's dangerous actions against the Philippines and renewed a warning that the United States would defend its treaty ally if Filipino forces come under an armed attack in the disputed South China Sea.

The United States and the Philippines have signed an agreement to secure the exchange of highly confidential military intelligence and technology in key weapons the U.S. would provide to Manila.

Typhoon Man-yi has left at least seven people dead in a landslide, destroyed houses and displaced large numbers of villagers before blowing away from the northern Philippines, worsening the crisis wreaked by multiple back-to-back storms.

Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that’s associated with white supremacist groups.

Suicides in the U.S. military increased in 2023, continuing a long-term trend that the Pentagon has struggled to abate.

The U.S. military judge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has scheduled hearings in early January for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants to enter guilty pleas in exchange for life sentences.

The Biden administration says Israel has made some good but limited progress in increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and therefore it will not limit arms transfers to Israel as it had threatened to a month ago if the situation had not improved.

A defense official says the Defense Department will appeal a military judge’s ruling that plea agreements struck by the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and two of his co-defendants are valid.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed the military to carry out a smooth transition to President-elect Donald Trump with a reminder to the force of its obligation to follow the lawful orders of the next commander in chief.

A military judge has ruled that plea agreements struck by alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants are valid.

The Biden administration is stepping up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a 30-day deadline looms for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or risk potential restrictions on military assistance.

The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending additional bomber aircraft and Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster the U.S. presence in the region.

The Biden administration is sending an additional $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine as Kyiv prepares to face Russian forces augmented by more than 10,000 North Koreans troops.

An Associated Press review shows that Israel is falling far short of U.S. demands to surge the level of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza or risk possible restrictions on U.S. military funding.

The U.S. and South Korea have called on China to use its influence over Russia and North Korea to prevent escalation after North Korea sent thousands of troops to aid Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The Biden administration says some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia near Ukraine’s border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving toward Ukraine.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh says North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within “the next several weeks.”.

American and South Korean officials say there's evidence that thousands of North Korean troops are now in Russia near Ukraine’s border.

Ukraine will receive $50 billion in loans, backed by frozen Russian assets, from Group of Seven allies.

The U.S. says 3,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be “fair game” if they go into combat in Ukraine.

The FBI says it's investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran.

Ukraine’s president is hoping allies will take a more positive stance on his so-called victory plan after the U.S. election, but concedes that its key demand — an invitation to join NATO — is not welcome by some key Western partners, in particular Germany.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States will get Ukraine what it needs to fight its war with Russia.

U.S. long-range B-2 stealth bombers launched airstrikes targeting underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The Pentagon says more than 800 military personnel have seen their service records upgraded to honorable discharges after previously being kicked out of the military under its former “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

The Biden administration has warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.

U.S. Army leaders say the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel and roughly 100 soldiers to operate it will add to strains on the Army’s air defense forces.

The Pentagon says the United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel along with troops needed to operate it.

The U.S. is sending a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel, along with troops to operate it.

A lawyer for news organizations has urged the U.S. military commission at Guantanamo Bay to unseal the plea deal struck with accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others.

The Pentagon says is sending a “few thousand” additional troops to the Middle East to bolster security and to be prepared to defend Israel if necessary.

The Senate has confirmed a new commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific after Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville dropped his objections and allowed a quick vote on the nomination.

The Navy says its highest-ranking military officer has been successfully treated for early-stage breast cancer.

U.S. officials say Israel warned U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a call Tuesday that a military operation was going to take place in Lebanon.

The U.S. is sending several additional Air Force fighter jet squadrons to the Middle East, beefing up what has already been an increased military presence there as the region teeters on the brink of all-out war.

First lady Jill Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have gone to Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama to highlight programs that the administration is rolling out to improve service members’ quality of life as well as early childhood education in the military.

U.S. officials say nearly $6 billion in funding for aid to Ukraine will expire at the end of the month unless Congress acts to extend the Pentagon’s authority to send weapons from its stockpile to Kyiv.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is blocking the quick promotion of an aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says passage of a six-month temporary spending bill would have widespread and devastating effects on the department and the military.

Ukraine's president has told U.S. and allied military leaders meeting in Germany that his country needs the ability to strike deep within Russia now.

Top U.S. military leaders will be in Germany to discuss Ukraine’s wartime needs as Russia has conducted one of its deadliest airstrikes in the conflict and Ukraine presses its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.

Members of Congress are pressing the top two Pentagon leaders to ensure the military is not swept up in politics during the coming presidential election and that active-duty troops are not used illegally as a domestic police force.

The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area.

A Defense Department disagreement over how to bring to justice the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and four others has thrown the cases into disarray.

Officials say a U.S. Coast Guard cutter on routine patrol south of Alaska's Aleutian Islands came across a Russian ship in international waters but within the U.S. exclusive economic zone.

Military-run hearings for accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are in upheaval following Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to throw out a plea agreement.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken for the first time on his decision to throw out a plea deal for the accused mastermind of al-Qaida’s 2001 attacks and two other defendants.

Top U.S. national security leaders are calling for calm in the Middle East and say they are directly pressing Israel, Iran and others to avoid escalating the conflict.

