Lara Korte

Lara Korte covers the U.S. military in the Middle East. Her previous reporting includes helming Politico’s California Playbook out of Sacramento, as well as writing for the Sacramento Bee and the Austin American-Statesman. She is a proud Kansan and holds degrees in political science and journalism from the University of Kansas.

@lara_korte

korte.lara@stripes.com

A Patriot missile is launched by soldiers at an airborne target during a live-fire exercise at an undisclosed location in Central Command's area of responsibility. U.S. troops in the Middle East are likely to stay in a fortified and defensive position until it’s clear the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel will hold, analysts say.

US troops in Middle East will remain dispersed and at elevated alert, analysts say

U.S. troops in the Middle East are likely to stay in a dispersed and defensive position amid the fragile ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel, experts and former senior military officials say.

Iran launches attack on US base in Qatar

U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain.

US bases in Middle East in lockdown as ayatollah aide urges strike on Navy fleet in Bahrain

A naval destroyer flying a U.S. flag sails in open ocean with other ships and the horizon in the background.

Base security tightens, family flights continue out of Bahrain following Israeli strikes on Iran

Afghan evacuees board a flight to the U.S. from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 30, 2021.The Justice Department inspector general's office recently released an audit stating that the FBI was effective in vetting Afghans who fled to the U.S. immediately following the fall of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.

FBI thoroughly vetted Afghans who fled after US withdrawal, audit finds

The FBI effectively screened tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees who came to the U.S. immediately following the collapse of the Kabul government in 2021, according to an audit.

A boy and a woman walk together in Bahrain with service members in the background.

Breaking down the US military’s departure plan for families in Bahrain

Military family members in the Middle East are now authorized to fly anywhere in the United States at government expense for up to six months under guidance released by base officials in Bahrain.

An American military armored vehicle displaying a cross and the word “Kafir,” Arabic for infidel, patrols near Hasakah, Syria, May 31, 2025. An investigation was launched into whether the writing on the vehicle violates Defense Department policy.

Image of cross, Arabic word for infidel drawn on US military vehicle in Syria prompts probe

A Defense Department investigation is underway into the appearance of an armored U.S. military vehicle in Syria that was inscribed with a cross and an Arabic word that can be considered offensive to Muslims.

A uniformed soldier sits in a military vehicle.

CENTCOM touts string of May operations that dealt hit to ISIS in Iraq and Syria

American-aided efforts to ward off an Islamic State group resurgence in Iraq and Syria saw a flurry of recent successes with the capture of an ISIS leader and the killings of two militants, U.S. Central Command said.

A tank flying a Syrian flag idles beside a tank flying an American flag.

US troop presence in Syria will be reduced to a single base, envoy says

The number of U.S. bases in Syria will be pared from eight to one, the American ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria said.

Plan to defund resettlement program for Afghans who aided US puts its future in doubt

No more funding for Operation Enduring Welcome was allotted in President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal released Friday. Advocacy groups fear that hundreds of thousands of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the U.S. could be shut out if the program is defunded.

The littoral combat ship USS Canberra operates in the Persian Gulf on May 23, 2025. It has since arrived in Manama, Bahrain.

Navy deploys first LCS to replace wood-hulled minehunter in Bahrain

The littoral combat ship USS Canberra arrived at the U.S. naval base in Bahrain last week, the first of four new vessels expected to replace aging mine countermeasures ships in the Middle East, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

A large, tan-colored military radar system is mounted on a wheeled trailer, positioned at an angle on a concrete platform. The radar is housed in a protective, angular enclosure, with stabilizing legs extended to the ground.

Pentagon gets first hypersonic missile defense radar in bid to keep pace with adversaries’ arsenals

A radar system that can track missiles flying five times the speed of sound has been delivered to the U.S. military, marking a major upgrade to one of the its most essential missile defense systems.

Mexican Pink in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has a variety of tequila- and mezcal-based cocktails. The offerings include classics like palomas and margaritas and more inventive offerings like the black rock, a beverage made with fruit juices and activated charcoal. Pictured, center, is the spicy mezcalita, made with mezcal, lime juice, mango juice and chili powder.

Mexican Pink is an oasis in a taco desert

Mexican Pink in Kaiserslautern offers many familiar items for lovers of good Mexican food.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Deering, with the 263rd Air Defense Artillery, Task Force Armadillo, calls for a tool as the team works on the Avenger air defense system's machine gun at al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, Feb. 26, 2025.

Syria will need time to take over US role in detaining thousands of ISIS fighters, analysts say

U.S. troops in Syria are still tracking Islamic State terror cells while helping secure vast prisons full of militants.

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