Tough Sanctions May Drive Turkey Into Russia’s Arms

Tough Sanctions May Drive Turkey Into Russia’s Arms
Tough Sanctions May Drive Turkey Into Russia’s Arms

Norway suspended new applications for military export licenses to Turkey today. Norway is also reviewing all current licenses for Turkey for military and multi-use military export licenses.

US Scrambles As Both Parties Oppose Trump On Kurds

US Scrambles As Both Parties Oppose Trump On Kurds
US Scrambles As Both Parties Oppose Trump On Kurds

The Pentagon and State Department spent much of Monday scrambling to respond to the White House’s Sunday night announcement. Three days earlier Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters he and the Turkish Defense Minister had reached an agreement on joint US/Turkish patrols in northern Syria.

Is Israel Flying F-35s In Iraq To Hit Iran Missile Shipments?

Is Israel Flying F-35s In Iraq To Hit Iran Missile Shipments?
Is Israel Flying F-35s In Iraq To Hit Iran Missile Shipments?

New reports emerge of Israeli strikes in Iraq, as a prominent Senator (and Trump ally) pushes a new security pact between Washington and Jerusalem.

Senate Blocks Huge Arms Sale To Saudis; Trump Pledges Veto

Senate Blocks Huge Arms Sale To Saudis; Trump Pledges Veto
Senate Blocks Huge Arms Sale To Saudis; Trump Pledges Veto

It’s the second time this year Republicans and Democrats have come together to oppose President Trump’s policy towards Riyadh.

‘Hold Fast, Alongside Our Allies’: Mattis Farewell Invokes Civil War

‘Hold Fast, Alongside Our Allies’: Mattis Farewell Invokes Civil War
‘Hold Fast, Alongside Our Allies’: Mattis Farewell Invokes Civil War

Mattis’s last message to the troops is three brief, carefully crafted paragraphs packed with historical references and political messages — which are implicitly critical of President Trump.

White House, Pentagon Remain In Dark Over Syria Withdrawal

White House, Pentagon Remain In Dark Over Syria Withdrawal
White House, Pentagon Remain In Dark Over Syria Withdrawal

Republican Senators erupted in outrage, and there are some indications that Turkey pushed Trump to withdraw support from its traditional foes, the Kurds. The British government issued an equivocal statement, while the Kremlin applauded the move.

Trump Supporter Sen. Perdue ‘Very Troubled’ By Pledge To End Korea Exercises

Trump Supporter Sen. Perdue ‘Very Troubled’ By Pledge To End Korea Exercises
Trump Supporter Sen. Perdue ‘Very Troubled’ By Pledge To End Korea Exercises

“I’ve never agreed with 100% of what this president says off the cuff like that,” Perdue said. The pledge to end exercises — deemed critical to allied military readiness — was not mentioned in the official joint statement, he noted, and therefore isn’t a binding commitment, only an expression of presidential intent predicated on continued cooperation from Pyongyang.

Sen Graham: ‘Just A Matter of Time’ Til North Korean Redlines Crossed

Sen Graham: ‘Just A Matter of Time’ Til North Korean Redlines Crossed
Sen Graham: ‘Just A Matter of Time’ Til North Korean Redlines Crossed

WASHINGTON: “When does that moment come when their program matures and goes across those redlines? At the pace we’re on, it’s just a matter of time. If something doesn’t change, it will be inevitable these redlines are met — if there’s another test of a warhead.” Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared to document one of the redlines he…

DoD Nominations Logjam About To Break: Mattis Aide (EXCLUSIVE)

DoD Nominations Logjam About To Break: Mattis Aide (EXCLUSIVE)
DoD Nominations Logjam About To Break: Mattis Aide (EXCLUSIVE)

PENTAGON: There are a lot of empty offices around the E-ring, the most prestigious sector of the Pentagon, where top defense officials enjoy the rare privilege of windows. But that’s about to change, a senior aide to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told me. “There’s a bow wave of names that are very close to being…

We’ll Watch Trump’s Actions: UK Gen. Bradshaw, Top NATO Leader

We’ll Watch Trump’s Actions: UK Gen. Bradshaw, Top NATO Leader
We’ll Watch Trump’s Actions: UK Gen. Bradshaw, Top NATO Leader

WASHINGTON: With just 10 days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, our European allies appear to have gotten over the initial shock of his election and moved to a wait-and-see mode. They’ll judge him by his actions in office, not by his mixed messages on the campaign trail. “What I detect from my colleagues within NATO is…

Clapper Vs. Trump: Intel Agencies ‘Even More Resolute’ That Russia Meddled In Elections

Clapper Vs. Trump: Intel Agencies ‘Even More Resolute’ That Russia Meddled In Elections
Clapper Vs. Trump: Intel Agencies ‘Even More Resolute’ That Russia Meddled In Elections

WASHINGTON: The day before intelligence analysts brief a skeptical Donald Trump on Russian interference with the 2016 elections, the Director of National Intelligence told supportive senators that he had only grown more confident the Kremlin was the culprit. DNI James Clapper not only repeated his assessment that Russia had tried to manipulate the election with…

Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies

Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies
Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies

SIMI VALLEY, CALIF.: You might not think a man nicknamed “Mad Dog” would put America’s allies at ease. But that’s the buzz here at the Reagan Library’s annual defense conference, where Donald Trump‘s choice of Gen. James Mattis to run the Pentagon met with enthusiastic praise from the right, from the left, and from overseas.…

Four Service Chiefs Say They Can’t Defend US Under Sequestration

Four Service Chiefs Say They Can’t Defend US Under Sequestration
Four Service Chiefs Say They Can’t Defend US Under Sequestration

WASHINGTON: Today, we got a very clear look at the biggest problem with sequestration for the military. If the Budget Control Act goes into full effect, the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines told the Senate Armed Services Committee today, they will not be able to protect the United States as they are…

11 GOP Vote Against McCain’s $18B NDAA Add; AIA Briefs Trump

11 GOP Vote Against McCain’s $18B NDAA Add; AIA Briefs Trump
11 GOP Vote Against McCain’s $18B NDAA Add; AIA Briefs Trump

WASHINGTON: If you want to know just how fractured the Republican Party is, even in the relatively staid Senate, just look at today’s bipartisan vote knocking down Sen. John McCain’s amendment to add $18 billion in defense spending to the National Defense Authorization Act. The vote, technically a cloture motion, saw 11 Republicans voting nay, four…