Aug. 31, 2018

Mattis, State Department Officials Meet With Middle East Representatives at the Pentagon

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and State Department officials discussed shared strategic objectives and regional security challenges with representatives from the Gulf Cooperation Council states and other nations at the Pentagon.

Aug. 30, 2018

Jason Dunham Seizes Illicit Arms in Gulf of Aden

MANAMA, Bahrain -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet, seized an illicit shipment of arms from a stateless skiff in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden, on Aug. 28. The skiff was determined to be stateless following a flag verification boarding, conducted in accordance with international law. Illicit cargo discovered by the Dunham’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team included over 1,000 weapons.

Aug. 28, 2018

Mattis: U.S. Military Becoming ‘Stronger, More Lethal, More Agile’

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department is making significant progress along its three strategic lines of effort outlined in the National Defense Strategy issued in January, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

Aug. 27, 2018

NATO names Canadian general to head alliance’s Iraq mission

WASHINGTON — Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin of the Canadian army will lead the new NATO mission in Iraq.

Aug. 23, 2018

President presents Medal of Honor to fallen Air Force hero’s widow

WASHINGTON — On what would have been their 26th wedding anniversary, Valerie Nessel, the widow of fallen Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, accepted his Medal of Honor from President Donald J. Trump during a ceremony at the White House.

Aug. 20, 2018

Sharing best practices across borders

HAIMA, Oman — When U.S. Army Soldiers think about border security the first image that may come to mind is one of the fences and checkpoints surrounding the physical boundaries of the United States of America, popularized in television shows and movies. What many Soldiers may not know about is the robust effort the U.S. Army dedicates toward border protection operations abroad, including working with partner nation forces to enhance security.

Aug. 16, 2018

US, Iraq, Kuwait complete trilateral exercise

ARABIAN GULF -- The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard completed a trilateral exercise with Iraqi navy and Kuwaiti navy partners in the Northern Arabian Gulf, August 15. The exercise focused on improving collective proficiency in maritime security tactics between the three nations and ensuring the freedom of navigation throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Participants included the guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68), U.S. coastal patrol ships USS Tempest (PC 2) and USS Chinook (PC 9), U.S. Coast Guard Island-class patrol boat USCGC Monomoy (WPB 1326), Iraqi navy patrol boat P 303, and Kuwaiti navy patrol boat KNS Al-Garoh (P 3725). The Sullivans led command and control of each event throughout the exercise.

Aug. 14, 2018

Defeat-ISIS forces make progress, require continued coalition support

WASHINGTON — Ongoing security operations by coalition forces continue to protect Iraqi and Syrian citizens, but the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is far from over, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said.

Aug. 8, 2018

Centcom commander: Afghan government will prosecute ISIS-K terrorists

WASHINGTON — Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan members held in Afghanistan will be tried as war criminals and those found guilty will be held accountable for their war crimes, the commander of U.S. Central Command said.

Aug. 7, 2018

SOCCENT change of command ceremony

MACDILL AFB, Fla. — The Commander, Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) held a change of command ceremony at the headquarters facilities, July 19. Maj. Gen. Darsie D. Rogers relinquished command to Rear Adm. Wyman Howard Thursday during a traditional ceremony on MacDill in front of senior leaders, service members and family, and members of the MacDill community.