Ukrainian troops pull out of some areas and Zelenskyy postpones foreign trips amid Russian offensive

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed all his upcoming foreign trips, underscoring the seriousness of the threat his soldiers are facing, as they have withdrawn from some parts of the country’s northeast and were battling Russian troops in other areas.

US needs to address risks after Baltimore bridge crash, officials tell Congress

Seven weeks after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, leaders of federal agencies responding to the disaster will come before Congress on Wednesday morning for questioning on the investigative and cleanup efforts.

After fleeing Afghanistan, former military officer helps other refugees in Atlanta

Mirwais Nawab Jalali was a military officer in Afghanistan, assisting the U.S. government there for years in America’s longest war, before he left the country. He is now helping refugees find jobs with Unifi, an Atlanta-based aviation contractor.

US to send an unofficial delegation as Taiwan’s president is sworn in. It will test ties with China

The White House is sending an unofficial delegation to Taiwan this weekend for the inauguration of Lai Ching-te, the island’s new president. Beijing, which views Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and vows to seize the island by force if necessary to achieve unification, sees Lai as a supporter of Taiwan’s independence.

Slovakia’s prime minister expected to survive assassination attempt, deputy says

Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba said he believed Fico would survive.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels acknowledge attacking a US destroyer that shot down missile in the Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed targeting a U.S. Navy destroyer and a commercial ship in the Red Sea.

Airmen cut red tape to bring innovation to Air Force warplane operations

The Air Force recently chose two grassroots projects to streamline bomb-loading and weapons system maintenance on warplanes across the service.

Filipino activists and fishermen sail in 100-boat flotilla to disputed shoal guarded by China

A flotilla of about 100 mostly small fishing boats led by Filipino activists sailed to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s coast guard and suspected militia ships have used powerful water cannons to ward off what they regard as intruders.

Naval Academy plebes end their first year with daunting traditional climb of Herndon Monument

It took Naval Academy plebes two hours, 19 minutes and 11 seconds Wednesday to accomplish the ultimate in upward mobility: scaling a greased obelisk and swapping out a cup with a cap, this year with an unusual hitch.

‘Playing their hearts out’: DODEA baseball all-stars show their skills to Major League scouts

Scouts from the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays offered a touch of professional training to all-stars from Defense Department schools in the Pacific and the Yokohama Bay Boys, a Japanese high school team. The five-hour event took place on Yokosuka’s Berkey Field.

Land forces hold key to keeping peace, US Army Pacific commander says

The commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific stood before hundreds of soldiers from armed forces around the region Tuesday and continually returned to one topic: peace.

Okinawa governor complains about jump training at Air Force base on main island

Okinawa’s governor has asked for a halt to parachute training at the Air Force base on the prefecture’s main island and for a range of other measures aimed at curbing the impact of U.S. forces stationed there.

Biden administration is moving ahead on new $1.26 billion arms sale to Israel, congressional aides say

The Biden administration, congressional aides say, has told key lawmakers it would send a new package of roughly $1.26 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel to include about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds.

Navy cost for fire at shuttered California blimp hangar could surpass $100M

The Navy could pay up to $137 million to clean up the site of a World War II blimp hangar in Southern California destroyed in a fire in November, local officials estimate.

Dayton Air Show will feature MQ-9 Reaper drone for the first time

For the first time, visitors to the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show will be able to see a General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drone up close, parked on the tarmac at Dayton International Airport.

Putin signs decree naming new Russian government, including replacement of defense minister

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a decree appointing a new government, including replacement of the defense minister with a former deputy prime minister who is an economics expert with no military background.

Potential Menendez corruption trial jurors are told US senators may be named or called as witnesses

The names of some prominent U.S. senators including Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Cory Booker were mentioned Tuesday by a federal judge as he alerted prospective jurors to a list of people who could be named or might testify at the New York corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez.

South Carolina soldier plotted grandfather’s killing for money, prosecutors say

Gene Alexzander Scott executed his grandfather in a plot for money then turned the gun on his great-grandmother in a pair of killings on Father’s Day in 2020, prosecutors said as a double-murder trial started Tuesday in Chester County, S.C.

SpaceX plans to launch 90 rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base by 2026: Could that harm the coast?

SpaceX plans to launch 90 rockets into space from a Santa Barbara County military base by 2026, tripling the number of blasts rocking the coastal community — and raising concerns from neighbors and environmental groups about the effects on marine life.