LLOYD AUSTIN

Iran proxy forces fired about seven rockets at a U.S. base in Northeast Syria Friday in retaliation to President Biden ordering a series of strikes after a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded six other Americans, a defense official told Fox News

A drone strike killed one U.S. contractor, injured five American service members and wounded one other contractor in Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said.

The US says it hit Iran-linked militia after a drone attack killed a US contractor and injured others.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. will respond “forcefully” to protect its personnel after U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

A U.S. contractor was killed and five U.S. service members and one other U.S. contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. Central Command forces retaliated with “precision airstrikes” against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The Defense Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin.

Pentagon leaders have told Congress that the U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China.

The U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China, the Pentagon's leaders said Thursday, pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department's proposed $842 billion budget that would modernize the force in Asia and around the world. "This is a strategy-driven budget — and one driven by the seriousness of our strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in testimony before the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense. Pointing to increases in new technology, such as hypersonics, Austin said the budget proposes to spend more than $9 billion, a 40% increase over last year, to build up military capabilities in the Pacific and defend allies.

Sen. Eric Schmitt told Fox News Digital, "The military must be focused on confronting threats abroad with overwhelming superiority, and not waging culture wars at home."

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles says his country made no promises to the United States that Australia would support its ally in any future conflict over Taiwan in exchange for American nuclear-powered submarines.

The U.S. military has resumed flights through international airspace over the Black Sea following the skirmish earlier this week between a US drone and Russian fighter jets.

U.S. officials are also investigating the collision between a U.S. drone and a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea, according to Secretary of State Blinken.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a number of improvements in access to mental health care to try to reduce suicides in the military.

Russian vessels have already reached the crash site of the U.S. MQ-9 drone that was forced into the Black Sea after being clipped by a Russian Su-27 fighter jet.

The Biden administration has released video of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone, as the U.S. sought to hold Russia responsible for the collision that led to the drone’s crash into the Black Sea without escalating already fraught tensions with the Kremlin.

The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone in international airspace over the Black Sea. The 42-second video, released Thursday, shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. The U.S. military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea on Tuesday after the Russian fighter jet poured fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle, in an apparent attempt to blind its optical instruments and drive it out of the area, and then struck its propeller.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have spoken to their Russian counterparts about the destruction of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea after an encounter with Russian fighter jets.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby has said the U.S. was trying to prevent the fallen drone from getting into the wrong hands.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday said the U.S. will not stop flights in international airspace after a Russian fighter jet downed a U.S. drone.

Russia and the United States ratcheted up their confrontational rhetoric over a U.S. surveillance drone that encountered Russian warplanes and crashed near the Crimean Peninsula.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and seven other U.S. Senators wrote a letter to the Pentagon on Tuesday urging it to investigate the possibility of sending F-16 jets to Ukraine.

Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinian gunmen who opened fire on them at a military post near the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, the army said.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty blasted a top Pentagon official who was accused by two other Republican senators of leaking classified information to deflect criticism from President Biden.

Reported sexual assaults at the U.S. military academies shot up during the 2021-22 school year.

Long-running differences between the Biden administration and Israel over how to stop Iran’s rapidly accelerating nuclear program have spilled into public view

Long-running differences between the Biden administration and Israel over how to stop Iran’s rapidly accelerating nuclear program spilled into public view Thursday, as the U.S. defense secretary discussed Tehran's nuclear ambitions with his Israeli counterpart during a visit to the country. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made no mention of the moribund nuclear talks, instead telling Austin: “We must take all measures necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.”

The top Republicans on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees said the Pentagon has failed to respond to their questions on the Chinese spy balloon crisis.

Protestors in Israel prevented the prime minister from driving to the country's main airport. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead had to be airlifted there.

Israel's prime minister has been airlifted to the country's main international airport for an official overseas trip after throngs of protesters prevented him from driving there as they demonstrated against his contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Israeli police say a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a crowded street in central Tel Aviv, wounding three people before he was shot and killed.

U.S. and Israeli officials say Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been forced to change the schedule of a planned visit to Israel due to anti-government protests that are expected to paralyze traffic across the country

The U.S. defense secretary says America’s defense partnership with Egypt is an “essential pillar” of Washington’s commitment to the Middle East

Two House Republicans are frustrated with the DOD over its delay in providing answers to a series of questions about the improper release of military records.

Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee sent a letter to Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin addressing the Pentagon's decision to cover certain abortion expenses for service members.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says the U.S. wants to put Ukraine in the best position to end the war, but he declined to say if battlefield victories or diplomacy were the shared end goal.

