After threatening since last year to cancel it, President Rodrigo Duterte decided to restore the agreement that enables U.S. forces to operate in the Philippines. Here's why that matters.
President Biden and the Pentagon say that after U.S. forces leave Afghanistan they will still assist that country from afar. But what precisely does that mean and can it be effective?
Lloyd Austin arrived in Kabul on his first visit as defense secretary as the Biden administration discusses when to pull U.S. forces out of Afghanistan.
The first Cabinet-level trip abroad of the Biden administration is squarely focused on the challenge presented by China to U.S. primacy. Blinken will also meet with his Chinese counterpart in Alaska.
The deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 has forced military leadership to confront the threat of domestic extremism. Rioters that day included current and former service members.
Austin has ordered the armed forces to stand down for one day to address concerns over extremism in the ranks — an issue that has drawn renewed concern in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Austin's near-unanimous confirmation came despite concerns raised on both sides of the aisle that he hadn't been out of uniform for the legally mandated minimum seven-year period.
The House normally has no role in Cabinet nominations, but because Austin, a retired Army general, has been out of uniform for less than seven years, both chambers of Congress must approve a waiver.
The retired four-star Army general served in the military for 40 years including as the first Black general to lead U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East.
