Photo of American soldier

US May Now Keep Some Troops in Syria to Guard Oilfields

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. may leave some forces in Syria to secure oilfields and make sure they don't fall into the hands of a resurgent Islamic State, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday, even though President Donald Trump has insisted he is pulling ...
Photo of Jim Mattis

Pentagon in Its Longest-Ever Stretch of Leadership Limbo

WASHINGTON — When he resigned as defense secretary last December, Jim Mattis thought it might take two months to install a successor. That seemed terribly long at the time. "It is needlessly disruptive to have a leadership vacuum for so long at the Departme...
Photo of President Donald Trump

US Beefing up Forces in Middle East to Counter Iran

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will send hundreds of additional troops and a dozen fighter jets to the Middle East in the coming weeks to counter what the Pentagon said is an escalating campaign by Iran to plan attacks ...
Photo of President Donald Trump

Courts Weigh Trump’s Plan to Tap Pentagon for Border Wall

SAN FRANCISCO — President Donald Trump is moving fast to spend billions of dollars to build a wall on the Mexican border with money secured under his declaration of a national emergency, but he first must get past the courts. On Friday, a federal judge in O...