The Philippines is in talks with the United States as well as Australia on future joint patrols in the South China Sea, where China's increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters are causing concern, top defense officials in the three nations said Wednesday. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr., to reiterate Washington’s support and commitment to help defend its oldest treaty ally in Asia after a Chinese coast guard aimed a military-grade laser at a Philippine patrol vessel near a disputed shoal.

The first year of its invasion has been a debacle for Russia. But despite staggering losses, experts say Putin will fight on – while Ukrainian forces use up munitions as fast as Western countries can supply them.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson calls out the Biden administration's equity agenda and reacts to the president's tall tales on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

The Pentagon says the first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters has finished a five-week advanced U.S. training course in Germany on sophisticated combat skills and armored vehicles that will be critical in the coming spring offensive against the Russians.

The first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters has finished a five-week advanced U.S. training course in Germany on sophisticated combat skills and armored vehicles that will be critical in the coming spring offensive against the Russians, the Pentagon said Friday. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that additional training is already underway at the Grafenwoehr training area, and will involve about 1,600 more Ukrainian troops. The completion of the first class coincided with a visit to the base by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, giving him his first chance to see Ukrainian soldiers training there.

North Korea has threatened to take “unprecedently” strong action against its rivals over a series of military drills planned between South Korea and the United States.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearing the one-year mark, Estonia’s military leaders are warning that if Vladimir Putin is not stopped now, he could entangle the region in a much larger conflict, perhaps one with even larger security implications for the U.S. Kristjan Mäe is the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense’s NATO and EU department.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearing the one-year mark, a top Estonian defense leader warned that if Vladimir Putin is not stopped now, he could entangle the region in a larger conflict, perhaps one with even greater security implications for the U.S. Estonia, which borders Russia, was forcefully incorporated into the Soviet Union during World War II and gained its independence only with the Soviet collapse in 1991.

As the expected spring counteroffensive approaches, critical supply routes to usher heavy weaponry and ammunition to the Ukraine battlefield risk getting clogged

A large quantity of American military equipment was spotted in the German port of Bremerhaven, likely intended for Ukraine. Source: German media outlet Nordsee Zeitung, which also published a photo, as reported by European Pravda.

The U.S. Sidewinder missile that missed the “object” above Lake Huron landed “harmlessly” in open water, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said.

Former F/A-18 pilot Nick Graves reacts to the U.S. military shooting down three unidentified flying objects over the weekend and describes his encounter with one on 'Hannity.'

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is playing down the importance of Finland and Sweden joining the world’s biggest security organization at the same time.

Ukraine has renewed its appeal to Western countries for fighter jets to help frustrate Moscow’s almost year-long invasion.

The first attempt to take down an unknown object over Lake Huron, Michigan missed, officials said Monday.

House Republicans are demanding answers from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over leaked personnel records that led to the outing of Jennifer-Ruth Green as a sexual assault survivor.

A U.S. senior defense officials crews have recovered a 'significant' portion of a Chinses spy ballon from the ocean.

Defense officials address the shooting down of several objects in the sky over the weekend on Monday.

The White House is defending the shootdowns of three unidentified objects in as many days even as it acknowledges that officials had no indication the objects were intended for surveillance in the same manner as the high-altitude Chinese balloon that traversed American airspace earlier this month.

One expert says amid "political environments of hostility and mistrust," without clear lines of communication used by both sides, things "could go wrong in a hurry."

China has dismissed a U_S_ House of Representatives resolution condemning China over a suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down above U_S_ waters as “purely political manipulation and hyping up.”.

China’s Defense Ministry says it refused a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following the shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon because the U.S. had “not created the proper atmosphere" for dialogue and exchange. The U.S. action had “seriously violated international norms and set a pernicious precedent," ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei was quoted as saying in a statement issued late Thursday. “Given that this irresponsible and seriously wrong approach by the U.S. did not create the proper atmosphere for dialogue and exchanges between the two militaries, China did not accept the U.S. proposal for a phone call between the two defense ministers," Tan said.

When a giant Chinese balloon made an uninvited visit to the United States, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin turned to a hotline system set up with Beijing to defuse the situation.

Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions. China’s Defense Ministry says it refused the call from Austin after the balloon was shot down because the U.S. had “not created the proper atmosphere” for dialogue and exchange. The U.S. action had “seriously violated international norms and set a pernicious precedent,” a ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement issued late Thursday.

