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September 29, 2021

 

Defense officials testify they were surprised by Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan  The Pentagon began planning for the possibility of a noncombatant evacuation from Afghanistan ‘as far back as this spring,’ though no one predicted the Afghan government would fall before U.S. forces left on Aug. 30, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. READ MORE

Milley: ‘Of course I wouldn’t’ alert China if U.S. was planning an actual attack Army Gen. Mark Milley on Tuesday told senators that he never attempted to “usurp authority” from President Donald Trump during the final months of his presidency, labeling calls with China’s top general as needed to calm fears of an imminent U.S. attack. READ MORE

Top US generals say they would have kept troops on the ground in Afghanistan Army Gen. Mark Milley and Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie declined to tell members of the Senate Armed Services Committee whether they advised President Joe Biden to keep troops in Afghanistan before he made the decision in April to withdraw American forces from the country. READ MORE   Marine officer of viral video fame now in brig after defying gag order Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. is in pretrial confinement at Camp Lejeune, N.C., said Capt. Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for the service’s Training and Education Command. He’s being held pending an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding.   READ MORE   North Korea fires another missile as its UN ambassador rails against ‘hostile’ US policy North Korea launched what the South believes to be a short-range missile into the sea off its eastern coast on Tuesday morning. READ MORE

‘Insidious intentions’: China condemns UK warship’s trip through Taiwan Strait Beijing has condemned the Royal Navy’s first trip through the Taiwan Strait in more than a decade as a “meaningless display,” according to Chinese media. READ MORE   Hunter-killer Reaper drones debut in Hawaii during monthlong Air Force exercise Three Air Force MQ-9 drones have been flying a dozen training sorties a day out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii since the hunter-killer Reapers arrived in the state for the first time ever earlier this month. READ MORE   Japan prepares to lift coronavirus emergency as US military cases continue to fall Japan’s government is ready to lift a state of emergency in 19 prefectures, including Tokyo and other large cities, when it expires Thursday. READ MORE   Yellen tells Congress that U.S. will run out of debt ceiling flexibility on Oct. 18 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's letter came less than 24 hours after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would suspend the debt ceiling and prevent a government shutdown on Friday. Senate Republicans have said they would support a stand-alone measure to prevent the shutdown but they largely have opposed efforts by Democrats to suspend the debt ceiling. READ MORE   Langley Air Force Base pilots facing new challenges during Alaskan exercises A key part of the exercise for Langley’s F-22 pilots was flying with other planes and learning their different capabilities — and the potential threats that so-called “fifth generation” fighters might post. F-16s from the 18th Aggressor Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base acted as adversaries in the exercise. READ MORE   Macron wants Europeans to boost defense, ‘be respected’ European nations must boost their defense plans and make themselves "respected," French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday. READ MORE

 

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