Latest news with #Combat
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon orders review of base moves, and more military news
TGIF! If you are a service member or a military family member, you are painfully aware of just how often troops are required to move. Now, the Pentagon is giving the military branches until Sept. 25 to come up with plans to limit the number of permanent change of station, or PCS moves, that are not absolutely essential. The military spends about $5 billion per year on PCS moves, but now wants to drastically cut that by 50% starting in fiscal year 2030. The toll taken on troops and families by constant moves has been an issue over the years. Project 2025, the policy blueprint produced by the Heritage Foundation think tank, recommended that the Defense Department evaluate 'the military family holistically when considering change-of-station moves.' More recently, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said that Marines should be able to stay at their current duty stations if they want to, instead of being forced to move every few years. 'If you want to stay at Camp Pendleton, your spouse has good employment, you're happy in your home there, and you know the terrain and you know the training, why can't you stay there for nine, or 10 or 12 years?' Smith said on May 1 during the annual Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C. 'I'm not saying you should stay there for your entire 30-year career, but we don't have to move you every three years.' Of course, there's more news. Here's your weekly rundown. Huge Somalia airstrikes. Planes from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman dropped 124,000 pounds of ordnance within two minutes during Feb. 1 airstrikes against the Islamic State group, or ISIS, in Somalia, a defense official told Task & Purpose. Within the past two years, ISIS-Somalia has grown from about 500 to roughly 1,500 members, of which an estimated 60% are foreign fighters, said Kelly Cahalan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Africa Command, which has conducted 33 airstrikes so far this year in Somalia against both ISIS and al-Shabab, a terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida. National Guard unit goes analog. The Missouri Air National Guard's 139th Operations Group conducted flight operations without computers or cell phones as part of an exercise that simulated a cyber attack. Airmen relied on other forms of communication, including sticky notes, dry erase boards, and smoke signals. Better late than never. After more than a decade of delays, the first Littoral Combat Ship equipped to neutralize sea mines has arrived in Bahrain, USNI News has reported. The Navy plans to eventually replace its Avenger-class minesweepers, which date back to the 1980s and have wooden hulls coated in fiberglass. Air Force sends message to China. The B-52H, B-1B, B-2, F-22. F-15C, F-16C, and A-10 flew together for the first time during a recent airshow in Miami. 'Did it send a signal to our nation's enemies, including China? Absolutely,' said retired Air Force Col. Mark Gunzinger, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for forces transformation and resources. Ukraine denies attacking Putin's helicopter. Ukrainian officials have denied a claim by a Russian commander that Ukrainian drones attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin's helicopter when he visited a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region on May 20. The commander, Maj. Gen. Yuri Dashkin, told Russian media, 'We simultaneously waged an anti-aircraft battle and ensured the safety of the president's helicopter in the air.' 'Loss of confidence' — North Korea-style. North Korea has arrested four officials after one of the country's newest warships capsized during its May 21 launch. North Korean state-run media claims the 5,000-ton vessel was not seriously damaged and attempts to right the ship are underway. Thank you all for reading! Jeff Schogol
News24
09-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
Two Israel soldiers killed amid ‘fierce fighting' with Hamas in Gaza
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. Hamas said it was engaged in 'fierce fighting'. Two Israeli officers and two other soldiers were severely injured. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in southern Gaza Strip, the army said in a statement on Friday. Hamas militants engaged in 'fierce fighting' with Israeli soldiers on Thursday in the south of the Gaza Strip near Rafah, the Palestinian militant group said. The statement, issued on Telegram, suggests that Hamas is still active in areas where the Israeli military has expanded its control, more than 19 months after the start of Israel's air and ground campaign in Gaza. In a later statement, it said fighters ambushed an Israeli 12-man force inside a house in the Tanur neighbourhood in the eastern Rafah area with two anti-personnel and anti-armour rockets, killing and wounding several soldiers. The Israeli army confirmed in a statement on Friday that two of its soldiers had been killed in combat in the southern Gaza Strip. The statement added two officers and two other soldiers had been severely injured. Hamas has rarely reported fighting around Rafah in recent months, with most clashes reported in the eastern area of the nearby city of Khan Younis and northern parts of the coastal territory. Israel said earlier this month it would further extend its offensive in Gaza. Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a fragile, US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for six weeks. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking at an informal meeting of EU foreign policy ministers in Poland, said that a majority of European countries agreed that the situation in Gaza is untenable and rapidly deteriorating. US President Donald Trump met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday and discussed nuclear talks with Iran and Israel's war in Gaza, Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the meeting. The meeting was held at the White House and was not made public by the US or Israel, according to Axios. Dermer met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and had several meetings in the White House including one with Trump on Thursday, Axios said. The White House had no immediate comment.
