All Security

Amid rumors that President Trump might withdraw troops from Afghanistan, a new report suggests that Afghan forces have ceased to gain ground on the Taliban, despite a surge in air support from the United States. 

The Trump administration envisions a space-based defense system to thwart missile threats – a departure from current US weapons based on land and ships. While the White House is gunning for interceptors in space, Congress has ordered a feasibility review first.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration and seen as a moderating force, will leave his post by the end of February. Withdrawal of US troops from Syria was reportedly the last straw for Secretary Mattis.

The Trump administration has ordered the military to start withdrawing more than 5,000 of its 14,000 troops from Afghanistan, according to a US official. The reports came as a surprise to Afghan officials and Western diplomats, who were not expecting the exit so soon. 

Marching and entertainment are the uses we often think of for music in the armed forces. But composing and writing their own works is proving to be therapeutic for those who are no longer on the battlefield. 

Through advances in technology and new government funding, more and more remains of soldiers killed since World War II are being identified. The process is bringing closure to families who have been wondering for more than 70 years what happened to their loved ones. 

Child-on-child sexual assault reports have long been buried. Under a sweeping new law President Trump signed Monday, schools on military bases must overhaul their system for tracking and addressing assault allegations, among other reforms. 

Vice President Mike Pence announced official plans to form a new branch of the military by 2020, framing the change as a response to potential aggression from Russia and China. 

Charles and Larry McDaniel barely remember their father. Almost 70 years after his death, they've been reunited with his dog tags, the only personal effect returned by North Korea last month as part of an agreement with the United States to repatriate remains. 

An estimated 10,000 immigrants are currently serving in the US Army as part of a program offering a path to citizenship. Coming a month after reports that dozens of enlistees were being discharged, the leaked memo ordering the reversal was the first official acknowledgment of the policy. 

After last year's ambush in Niger that killed four US soldiers and four Niger counterparts, the US military is working to better protect troops on the ground. The military's presence in Africa is mainly to aid local partner forces, but extremist threats to soldiers remain.  

In one of the first tangible results from the Trump-Kim summit in June, North Korea released 55 cases with remains of US service members killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. About 7,700 US soldiers are listed as missing, and as many as 5,300 are believed to still be in North Korea.

Military vets and intelligence agents consider themselves patriots first and are supportive of the office of the presidency. But for some, it was hard to watch Trump’s summit with Putin.

Military veterans across the country are divided over President Trump’s recent comments during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir, with some calling his remarks "a tragedy" and others seeing the benefits of a closer US-Russia relationship. 

Republicans have long embraced the war on drugs. But recently many Republicans, including former House Speaker John Boehner, have shifted their stance on legalizing marijuana, thanks in part to veterans who say cannabis softens the symptoms of combat trauma. 

Students hope to ultimately bring closure to family members through the Army and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency project, which plans to return missing soldiers' remains to their relatives.

Twenty service members and veterans die by suicide every day. Two federal agencies have launched a public health campaign to make it easier for them to understand how to get help.

"Space Force" would aim to ensure American supremacy in space, although its development may be beyond the president's control. "The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers," President Trump said. 

Since the United States pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, officials have confirmed that an anti-missile system could be stationed in Germany to ease fears of an Iranian nuclear attack. But the move could strain relationships between the European Union and Russia. 

Team Rubicon, a nonprofit made up of mostly military veterans, plans to repair 100 hurricane Harvey-damaged homes as they expand their work to include more long-term projects.