Video: SECDEF Hegseth authorizes voluntary departure of military dependents in Middle East
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized U.S. military dependents in the Middle East to voluntarily depart from the region this week amid increased tension in the Middle East, which led to Israel striking Iran on Thursday.
According to Fox News, an anonymous U.S. defense official told the outlet on Wednesday, 'The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR.'
Fox News reported that while Hegseth's authorization for the voluntary departure of military dependents mostly affects military dependents who live near the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain since the country has a higher number of U.S. military dependents than other countries in the Middle East region, the defense secretary's authorization also affects other military bases throughout Central Command's area of responsibility. The outlet noted that U.S. military dependents in Syria, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar are also included as part of Hegseth's authorization for voluntary departure.
While the United States has authorized military dependents to voluntarily depart from the region, two U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. military will not evacuate any uniformed service members in the Middle East.
READ MORE: Video: Trump gives major update on Iran nuclear deal negotiations
In addition to Hegseth's authorization, a U.S. official told Fox News that General Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, postponed a testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday as a result of increased tension in the Middle East. The general's decision to postpone his testimony came prior to Israel's strikes against Iran.
The official told Fox News, 'CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time.'
According to The Associated Press, the State Department also confirmed that it ordered all nonessential personnel to depart from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in an effort to continue 'keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad.'
During an appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, President Donald Trump addressed the reports of nonessential personnel being removed from the Middle East.
'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens,' Trump said. 'We've given notice to move out, and we'll see what happens.'
Trump Confirms Non-essential Personnel Are Being Removed From Embassies Near Iran
"They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place…. We've given notice to move out and we'll see what happens… They can't have a nuclear weapon."https://t.co/4BWzpSEj6A pic.twitter.com/GClAz5X3Xr — Mr Producer (@RichSementa) June 11, 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China could have as many ICBMs as the US or Russia by 2030, weapons watchdog says
China has been adding about 100 nuclear warheads to its arsenal every year since 2023, per SIPRI. The think tank said China could have as many ICBMs as the US or Russia by 2030. Trump said in February that China's nuclear capabilities will match the US' in five or six years. China could achieve parity with the US and Russia in terms of the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles it has by 2030, per an estimate by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The European think tank said in a report on Monday that China has the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal. It added that the country has at least 600 nuclear warheads and has been adding about 100 warheads to its arsenal every year since 2023. Last year, SIPRI said China increased its number of nuclear warheads from 410 in 2023 to 500 at the start of 2024. SIPRI's estimate is similar to that of the Pentagon's, which said in its China Military Power Report last year that China has over 600 operational nuclear warheads. The Defense Department said China is on track to grow its arsenal to 1,000 warheads by 2030. SIPRI said in its report on Monday that China could have as many ICBMs as the US or Russia by 2030, but will lag behind in the number of warheads. It estimates that China will have a maximum number of 1,500 warheads by 2035. In comparison, the US has 5,177 warheads while Russia has 5,459, per SIPRI estimates. The countries' combined stockpile makes up almost 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. In February, President Donald Trump said he wanted to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in denuclearization talks in the "not too distant future." "China is trying to catch up because they're very substantially behind, but within five or six years, they'll be even," Trump said of China's burgeoning nuclear arsenal. Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said in a press briefing in February that China's nuclear strategy "focuses on self-defense" and it "always keeps its nuclear strength at the minimum level required by national security." The US and Russia should "make drastic and substantive cuts to their nuclear arsenals, and create necessary conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join in the nuclear disarmament process," Guo said. China's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US pushes Vietnam to decouple from Chinese tech, sources say
By Francesco Guarascio HANOI (Reuters) -The United States is pushing Vietnam in tariff talks to reduce the use of Chinese tech in devices that are assembled in the country before being exported to America, three people briefed on the matter said. Vietnam is home to large manufacturing operations of tech firms such as Apple and Samsung, which often rely on components made in China. Meta and Google also have contractors in Vietnam that produce goods such as virtual reality headsets and smartphones. The Southeast Asian nation has been organising meetings with local businesses to boost the supply of Vietnamese parts, with firms showing willingness to cooperate but also warning they would need time and technology to do so, according to one person with knowledge of the discussions. The Trump administration has threatened Vietnam with crippling tariffs of 46% which could significantly limit access for Vietnam-made goods to their main market and upend the Communist-run country's export-oriented growth model. Vietnam has been asked "to reduce its dependency on Chinese high-tech," said one person familiar with the discussions. "That is part of the restructuring of supply chains and would in turn reduce U.S. dependency on Chinese components," the person added. The ultimate objective is to speed up U.S. decoupling from Chinese high-tech while increasing Vietnam's industrial capacity, a second person said, citing virtual reality devices as an example of Vietnam-assembled products that are too dependent on Chinese technology. All sources declined to be identified as the discussions were confidential. Reuters was not able to learn if the U.S. has proposed numerical targets such as caps on Chinese content for "Made in Vietnam" goods or different tariff rates based on the amount of Chinese content. Apple, Samsung, Meta and Google did not reply to Reuters requests for comment. As the U.S.