Pentagon

Ukraine conflict to be decided at negotiation table, says Pentagon chief

We are going continue to work to put Ukraine in the best possible position" for peace talks, Austin stated

India, US military-to-military relationship strong, says Pentagon

The military-to-military relationship between India and the United States is strong, the Pentagon said Thursday on the eve of the meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd. Rajnath Singh arrived in Washington Thursday morning as part of a four-day visit to further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries. He is scheduled to meet Austin at the Pentagon on Friday. The mil-to-mil relationships between the United States and India are strong, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. You've seen that cooperation deepen, and not just from a DOD perspective, but from an administration perspective. Our close coordination and working together remains strong. The (Defense) secretary when he visited India, you know, announced some of those deliverables, Sabrina Singh said in response to a question. I'm not going to go through all of what he announced then, but it remains

Lloyd Austin orders submarine to Mideast, tells aircraft carrier to hasten

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday. The moves come as the US and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory strikes by both Iran and Hezbollah for the killings, and the US has been beefing up its presence in the region. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier in the day, and reiterated America's commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle .

More investments required in Arctic to keep up with Russia, China: Pentagon

The US Defense Department must invest more to upgrade sensors, communications and space-based technologies in the Arctic to keep pace with China and Russia who are increasingly operating there, including in joint military exercises, a new Pentagon strategy says. Saying that now is a critical time for the Arctic, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters Monday that climate change, increased activity by adversaries and degrading US infrastructure are forcing the department to rethink how to keep the Arctic secure and ensure troops are well-equipped and protected. The Arctic strategy is short on specifics, but broadly pushes for greater spending on high-tech sensor and radar systems, a range of military equipment, and continued investment in Pituffik Space Base, the US Space Force base in the northwest corner of Greenland. And it relies on growing partnerships with Canada and a number of NATO allies in the north. Defense Department leaders have, for more than the past ...

US will continue to view India as its strategic partner: Pentagon

The United States will continue to view India as a strategic partner and have robust dialogue with the country, the Pentagon said on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his historic visit to Russia, to which the Joe Biden administration has expressed its concerns. "India and Russia have had a relationship for a very long time. From a US perspective, India is a strategic partner with whom we continue to engage in with full and frank dialogue to include their relationship with Russia. As it relates to the NATO summit being this week, of course, like you, the world is focused on that," Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here. "But I do not think anybody will be surprised if (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin tries to represent this visit in a way that seeks to somehow show that he is not isolated from the rest of the world. And the fact of the matter is, President Putin's war of choice has isolated Russia from the rest of

Ukraine's defence minister to hold discussions with Austin: Pentagon

President Joe Biden's administration has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion in military aid since 2022

After Russia blames US, Pentagon says Ukraine makes own targeting decisions

The war in Ukraine has triggered the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Blue Origin, SpaceX, ULA picked for Pentagon rocket launch contracts

The US Space Force, which manages the launch procurement program, said Blue Origin received $5 million to provide an assessment of how it will meet the Pentagon's launch requirements

Pentagon chief extends deployment of aircraft carrier, ships in Red sea

The US Navy aircraft carrier strike group that for months has launched crucial strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen to protect military and commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will remain in the region for at least another month, according to US officials. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin signed the order last week to extend the four ships' deployment for a second time, rather than bring the carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and its three warships home. The other ships in the strike group are the USS Philippine Sea, a cruiser, and two destroyers, the USS Gravely and the USS Mason. All together they include about 6,000 sailors. The decision means the sailors and the carrier's Air Wing won't be home until the middle of the summer, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not made public. The officials declined to provide exact dates. A normal ship deployment lasts for about seven months, and the ships left their homepo

As military chiefs meet, Pentagon stresses on protecting civilians in Gaza

US defence leaders pressed their Israeli counterparts Tuesday to ensure that any military operation in the southern city of Rafah unfold in phases to protect civilians and secure the delivery of aid, a senior Pentagon official said. Israel's defence minister was receptive, the official said, but it's not clear what impact the meeting will have on Israeli plans for Gaza or on growing tensions between the two nations. US leaders have consistently warned against a ground invasion of Rafah and pressed for an alternative, more precise operation. The senior defence official described the 90-minute meeting at the Pentagon as very productive and "really quite meaty", but demurred when asked if Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought to condition future US military aid to Israel on an improvement of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Austin said the US will continue to stand up for Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law,

India-US relationship growing, stronger than before: Pentagon officials

The relationship between India and the United States has been growing and is stronger than it has ever been, America's top Defence Department officials have told lawmakers with an influential Congressman noting that New Delhi is a swing vote because of its ties with Russia. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely S. Ratner told members of the House Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific on Wednesday that the US has been strengthening its relationship with India across a number of areas. "I would describe the US-India relationship as growing and stronger than it has ever been and absolutely essential to our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. "We have been strengthening a number of areas across the relationship including in co-production, where we've made some major strides on jet engines, some new projects on armoured vehicles to integrate our defence industrial base, which is one important way to make those bonds all the stronger," Ratner said in response to