Defense officials say several U.S. personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at a military base in Iraq.

The head of a group of family members of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks says she's hearing nearly unanimous praise of the U.S. defense secretary's nullification of plea deals for the accused mastermind and two others.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has overridden a plea agreement reached earlier this week for the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases.

The Pentagon has announced that the U.S. will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region.

With large parts of the world in turmoil and deep uncertainty over the future direction of America’s global role, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought this week to project an aura of calm normalcy as he traveled through Asia on his first overseas mission since President Joe Biden jolted the 2024 presidential race with his withdrawal.

Washington officials in Manila have announced $500 million in funding to boost Philippine defenses and progress in a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact amid shared concerns over China's increasingly aggressive actions in the region.

Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs and top diplomats agreed to further bolster their military cooperation by upgrading the command and control of U.S. forces in the East Asian country and strengthening American-licensed missile production there, describing the rising threat from China as “the greatest strategic challenge”.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that Russian and Chinese bombers flying together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska is a new show of expanding military cooperation and it raises concerns.

The Defense Department will review the Medals of Honor that were given to 20 U.S. soldiers for their actions in the 1890 battle at Wounded Knee to make sure their conduct merits such an honor.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Asia this week on an eight-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners but with the priority of assuring them that the United States remains committed to the region.

Three Massachusetts lawmakers are pressing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to ground the V-22 Osprey aircraft again until the military can fix the root causes of multiple recent accidents, including a deadly crash in Japan.

Ukraine's defense minister said his country will find a way to withstand Russia’s invading forces even if Donald Trump wins a second term, jeopardizings vital U.S. support for its defense.

Sen. Susan Collins didn’t vote for Donald Trump for president in 2016 or 2020, and the third time will not be the charm.

NATO has approved a new program to provide reliable military aid to Ukraine and help it get ready to join the alliance.

The Defense Department says a Navy sailor tried to access President Joe Biden’s medical records early this year, but no personal information was compromised.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the U.S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems.

U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months.

One of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's most senior aides is leaving for a top job with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and will be replaced by a brother of President Joe Biden's national security adviser.

NATO defense ministers have approved a plan to provide reliable long-term security aid and military training for Ukraine.

Hungary has agreed not to veto NATO support for Ukraine.

Ukraine has used U.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with Cambodian officials to discuss a possible resumption of joint military exercises, suggesting the beginning of a thaw in relations between the countries that have been strained over Cambodia’s growing closeness with China.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has told a gathering of top security officials he doesn’t see war with China as imminent, nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

U.S. officials say the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group that for months has launched crucial strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen to protect military and commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will remain in the region for at least another month.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with his Chinese counterpart as the two countries seek to repair lines of communications between their militaries that could be critical as tensions continue to rise between them in the Indo-Pacific region.

President Joe Biden is making a Memorial Day pledge that his country will continue the work of the nation’s fallen toward a more perfect union, “for which they lived, and for which they died.”.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to make an official visit to Cambodia, one of China’s closest allies in Southeast Asia, after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart at an annual security conference in Singapore.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has undergone a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and has resumed duty after temporarily transferring power.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun at a major defense conference in Singapore next week.

Two U.S. officials say the Biden administration is expected to announce an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine on Friday.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is committing to keep U.S. weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces one of its toughest moments against a renewed assault by Russia.

Pentagon officials are cautiously optimistic that an overall decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies suggests that leaders are finally getting a handle on what has been a persistent problem.

The U.S. has paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns that the country has not adequately taken civilian safety into account in its upcoming military operation in Rafah, and that the massive weapon would inflict additional civilian casualties.

President Joe Biden says he won't supply offensive weapons Israel can use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he doesn’t see a significant issue with Russia moving some troops onto an airbase in Niger where a small number of U.S. forces remain.

The Pentagon has announced that the U.S. will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as part of a massive $6 billion additional aid package.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China this coming week as Washington and Beijing try to keep ties on an even keel despite major differences on a range of issue, from the Middle East to opioids.

Pentagon leaders are telling Congress that Ukraine and Israel both desperately need the military weapons that are being held up by Congress’ failure to pass a funding package.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with China’s national defense minister in the latest in a series of U.S. steps to improve communications with the Chinese military and reduce unsafe and aggressive incidents in the Indo-Pacific.

President Joe Biden is hosting Iraq's leader at the White House as his administration works to prevent an escalation in Mideast hostilities following Iran's weekend attack on Israel.

President Joe Biden is lauding American forces who helped Israel down “nearly all” of the drones and missiles fired by Iran.

The Biden administration is again reassuring the Philippines the U.S. commitment to the islands’ defense is steadfast amid increasing concerns about provocative Chinese actions in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the diagnosis a "gut punch."

Three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has not informed the U.S. of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The State Department has greenlighted an emergency $138 million in foreign military sales for Ukraine to provide critical support and repairs for Kyiv's Hawk missile systems.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. are urging Capitol Hill to support the Pentagon’s $850 billion budget for 2025 as questions remain as to whether lawmakers will support current spending needs for Israel or Ukraine.