Al Arabiya
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Two Israeli soldiers killed in combat in southern Gaza Strip: Army
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in southern Gaza Strip, the army said in a statement on Friday. The statement added two officers and two other soldiers had been severely injured. Earlier on Thursday, Hamas said its militants were engaged in 'fierce fighting' with Israeli soldiers in the south of the Gaza Strip near Rafah. The statement, issued on Telegram, suggests that Hamas is still active in areas where the Israeli military has expanded its control, more than 19 months after the start of Israel's air and ground campaign in Gaza. In a later statement, it said fighters ambushed an Israeli 12-man force inside a house in the Tanur neighborhood in the eastern Rafah area with two anti-personnel and anti-armour rockets, killing and wounding several soldiers. Hamas has rarely reported fighting around Rafah in recent months, with most clashes reported in the eastern area of the nearby city of Khan Younis and northern parts of the coastal territory. Israel said earlier this month it would further extend its offensive in Gaza. Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a fragile, US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for six weeks.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lexington joins nationwide protests to say ‘Hands Off' to Trump/Musk administration
During an afternoon break in Saturday's torrential rain storms, more than 1,000 people filled the courthouse square in downtown Lexington to protest the Trump administration. The Hands Off rally here joined other ones Saturday held in Danville, Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green and hundreds of cities around the nation. Speakers included a host of Democratic politicians like Lexington Representative Adrielle Camuel, who stuck to the day's theme. 'Take your hands off our free speech, take your hands off our elections, take your hands off our public schools and public universities, take your hands off our libraries, take your hands off our clean water,' she shouted to big cheers. 'Take your hands off our Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security — these are benefits we paid for. 'It's going to take all of us together to bring about change.' A smorgasbord of different outrages about Trump, Musk and various others in his administration was reflected in a variety of signs, everything from 'Seriously, Stop Abducting People,' to 'Honk If You Never Drunk Texted War Plans.' That one was held by Brooke Young, 25, who drove from Mount Sterling to attend. 'Why am I here?' she asked. 'I guess I'd start with the fact that Elon Musk cut the grant that pays for my mom's job (an infectious control nurse),' she said. 'Then human rights, trans rights, gay rights, so many things, there's too many to list. I'm hoping Congress gets the hint.' Anthony Justin carried a sign that said 'Combat Veterans Against Billionaires.' A National Guard member who served in Syria, Justin said he was at the protest to 'fulfill my oath to protect the Constitution.' Kristen East of Lexington said it was hard for her to focus on just one thing she's mad about. Today, maybe it was Trump watching golf when dead soldiers were brought home from Lithuania. 'We've just got to do better,' she said. As someone who's covered a fair number of protests, it was striking how many people in the crowd did not want to share their full name to a reporter, after various students on legal visas have been arrested over free speech issues. Elon Musk came in for his share of disgust. A woman named Lori carried a sign of Musk with a Wisconsin cheesehead hat that said, 'Nobody voted for this weasel.' 'No kings, no Nazis, no racists,' she said. A woman driving by in a white Tesla honked her horn in solidarity, then shouted through the open window, 'I'm sorry about this car!' Lexington Urban County Council Member Emma Curtis, the first openly transgender council member, spoke about the war on LGBTQ+ people happening at the federal level and in Frankfort. She pointed out trans people make up 1 percent of the population. But that's what Republicans want folks to focus on. 'They don't want you focused on the 1 percent hoarding more than 50 percent of wealth in our country,' she said. 'This is about the haves versus the have-nots.'
Shafaq News
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Human Rights Official: Iraq's crime rate drops 15% in 2024, violent crimes down 20%
Shafaq News/ Iraq recorded a 15% decline in overall crime rates in 2024 compared to the previous year, with significant drops in violent crimes, theft, and drug-related offenses, according to the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq. 'The latest crime indicators from the Interior Ministry show a 20% decrease in violent crimes, including murder and serious assaults,' said Fadel Al-Gharawi, head of the center, in a report on Wednesday. The data showed a 22% drop in homicides, with 1,200 cases recorded in 2024 compared to 1,540 in 2023. Serious assaults also fell 18%, with 3,500 reported cases versus 4,270 the previous year. Theft-related crimes also saw a decline. Home burglaries dropped 10%, with 8,000 cases recorded, down from 8,900 in 2023. Car thefts decreased by 14%, with 5,500 reported cases compared to 6,400 last year. Drug-related offenses also declined, with trafficking cases falling 18% to 2,500 in 2024 from 3,050 a year earlier. Drug use cases dropped 15%, with 4,000 cases recorded compared to 4,700 in 2023. Financial crimes followed the downward trend, with fraud cases dropping 20%, from 1,125 cases in 2023 to 900 this year. Corruption-related crimes, including bribery and embezzlement, fell 25%, with 1,200 cases recorded, down from 1,600 last year. Al-Gharawi urged the Interior Ministry to launch a national crime-fighting strategy, dismantle criminal networks, and focus on combating serious crimes, particularly drug trafficking and human trafficking. He also called for the introduction of "Kafeh" (Combat), an interactive initiative allowing citizens to collaborate with security forces in crime reporting. Additionally, he proposed a "Crime Database Program," an official statistical system to track and analyze crime trends over time.