The Senate on Thursday is holding its first hearing on the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the United States last week before it was shot down over the weekend. The hearing comes as the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard complete a recovery operation of the downed spy balloon roughly six miles off the coast of South Carolina. On Saturday, Biden gave the order to take the 200-foot-tall spy balloon out of the sky. The operation resulted in an F-22 fighter jet shearing a hole in the bottom of the balloon with a sidewinder missile. "In our engagements, we are again hearing from our partners that the world expects China and the United States to manage our relationship responsibly.

The U.S. Navy has recovered most of the balloon and is getting ready to bring up the pieces of the cameras and antennas it was carrying, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

A United States general has said that American forces and their allies in Asia are ready for battle after years of joint combat exercises.

China's balloon program is "designed to augment" its surveillance abilities, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

China's defense ministry is giving the U.S. the silent treatment after the U.S. shot down its surveillance balloon this week, Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

The United States has been rebuilding its military might in the Philippines more than 30 years after it closed its bases there.

Chinese officials declined to take a phone call with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Saturday after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon, the Pentagon said.

In a sign of continued tense relations, the U.S. says China declined the request for a phone call between top defense officials

The Navy has shifted to an all-underwater search for pieces of the massive Chinese spy balloon a U.S. fighter jet shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday.

A group of Navy personnel filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration regarding vaccine requirements. Even though the requirement was lifted, they want to keep the case alive.

House GOP lawmakers sent Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin a letter demanding answers on funding going to colleges that have CCP-linked entities operating on campus.

COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer required for military personnel.

President Joe Biden told reporters on Saturday that he ordered the Pentagon to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon on Wednesday but that they waited due to safety concerns.

Missouri GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, slamming the Biden administration's “lack of transparency" regarding the Chinese balloon.

The U.S. is expanding it military presence in Asia, in a string of moves aimed at countering Beijing and reassuring Indo-Pacific allies that America will stand with them against threats from China and North Korea.

The Philippines says it is allowing U.S. forces to broaden their footprint in that Southeast Asian nation.

North Korea says it’s prepared to counter U_S_ military moves with the “most overwhelming nuclear force” as it warned that the expansion of the United States’ combined military exercises with rival South Korea is pushing tensions to an “extreme red line.”.

The United States and the Philippines have announced plans to expand America's military presence in the Southeast Asian nation, with access to four more bases as they seek to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States will increase its deployment of advanced weapons such as fighter jets and bombers to the Korean Peninsula as it strengthens joint training and operational planning with South Korea in response to a growing North Korean nuclear threat.

U.S. special operations forces have killed a senior Islamic State group official and 10 other terrorist operatives in remote northern Somalia.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. will send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, reversing months of persistent arguments that the tanks were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

Western defense leaders meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany have failed to resolve divisions over possibly providing battle tanks and other military aid to Ukraine.

The top national security officials from the U.S. and Japan have unveiled plans to strengthen the alliance to help counter threats from North Korea and China.

The Pentagon has formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

Top national security officials from the United States and Japan are expected to agree to changes in the joint defense posture this week as the two nations confront rising threats from North Korea and increasing aggressiveness from China.

U.S. military forces around the world will no longer be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense has passed the Senate and now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military has passed the House.

Congress’ move to eliminate the Pentagon mandate that all U.S. service members get the COVID-19 vaccine delivers a victory for lawmakers and troops who oppose getting the shot.

The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military would be rescinded under the annual defense bill heading for a vote this week in Congress.

China's Defense Ministry says the country strictly adheres to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons “at any time and under any circumstances."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is making clear he wants to keep the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place to protect the health of the troops, as Republican governors and lawmakers press to rescind it.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the U.S. is at a pivotal point with China and will need military strength to ensure that American values, not Beijing’s, set global norms in the 21st century.

The Biden administration is toughening its language toward NATO ally Turkey.

NATO member and Russia’s neighbor Estonia is boosting its defense capabilities by acquiring an advanced U.S. rocket artillery system.

The United States' newest nuclear stealth bomber has made its public debut after years of secret development.

A new Pentagon report warns that China continues to rapidly modernize its nuclear force and is on track to have 1,500 active warheads by 2035.

The top U.S. military officer says he tried to reach out to his Russian counterpart in the aftermath of the missile explosions in Poland, but wasn’t able to get through.

President Joe Biden will meet Monday with China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of next week’s Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.

The U.S. and South Korea are jointly warning North Korea that use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would result in the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime.

U.S. officials say the Pentagon is sending Ukraine a new $275 million package of weapons and other aid, in a move to bolster the effort to drive Russian forces out of key areas in the south as the winter closes in.

Weapons stockpile shortages across Europe could force hard choices as Ukraine’s allies balance their own needs at home with the needs of Ukraine in its fight against Russia.