-imposed deadline of July 8 nears before the tariffs take effect, the timing and scope of a possible deal remain unclear. All sources stressed that while the U.S. has made broader requests for Vietnam to reduce its reliance on China, tackling the issue of Chinese high-tech content in exports was a key priority. Last year, China exported around $44 billion of tech such as electronics components, computers and phones to Vietnam, about 30% of its total exports to the country. Vietnam shipped $33 billion of tech goods to the United States or 28% of the U.S.-bound exports. Both flows are on the rise this year, according to Vietnam's customs data. Vietnam's trade ministry did not reply to Reuters requests for comment. Separate sources have previously said that U.S. demands were seen as "tough" and "difficult" by Vietnamese negotiators. The U.S. also wants Vietnam to crack down on the practice of shipping Chinese goods to America with misleading "Made in Vietnam" labels that draw lower duties - which Vietnam is also trying to heed. The ministry said on Sunday that a third round of talks last week in Washington ended with progress, but critical issues remain unresolved. Vietnam's ruling Communist Party chief To Lam intends to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in the United States, possibly in late June, officials with knowledge of the matter said. No date has been announced for the trip. The White House and Vietnam's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the possible visit. NOT TOO FAST Local firms attending meetings organised by the trade ministry in recent weeks expressed a general willingness to adapt, but many warned that instant changes "would destroy business", according to one of the sources. Vietnam has been slowly developing an industrial ecosystem with local suppliers but it has a long way to go before it can match China's advanced supply chains and cheaper pricing, industry executives say. "Vietnam is about 15–20 years behind China in somewhat fully replicating its supply chain scale and sophistication, but it's catching up fast, especially in key sectors like textiles and electronics," said Carlo Chiandone, a Vietnam-based supply chain expert. Abrupt changes to existing practices may hurt Vietnam's delicate relationship with China, which is both a major investor in its Southeast Asian neighbour and a source of security concerns. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MSNBC hosts highlight lack of 'dark, malevolent energy' at military parade in DC
MSNBC hosts Ali Velshi and Chris Hayes appeared surprised on Saturday that the military parade event in Washington, D.C., wasn't giving off "dark, malevolent energy," which they said was often the case at President Donald Trump's rallies. "One thing I will say, I want to go back to you, Ali, that, again, when we talk about the sort of tension in the country, and sometimes, you know, you and I have both been at Trump rallies, those can be very tense, a kind of, I would say, like kind of a dark, malevolent energy, sometimes in them, not always, but it doesn't seem like that's the energy on the Mall today, which I think is a good sign, right?" Hayes asked Velshi. The military parade on Saturday honored the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which also coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. However, the parade came as riots and protests continue in Los Angeles and across the country over the Trump administration's policies. "Correct. You're really correct about that, Chris, and it's something we were watching for. I'm just sort of surprised by the number of people who were at the front of the parade watching, cheering, and then would come and ask to take a selfie. This is a very different, this is a very different mood here. People seem to be going out of their way to say that they're here to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday," Velshi said. Military Parade Draws Patriotic Americans From Near And Far: 'No Better Time To Come To Dc' Velshi said that politicization was still present at the event, but that it wasn't dark or tense. Read On The Fox News App "Now, there are people walking around with signs. Moments ago, while you were talking to Jen, a guy just came around and said, 'Trump 2028!' and I said, 'How does that work exactly?' and he was, like, laughing and had a big flag on him. So there's some politicization here, but it's not dark, it's not tense, it's not amped up. It's different. It's different from covering a Trump rally," he continued. Hayes brought up "exuberant" protests across the nation in small towns and asked MSNBC host Jen Psaki about the country's "civic culture." Liberal Media Melts Down Over Trump's Military Parade Plan, Calling It 'Authoritarian' "There's sort of a feeling of hope, I think, and this speaks to what Ali is sort of experiencing, is that the country's civic culture and democratic culture is actually quite strong and sort of is an enormous asset that we have when we compare ourselves to other places. There genuinely is a democratic and civic culture in this country that I think, I think, most Americans still hang on to," he said. MSNBC's Jen Psaki said it was "encouraging" to hear that "there is a calm and that it isn't overly exercised among the people attending." However, Psaki said the calm may shift depending on what President Trump said during his speech at the parade. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "People who have never participated in protests or have never seen themselves as part of an activist movement are out there today, right? They're out there with their kids and their 98-year-old mothers, and that tells you how people feel moved in this moment. So, that is a part of our environment, that is a part of who we are as a country, and today is an example of that. And let's certainly all hope that that continues at this event this evening," the MSNBC host article source: MSNBC hosts highlight lack of 'dark, malevolent energy' at military parade in DC
