Flashpoints - Military News and World News

US hopes for North Korea nuclear talks despite missile tests

The U.S. is still hoping to hold another round of nuclear talks with North Korea despite the country’s recent missile tests, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.

By: Matthew Lee, The Associated Press August 7

Turkish military move into Syria is high risk

Turkey’s combative president is threatening to launch a military operation in northeastern Syria that is designed to push back U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces — an invasion that carries major risks for a highly combustible region in war-devastated Syria.

By: Zeynep Bilginsoy, The Associated Press and Zeina Karam, The Associated Press August 6

Report: ISIS has been rebuilding as US troops withdraw from Syria

Since about half of 2,000 special operations and other train-advise-assist forces returned to the U.S. in the spring, ISIS has been staging a comeback, according to an inspector general report from DoD, the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development released Tuesday.

By: Meghann Myers August 6

China vows to counter US deployment of midrange arms in Asia

China said Tuesday that it "will not stand idly by" and will take countermeasures if the U.S. deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region, which Washington has said it plans to do within months.

By: Christopher Bodeen, The Associated Press August 6

North Korea: US inciting military tension with new exercises with South Korea

North Korea's envoy to the U.N.-backed Conference on Disarmament has lashed out at the United States over its latest military exercises with South Korea, accusing Washington of "inciting military tension" by deploying powerful military hardware on the peninsula.

By: The Associated Press August 6

Taliban say differences resolved in peace talks on US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

The United States and the Taliban have resolved differences in peace talks over the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and guarantees from the insurgents that they will cut ties with other extremist groups, a Taliban official said Tuesday.

By: Cara Anna, The Associated Press and Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press August 6

Esper: US intends to prevent Turkey invasion into Syria

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday that the U.S. intends to prevent any unilateral invasion by Turkey into northern Syria, saying any such move by the Turks would be unacceptable.

By: Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press August 6

US carrier sails into disputed South China Sea waters amid new flare-ups

A U.S. aircraft carrier sailed through the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday in the latest show of America's military might amid new territorial flare-ups involving China and three rival claimant states.

By: Jim Gomez, The Associated Press August 6

Australia says it won’t be hosting US missile site

Australian officials confirmed Monday that their country will not be used as a base for any planned U.S. mid-range missiles following talks with American officials in Sydney.

By: Trevor Marshallsea, The Associated Press August 5

North Korea fires presumed ballistic missiles, denounces US-South Korea military drills

North Korea continued to ramp up its weapons demonstrations by firing two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Tuesday while lashing out at the United States and South Korea for continuing military exercises that the North says could derail fragile nuclear diplomacy.

By: Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press August 5

UK joins US in Strait of Hormuz naval security mission

Britain said Monday that it would join a U.S.-led naval security mission in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s seizure of merchant vessels has raised tensions with the West. Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a “failure” for diplomacy.

By: Amir Vahdat, The Associated Press and Jill Lawless, The Associated Press August 5

North Korea says Kim supervised latest rocket launcher test

North Korea said Saturday its leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test-firing of a new multiple rocket launcher system that could potentially enhance the country’s ability to strike targets in South Korea and U.S. military bases there.

By: Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press August 4

Esper: US to soon put intermediate range missile in Asia

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he wants to deploy an intermediate range conventional missile in the Pacific region within months, now that the Trump administration has formally pulled out of a Cold War-era arms control treaty with Russia.

By: Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press August 4

US still seeks allies in Gulf maritime coalition

Senior U.S. leaders expressed confidence that they will be able to convince allies to help protect shipping in the Persian Gulf area against Iranian threats, but they provided no new details Sunday on which nations may be willing to participate.

By: Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press August 4

SECDEF: US has withdrawn from INF, will ‘fully pursue’ development of new missile systems

A landmark arms control treaty that President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed three decades ago is dead, prompting fears of a new global arms race.

By: Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press August 2

US officials say Islamic State still poses global threat

The Islamic State remains a global threat despite losing the once vast territory it held in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials said Thursday in warning about persistent violence from underground cells and an expansion of militants into new areas.

By: Erick Tucker, The Associated Press August 1

US envoy says Afghanistan peace agreement possible in next Taliban talks

The United States peace envoy to Afghanistan met with Pakistan’s prime minister and other top officials ahead of his flight to Qatar for a crucial round of peace talks with the Taliban.

By: Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press and Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press August 1

South Korea: North Korea launched projectiles into sea

South Korea’s military said North Korea fired unidentified projectiles twice Friday into the sea off its eastern coast in its third weapons tests in just over a week.

By: Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press August 1

North Korea says it tested crucial new rocket launch system

North Korea said Thursday leader Kim Jong Un supervised test firings of a new multiple rocket launcher system he sees as soon serving a “main role” in his military’s land combat operations.

By: Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press July 31

Pompeo backtracks on Afghanistan withdrawal by fall 2020

Earlier in the week, the secretary of state suggested a major troop withdrawal before the 2020 presidential election.

By: Leo Shane III July 31