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Robert Burns
A US Air Force F-15 fighter jet takes off from Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey, Dec. 15, 2015. (AP Photo)
October 19, 2019, 4:21 am
US-Turkey frictions raise doubts about nukes at Turk base
Bombs remain at Incirlik air base as part of NATO policy, despite fraying relations between Ankara and Washington amid unpredictably of Syria war
By Robert Burns
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, followed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md., arrive to speak with reporters after a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
October 17, 2019, 1:35 am
Accusing him of ‘meltdown’, top Democrats walk out of Syria meet with Trump
Pelosi says president ‘shaken up’ after House votes 354-60 to condemn US troop withdrawal from Syria; Trump reportedly calls her a ‘third-rate politician’
By Robert Burns
In this file photo taken on October 6, 2019, a US soldier sits atop an armored vehicle during a demonstration by Syrian Kurds against Turkish threats next to a base for the US-led international coalition on the outskirts of Ras al-Ain town in Syria's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border (AFP)
October 14, 2019, 9:31 pm
American troops scramble for the exits in Syria
US soldiers prepare to evacuate equipment in advance of a full withdrawal, as Trump threatens Turkey with sanctions over offensive
By Robert Burns
US forces take up positions on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria, March 7, 2017. (Arab 24 network, via AP)
October 14, 2019, 2:30 am
US moves toward a rapid, complete withdrawal of its military forces from Syria
Defense Secretary Esper says Trump has ordered all 1,000 troops in country’s north to pull out as quickly as possible; only other presence is small contingent near Jordan border
By Robert Burns
Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters from the Syrian National Army drive through the town of Akcakale, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, on their way to cross the border to Tel Abyad, Syria, October 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
October 12, 2019, 3:00 am
Pentagon says US not abandoning Kurds in face of Turkish attack
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says Washington ‘greatly disappointed’ by Turkey’s invasion of Syria, insists Kurdish forces remain viable partner for American military
By Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark A. Milley (R) listen while US President Donald Trump speaks before a meeting with senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington DC on October 7, 2019. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
October 8, 2019, 3:31 am
Faced with fierce criticism, Trump defends decision to abandon Kurdish allies
US president says he’s fulfilling a campaign promise to withdraw from ‘endless war’ in the Middle East
By Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the Oval Office of the White House, September 20, 2019, Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
September 21, 2019, 4:44 am
US to send troops to Saudi Arabia, hold off on striking Iran
Officials say Washington likely to send hundreds of personnel, defensive equipment; Trump: restraint ‘shows far more strength’ than launching strikes
By Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns
US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at the Santa Ana Star Center, in Rio Rancho,New Mexico, September 16, 2019. (Evan Vucci/AP)
September 18, 2019, 9:42 am
Trump strains to balance diplomacy, military threat to Iran
US president facing competing urges of keeping up pressure on Tehran to negotiate while deterring any further Iranian attacks and avoiding another Middle East war
By Robert Burns
US President Donald Trump walks from the Oval Office to speak with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, September 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
September 17, 2019, 2:18 am
Trump: It looks like Iran hit Saudi Arabia, no military option yet
After saying earlier that US was ‘locked and loaded,’ president seems intent on consulting allies before taking action
By Robert Burns
Secretary of Defense nominee, Mark Esper, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on July 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images/AFP)
July 23, 2019, 10:17 pm
US Senate confirms Mark Esper as defense secretary
Appointment of Army veteran and ex-lobbyist ends longest Pentagon leadership vacuum in American history
By Robert Burns
US Marines training on the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, May 18, 2019, deployed in the Gulf of Arabia "to respond to contingencies and to defend US forces and interests in the region." (MCS Jason Waite/US Navy)
July 20, 2019, 10:57 pm
Iran’s poking at West heightens risks of military missteps
Tehran avoiding outright conflict with powerful US forces, but strategy of prodding Western interests could lead to armed conflict with global consequences
By Robert Burns
Illustrative: A US soldier stands next to a Patriot surface-to-air missile battery at an army base in Morag, Poland, May 26, 2010. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
July 20, 2019, 2:34 am
Amid Gulf tensions, US to send troops to Saudi Arabia
First soldiers, Patriot batteries arrive in kingdom as part of deployment that officials say will include fighter aircraft, missile defense systems
By Robert Burns
A US Navy airman launches an F-35B Lightning II from the assault ship USS Essex, Sept. 27, 2018. (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Francisco J. Diaz Jr./US Navy via AP)
July 17, 2019, 10:47 pm
US kicking NATO ally Turkey out of F-35 fighter program
Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system ‘renders its continued involvement impossible,’ Pentagon says
By Robert Burns
In this July 8, 2019, photo, acting US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper waits for the arrival of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
July 16, 2019, 1:54 am
Trump officially taps Esper for defense chief ahead of hearings
Expected confirmation would end seven months without Pentagon chief after Mattis resignation; Navy leader Richard Spencer takes over as acting defense chief
By Robert Burns
Military vehicles and equipment, parts of the S-400 air defense systems, are unloaded from a Russian transport aircraft, at Murted military airport in Ankara, Turkey, July 12, 2019. (Turkish Defence Ministry via AP, Pool)
July 13, 2019, 10:37 am
US weighing how to punish ally Turkey over Russian S-400 deal
Key congressional committees express dismay after air defense systems begin arriving in Ankara, say Erdogan chose Putin over NATO
By Robert Burns and Matthew Lee
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