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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel-Iran conflict: US removes warplanes from Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar; see satellite images
Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar, after many aircraft on its tarmac left, June 18, 2025 (left), and a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter hovering over the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier while operating in the Middle East. (AP) Satellite images show that dozens of US military aircraft are no longer visible on the tarmac at a major US base in Qatar, news agency AFP reported. This may be a step to protect them from possible Iranian air strikes, as the United States considers whether to join Israel in its ongoing conflict with Iran in the Middle East. Images from Planet Labs PBC on June 5, the AFP report says, showed nearly 40 military aircraft at Al Udeid Air Base. These included transport aircraft like the Hercules C-130 and reconnaissance planes. By June 19, a new image showed only three aircraft visible on the tarmac. The US embassy in Qatar said Thursday that access to the base would be limited "out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities," and asked personnel to "exercise increased vigilance." — sentdefender (@sentdefender) The White House said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump will make a decision in the next two weeks on whether to support Israel's military strikes on Iran. Iran may respond by targeting US bases in the region. "He will make a decision within the next two weeks" about taking a direct military role in the conflict, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing. Aircraft, personnel, and facilities at Al Udeid base would be "extremely vulnerable" due to its "close proximity" to Iran, Mark Schwartz, a former US Army lieutenant general and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation, was quoted as saying by the AFP. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Were So Beautiful Before; Now Look At Them; Number 10 Will Shock You Reportingly Undo Schwartz, who has served in the Middle East, told AFP that even shrapnel could make the aircraft "non-mission capable." "You want to reduce risk to US forces, both personnel and equipment," he said. The aircraft that are no longer visible on the tarmac may have been moved into hangars or relocated to other bases in the area. US forces in the region have been active since Israel began its strikes on Iran almost a week ago. An additional aircraft carrier is on its way, and there has been increased aircraft movement. AFP report also mentions that open-source data tracking of the movement of aircraft found that between June 15 and 18, at least 27 military refueling planes — KC-46A Pegasus and KC-135 Stratotanker — flew from the US to Europe. As of late Wednesday, 25 of those planes remained in Europe, while only two had returned to the United States, according to the data.
Japan Times
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
U.S. admiral at NATO fired in expanding national security purge
U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, who holds a senior position in NATO, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, three sources said on Monday. The information was not immediately confirmed by the Pentagon. However, the sources said that allies have been notified that Chatfield had been removed from her job. Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee, is one of only a handful of female three-star Navy officers and was the first woman to lead the Naval War College, a job she held until 2023. The firing is the latest to rock the Pentagon after Thursday's removal of Gen. Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. For the Navy, it follows the firing of its top officer, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to become Chief of Naval Operations. Trump's administration has taken a cool view of NATO, as well as European allies, since taking office in January. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his first trip to NATO headquarters in February to warn Europe against treating the United States like a "sucker" by making it responsible for its defense. It was unclear if any official reason was given for Chatfield's dismissal, or if it was related to any U.S. policy direction on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. One source said the motive may have been related to the Pentagon's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a recent Harvard Magazine interview, Chatfield sounded eager for a time when the qualifications of women in the military would not be held in suspicion. The article cited one example when Chatfield, herself a helicopter pilot, led an MH-60S Sea Hawk expeditionary helicopter squadron in 2005-06. "A mid-grade sailor ... asked, 'Ma'am, can you fly one of those helicopters?' And I chuckled and said, 'Yes, actually it's a prerequisite for this job!'" she was quoted as saying, adding that at the time she had been wearing her wings that showed she was a naval aviator. Hegseth has made the elimination of DEI initiatives a priority, arguing they are divisive. He has also ended observances of events such as Black History Month and Women's History Month, issuing guidance to the U.S. military that "efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution." In recent weeks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, as well as other admirals, generals and security staff have also been dismissed. Many current and former government officials have said they worry that any national security official could be suspected of disloyalty by Trump's inner circle because of perceived links to those who have fallen out of favor or for having served key roles in the administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden. Uniformed military officials are supposed to be loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US admiral at NATO fired in expanding national security purge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who holds a senior position in NATO, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials by the Trump administration, three sources told Reuters on Monday. The information was not immediately confirmed by the Pentagon. However, the sources told Reuters that allies had been notified that Chatfield had been removed from her job. Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee, is one of only a handful of female Navy three-star officers and was the first woman to lead the Naval War College, a job she held until 2023. Air Force Academy leader seeks civilian faculty cuts: Report The firing is the latest to rock the Pentagon after Thursday's removal of General Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. For the Navy, it follows the firing of its top officer, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to become Chief of Naval Operations. President Donald Trump's administration has taken a cool view of NATO, as well as European allies, since taking office in January. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his first trip to NATO headquarters in February to warn Europe against treating the United States like a 'sucker' by making it responsible for its defense. It was unclear if any official reason was given for Chatfield's dismissal, or if it was related to any U.S. policy direction on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. One source said the motive may have been related to the Pentagon's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a recent Harvard Magazine interview, Chatfield sounded eager for a time when the qualifications of women in the military would not be held in suspicion. The article cited one example when Chatfield, herself a helicopter pilot, led an MH-60S Sea Hawk expeditionary helicopter squadron in 2005-2006. 'A mid-grade sailor … asked, 'Ma'am, can you fly one of those helicopters?' And I chuckled and said, 'Yes, actually it's a prerequisite for this job!'' she was quoted as saying, adding that at the time she had been wearing her wings that showed she was a naval aviator. Hegseth has made the elimination of DEI initiatives a priority, arguing they are divisive. Naval Academy removes hundreds of library books in DEI purge He has also ended observances of events such as Black History Month and Women's History Month, issuing guidance to the U.S. military that 'efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.' In recent weeks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, as well as other admirals, generals and security staff have also been dismissed. Pentagon watchdog to review Hegseth's use of Signal app to convey plans for Houthi strike Many current and former government officials have said they worry that any national security official could be suspected of disloyalty by Trump's inner circle because of perceived links to those who have fallen out of favor or for having served key roles in the Biden administration. Uniformed military officials are supposed to be loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exclusive-US admiral at NATO fired in expanding national security purge
By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Lili Bayer WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who holds a senior position in NATO, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials by the Trump administration, three sources told Reuters on Monday. The information was not immediately confirmed by the Pentagon. However, the sources told Reuters that allies had been notified that Chatfield had been removed from her job. Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee, is one of only a handful of female Navy three-star officers and was the first woman to lead the Naval War College, a job she held until 2023. The firing is the latest to rock the Pentagon after Thursday's removal of General Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. For the Navy, it follows the firing of its top officer, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to become Chief of Naval Operations. President Donald Trump's administration has taken a cool view of NATO, as well as European allies, since taking office in January. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his first trip to NATO headquarters in February to warn Europe against treating the United States like a "sucker" by making it responsible for its defense. It was unclear if any official reason was given for Chatfield's dismissal, or if it was related to any U.S. policy direction on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. One source said the motive may have been related to the Pentagon's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a recent Harvard Magazine interview, Chatfield sounded eager for a time when the qualifications of women in the military would not be held in suspicion. The article cited one example when Chatfield, herself a helicopter pilot, led an MH-60S Sea Hawk expeditionary helicopter squadron in 2005-2006. "A mid-grade sailor ... asked, 'Ma'am, can you fly one of those helicopters?' And I chuckled and said, 'Yes, actually it's a prerequisite for this job!'" she was quoted as saying, adding that at the time she had been wearing her wings that showed she was a naval aviator.
