Svetlana Shkolnikova

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division deplane a C-17 Globemaster aircraft at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, Poland Feb. 6 to join the efforts in support of the European Deterrence Initiative. This movement was two days after the Pentagon announced the United States would send 1,700 extra troops to Poland and approximately 1,000 more to Romania in order to reinforce NATO's eastern flank amid the West's standoff with Russia over Ukraine. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by SSG Angel D. Martinez-Navedo)

Army’s top civilian defends Russian deterrence program, predicts more US troops could deploy to Europe

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told House lawmakers that the European Deterrence Initiative might not have stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, but it positioned the U.S. military to respond quickly to it.

Staff Sgt. David Diehl II, 436th Communications Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of wing cybersecurity, displays his new United States Space Force tapes and service branch patch at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Feb. 12, 2021. Diehl was one of three members of Team Dover accepted into the U.S. Space Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mauricio Campino)

Senators introduce legislation to create Space National Guard under Space Force

A bipartisan group of senators are calling for the creation of a Space National Guard, reviving a yearslong effort to place Air National Guard members working for the U.S. Space Force directly under the command of the military’s newest branch.

USS George Washington suicides raise alarm on Capitol Hill as defense secretary admits problem with sailor housing

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a subpanel of the House Appropriations Committee that the Pentagon is awaiting the results of two investigations into the George Washington and figuring out how to lodge sailors in the future after three of the ship’s crew members died in less than one week in April.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies during a Senate Armed Services hearing to examine worldwide threats on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US intelligence officials warn of prolonged war in Ukraine as Russia expands territorial goals

Fighting in Ukraine will be “significant” in the coming months as Russian President Vladimir Putin sets his sights beyond conquering the eastern Donbas region to building a land bridge across the entire Ukrainian Black Sea coast, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

U.S. Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force prepare pallets of body armor, individual first aid kits, and other non-lethal equipment essential to Ukraine’s front-line defenders for transport at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, May 6, 2022. The United States is working to expedite deliveries of security assistance to meet urgent needs and will continue to utilize all available tools to support Ukraine's Armed Forces in their ongoing fight to maintain sovereignty and territorial integrity. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jackson Dukes)

Pentagon urges Congress to pass supplemental Ukraine aid bill swiftly as funding for weapons runs low

Only $100 million remains of a $3.5 billion authority granted by Congress in March to pull weapons and equipment from U.S. inventories and ship them to Ukrainians battling Russian forces, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Airmen and civilians from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron palletize ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Jan. 21, 2022. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $5.4 billion in total assistance to Ukraine, including security and non-security assistance. The United States reaffirms its steadfast commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in support of a secure and prosperous Ukraine. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mauricio Campino)

Pentagon awards nearly $137M for Ukraine weapon acquisitions as Army, Marines spend about $1.5B to backfill US stockpiles

The Pentagon has awarded eight contracts totaling $136.8 million to procure weapons and equipment for the war in Ukraine with another $1.45 billion sent to the Army and Marine Corps for the replenishment of U.S. stockpiles, a Defense Department official said Friday.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class David Rodriguez, assigned to the Recruit Sustainment Program, Detachment One, 6th Recruiting and Retention Battalion, Connecticut Army National Guard, talks to U.S. Army National Guard recruits, Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center, Connecticut, June 20, 2020. The recruits were given a safety brief and told what to expect when arriving at their basic training installation. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Lucibello)

Shrinking Army worries lawmakers as military recruitment, retention woes continue

Senators voiced concerns about the shrinking size of the Army on Thursday as Pentagon leaders acknowledged struggles with recruiting qualified young people who do not come from military families.

Zelenskyy asked US lawmakers for more advanced drones, artillery and anti-ship missiles, congressman says

Ukrainian troops have been using Switchblade drones that detonate on impact to great effect, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he needed more advanced, longer-range drones that are armed with precision-strike munitions and capable of being reused, Rep. Jason Crow said.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrive to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Department of Defense budget request, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

US weapons stockpiles will not be depleted to dangerous levels for Ukraine war, military officials tell senators

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a subpanel of the Senate Appropriations Committee that the Pentagon is closely watching its inventories and working with the defense industry to replenish weapons such as Javelin and Stinger missiles as soon as possible.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), second left, speaks during a press conference with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), second right, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), right, and U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill, left, in the U.S. embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. A U.S. Senate delegation on Tuesday urged Serbia to join the rest of Europe and impose sanctions against Russia for its bloody carnage in Ukraine. Although Serbia voted in favor of three UN resolutions condemning the Russian aggression against Ukraine, it has not joined international sanctions against Moscow. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Rebuilding US relationship with Russia will require ouster of Putin, senator says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not fit to serve, said Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and any opportunity to restore ties with Russia will need to be predicated on the next leader of the country.

FILE - Afghans inspect damage of Ahmadi family house after U.S. drone strike, Aug. 29, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Afghan survivors of an errant U.S. drone strike in August that killed 10 members of their family, including seven children, said Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, that they are frustrated and saddened by a decision that no U.S. troops involved in the strike will face disciplinary action. (AP Photo/Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi, File)

Democrats announce bills to hold Pentagon accountable for civilian deaths in US military operations

The two pieces of legislation — the Department of Defense Civilian Harm Transparency Act and the Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act — would expand requirements for reporting the incidents and disclosing them to the public as well as move investigations out of the units responsible for the strikes.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Rafael DeGuzman-Paniagua, 305th Aerial Port Squadron special handling representative, secures a pallet of equipment on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Mar. 24, 2022. The 305th Air Mobility Wing is sending equipment to Europe as part of the United States security assistance to Ukraine. The United States supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph Morales)

US weapon stockpiles worry some lawmakers as Ukraine war rages on

Shipments to Ukraine of weapons such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles have cut into the Pentagon’s inventory by about one-third, according to estimates by some lawmakers and experts during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

Maj. Gen. Terry A. Wolff, commanding general of 1st Armored Division, United States Division - Center, and an Elk Grove, Calif., native, gives a speech Dec. 20 during the 1st Armd. Div. transfer of authority ceremony to the 25th Infantry Division at Camp Liberty, Iraq. The 25th Inf. Div. takes command of the USD-C headquarters, helping advise and assist the Iraqi security forces.

Retired Army general appointed by White House to manage military aid for Ukraine as country braces for Russian assault

A retired three-star Army general has been appointed to the National Security Council to manage military shipments to Ukraine as the embattled country braces for a new Russian offensive, the White House confirmed Friday.

Volunteers gather the civilian corpses that have been found all over the city of Bucha, Ukraine, on April 10. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Post by Heidi Levine.

Congressional support for International Criminal Court grows in wake of Russia-Ukraine war

Russia’s unprovoked attack of Ukraine is fueling congressional enthusiasm for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, with some House lawmakers urging the U.S. to reverse its longstanding policy and become a full member of the tribunal.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Rafael DeGuzman-Paniagua, 305th Aerial Port Squadron special handling representative, and Senior Airman Mario Rentero-Ruiz, 305th APS special handling specialist, secure a pallet of equipment on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Mar. 24, 2022. The 305th Air Mobility Wing is sending equipment to Europe as part of the United States security assistance to Ukraine. The United States supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph Morales)

Senators propose appointing Ukraine aid coordinator to speed up weapon deliveries

A bipartisan group of senators is urging the White House to appoint a coordinator for sending security assistance to Ukraine, arguing the U.S. needs a dedicated person to speed up deliveries of heavy weapons.

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Svetlana Shkolnikova

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