Latest news with #PhilStewart
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon defends troop deployments to Los Angeles to protect ICE agents
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday defended the deployments of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying they would safeguard officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose roundups of alleged immigration offenders have triggered days of clashes. "We believe ICE agents should be allowed to be safe in doing their operations, and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties," Hegseth told a hearing in Congress. "Because we ought to be able to enforce immigration law in this country." Hundreds of Marines arrived in Los Angeles overnight and more were expected on Tuesday under orders from President Donald Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. Democratic lawmakers on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Pentagon spending sought answers from Hegseth about the cost of the deployments, and raised concerns about sending active-duty U.S. troops to a mission that they said would be better performed by law enforcement officers. "This is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in. Their service should be honored. It should not be exploited," said Representative Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota. McCollum said the Los Angeles protests did not mirror the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, which was the last time that the Insurrection Act was invoked in order to allow the U.S. military to directly participate in civilian law enforcement. Then-President George H.W. Bush deployed U.S. forces to Los Angeles after California's governor requested military aid to suppress unrest following the trial of Los Angeles police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King. However, Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, and the U.S. military has said the Marines would only be deployed to "support the protection of federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area." The U.S. military has a long history of deployments within the United States. National Guard and active-duty troops are deployed for natural disasters and other events, including helping set up temporary hospitals during the pandemic. During the 2020 wave of nationwide protests over racial injustice, more than 17,000 National Guard troops were activated by 23 states. What is rare, however, is sending active-duty troops during times of civil disturbance. U.S. Marines are trained for conflicts around the world - from the Middle East to Africa - and are also used for rapid deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to U.S. embassies. In addition to combat training, which includes weapons training, some units learn riot and crowd-control techniques.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Ukraine hit fewer Russian planes than it estimated, US officials say
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States assesses that Ukraine's drone attack over the weekend hit as many as 20 Russian warplanes, destroying around 10 of them, two U.S. officials told Reuters, a figure that is about half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Still, the U.S. officials described the attack as highly significant, with one of them cautioning that it could drive Moscow to a far more severe negotiating position in the U.S.-brokered talks to end more than three years of war. Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Moscow would have to respond to attack, Trump said in a social media post. Trump added it "was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace." Ukraine says it targeted four air bases across Russia using 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched from containers close to the targets, in an operation codenamed "Spider's Web." It released footage on Wednesday showing its drones striking Russian strategic bombers and landing on the dome antennas of two A-50 military spy planes, of which there are only a handful in Russia's fleet. The two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, estimated the Ukrainian strikes destroyed around 10 and hit up to 20 warplanes in total. That estimate is far lower than the one Zelenskiy offered to reporters in Kyiv earlier on Wednesday. He said half of the 41 Russian aircraft struck were too damaged to be repaired. Reuters could not independently verify the numbers from Kyiv or the United States. Russia, which prioritizes its nuclear forces as a deterrent to the United States and NATO, urged the United States and Britain on Wednesday to restrain Kyiv after the attacks. Russia and the United States together hold about 88% of all nuclear weapons. The United States says it was not given any notice by Kyiv ahead of the attack. The war in Ukraine is intensifying despite nearly four months of efforts by Trump, who says he wants peace after the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Russian and Ukrainian embassies also did not immediately reply. ESCALATION RISK Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, said the damage to Russia caused by the operation amounted to $7 billion, and 34% of the strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia's main airfields were hit. Commercial satellite imagery taken after the Ukrainian drone attack shows what experts told Reuters appear to be damaged Russian Tu-95 heavy bombers and Tu-22 Backfires, long-range, supersonic strategic bombers that Russia has used to launch missile strikes against Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry has acknowledged that Ukraine targeted airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions and were repelled in the last three locations. It has also said several aircraft caught fire in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions. The attack has bolstered Ukrainian morale after months of unrelenting Russian battlefield pressure and numerous powerful missile and drone strikes by Moscow's forces. It also demonstrated that Kyiv, even as it struggles to halt invading Russian forces, can surprise Moscow deep inside its own territory with attacks up to 4,300 km (2,670 miles) from the front lines. Influential Russian military bloggers have accused Russian authorities, especially the aerospace command, of negligence and complacency for allowing the nuclear-capable bombers to be targeted. Trump's Ukraine envoy said the risk of escalation from the war in Ukraine was "going way up," particularly since Kyiv had struck one leg of Russia's "nuclear triad," or weapons on land, in the air and at sea. "In the national security space, when you attack an opponent's part of their national survival system, which is their triad, the nuclear triad, that means your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other side is going to do," Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News on Tuesday.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-America's next top general in Europe will also lead NATO, officials say
By Phil Stewart, Andrew Gray, Idrees Ali and Sabine Siebold WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -President Donald Trump will maintain the traditional role of a U.S. general at the helm of NATO, at least for now, three U.S. officials, a Western official and a NATO source said, even as Washington pushes European allies to take more responsibility for their security. Trump himself privately communicated the decision to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the Western official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Pentagon, White House and NATO did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The decision will relieve European NATO allies and even some of Trump's fellow Republicans amid concerns that Washington's tough talk on Europe, and skepticism about the war in Ukraine, could signal a swift retrenchment in America's military leadership. Still, officials say U.S. warnings that Trump's administration needs to shift its focus to Asia and homeland security are sincere. While no decisions have been made, Trump's administration has discussed possible troop reductions in Europe, where about 80,000 U.S. personnel are based today. The next expected U.S. nominee for the positions of both Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and U.S. European Command (EUCOM) is Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, the U.S. officials said. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement expected in the coming days. The position of SACEUR, which oversees all NATO operations in Europe, has been filled by a U.S. general since its creation after World War Two. U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower became the alliance's first SACEUR in 1951. Since taking office in January, Trump's administration has pressured Europe to ramp up its own defense spending, saying Europe should be primarily responsible for defense on the European continent. How quickly Europe assumes such a role remains a big question, and there have been discussions within the administration about the possibility of handing over the job of Supreme Allied Commander Europe to a European nation, officials say. "Make no mistake: President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker'," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters during a visit to NATO headquarters in February. During Trump's first term, maintaining NATO and the leading U.S. role in the alliance was a top priority for his Pentagon chiefs. Retired Marine Corps General Jim Mattis, his first defense secretary, resigned in part because of Trump's skepticism towards NATO. While the United States was still expected to pressure Europe to do more, and could in the future start redirecting U.S. troops elsewhere as part of a broader review of U.S. deployments, the U.S. decision to maintain the role of SACEUR is certain to be welcomed by key allies of Trump in Congress. The two Republican lawmakers who lead the Pentagon's oversight committees in the U.S. Congress issued a rare joint statement in March expressing alarm about a potential U.S. withdrawal from the SACEUR command structure. Grynkewich, who is now the director for operations at the U.S. military's Joint Staff, would succeed Army General Christopher Cavoli, who has been in the role since shortly after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, helping oversee billions of dollars in U.S. security assistance to Kyiv. Trump entered office in January predicting he would be able to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. In the months since, he has found that the conflict is more intractable than he believed and has blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for allowing it to happen.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US accepts luxury jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One for Trump
By Phil Stewart and David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar and the Air Force has been asked to find a way to rapidly upgrade it for use as a new Air Force One, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accepted the $400 million Boeing-made jet for use as U.S. President Donald Trump's official plane, the Pentagon said. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Defense Department "will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered." Legal experts have questioned the scope of laws relating to gifts from foreign governments that aim to thwart corruption and improper influence. Democrats have also sought to block the handover. Qatar has dismissed concerns about the aircraft deal. Trump has also shrugged off ethical concerns, saying it would be "stupid" not to accept the jet. Retrofitting the luxury plane offered by Qatar's royal family will require significant security upgrades, communications improvements to prevent spies from listening in and the ability to fend off incoming missiles, experts say. That could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The precise costs were not known, but could be significant given the cost for Boeing's current effort to build two new Air Force One planes is over $5 billion. The Air Force One program has faced chronic delays over the last decade, with the delivery of two new 747-8s slated for 2027, three years behind the previous schedule. Boeing in 2018 received a $3.9 billion contract to build the two planes for use as Air Force One, thought costs have since risen. Boeing has also posted $2.4 billion in charges from the project.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Army has no plans to celebrate Trump's birthday on 250th anniversary
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Army said on Wednesday it has no plans to recognize President Donald Trump's birthday on June 14 when he presides over part of the Army's celebrations of its 250th anniversary. Trump, who is turning 79 on the same day, will play a big role in the celebrations, which will see Army soldiers parachuting in to present him with a folded flag. The Army will also hold a parade down Washington's Constitution Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares that cuts through the capital. The parade was not part of the original planning for the June 14 celebrations and was added this year, stoking criticism from Democratic lawmakers and others that Trump has hijacked the event. Asked if there were any plans by the Army to recognize the president's birthday, Steve Warren, an Army spokesperson, said: "I don't think we have a plan for that. "This has been the Army's birthday. ... We've had 249 previous of these," Warren told reporters at the Pentagon. "We're excited that the commander-in-chief is interested in the Army's 250th anniversary and that he will want to view it." The celebrations will cost the Army between $25 million and $45 million and will see M1A1 Abrams tanks and other heavy vehicles participating in a parade meant to honor the Army's history. Army officials said they were taking steps to protect the streets of Washington, D.C., from any potential damage caused by the tanks, including putting metal plates in some areas. No damage is anticipated, but the Army will pay for any unexpected repairs if needed.