Pentagon to supply $300 mn in weapons to Ukraine even as it lacks funds

The Pentagon will rush about $300 million in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10 billion to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its desperate fight against Russia, senior defense officials said Tuesday. It's the Pentagon's first announced security package for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds. It wasn't until recent days that officials publicly acknowledged they weren't just out of replenishment funds, but $10 billion overdrawn. The replenishment funds have allowed the Pentagon to pull existing munitions, air defense systems and other weapons from its reserve inventories under presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, to send to Ukraine and then put contracts on order to replace those weapons. One of the senior defence officials who briefed reporters said the package represented a one time shot unle

US Pentagon has no more money for Ukraine as it hosts meeting of allies

For the first time since Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established the international group to support Ukraine in April 2022, the United States will host the monthly gathering of about 50 countries out of money, unable to send the ammunition and missiles that Ukraine needs to fend off Russia's invasion. While waiting for Congress to pass a budget and potentially approve more money for Ukraine's fight, the US will be looking to allies to keep bridging the gap. Tuesday's meeting will focus on longer-term needs, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. Even though we aren't able to provide our security assistance right now, our partners are continuing to do that, Singh said. On Tuesday in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a new USD 1.2 billion joint contract to buy more than 2,22,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition. The rounds are some of the most heavily used munitions in this conflict, and the contract will be used to backfill allies that h

Pentagon holds meeting to raise funds for supply of weapons to Ukraine

For the first time since Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin established the international group to support Ukraine in April 2022, the United States will host the monthly gathering of about 50 countries out of money, unable to send the ammunition and missiles that Ukraine needs to fend off Russia. While waiting for Congress to pass a budget and potentially approve more money for Ukraine's fight, the US will be looking to allies to keep bridging the gap. Tuesday's meeting will focus on longer-term needs, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday. Even though we aren't able to provide our security assistance right now, our partners are continuing to do that, Singh said. The meeting will be virtual because Austin is still recuperating at home from complications of treatment for prostate cancer. The Pentagon announced its last security assistance for Ukraine on December 27, a USD 250 million package that included 155 mm rounds, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles an

Pentagon on 2023: Modernising scope of military engagements with India

The US has modernised the scope of its military engagements with India and bolstered its defence modernisation plans, the Pentagon has said, as it highlighted the groundbreaking achievements and cooperation with allies in 2023 aimed towards peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Amidst China's aggressive moves in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said it is deploying cutting-edge military capabilities right now, developing the capabilities needed to maintain deterrence in the Indo-Pacific in the future. Throughout 2023, the United States has worked alongside allies and partners to deliver groundbreaking achievements for peace, stability, and deterrence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the Department of Defence said in a fact sheet on a Decisive Year in the Indo-Pacific region. Citing individual country examples, the department said it is also supporting allies and partners as they invest in their own capabilities by bolstering India's defence modernisation

LIVE: Israeli military says some 8,000 Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza

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Pentagon says Iranian drone struck chemical tanker in Indian Ocean: Report

The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel

US Congress bars Pentagon from utilising Chinese port logistics platform

The US Congress has approved a measure prohibiting the Pentagon from using any seaport worldwide reliant on the Chinese logistics platform LOGINK, the Voice of America (VOA) reported

Pentagon orders US aircraft carrier to remain in Mediterranean near Israel

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas grinds on, US officials said. It would be the third time the Ford's deployment has been extended, underscoring the continued concerns about volatility in the region during Israel's war in Gaza. The US has two aircraft carriers in the region, a rarity in recent years. Multiple US officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public. Other ships in the Ford's strike group had already had their deployments extended. The Pentagon ramped up its military presence in the region after Hamas' October 7 attacks to deter Iran from widening the war into a regional conflict. In the months since, Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria have seized o

US made great progress in bolstering defence ties with India: Pentagon

The US has made great progress in bolstering its defence relationship with India and the Pentagon is looking forward to making further progress in military-to-military ties in 2024, a senior official has said. In terms of the relationship between the US and India, you know, with obvious focus on the Department of Defence, I think it has been a very good year. I think we've made great progress in terms of further bolstering our relationship and cooperation, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here. You've heard us talk about things like INDUS-X and working on defence cooperation efforts to include in the industrial base as far as developing things like jet engines in India, working collaboratively to produce armoured vehicles in India, the ability of our ships to go to India -- our Navy ships to go to India to be repaired, he said in response to a question on Tuesday. So all of this working toward the common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific ..