Satellites Have Long Enabled Journalists to Send Field Reports
Journalists have been uploading imagery and text for decades by satellite. I myself did it in Helmand in 2010, and the equipment I was using wasn't new then.
82nd Airborne HQ Exercise Canceled Amid Iran Conflict Speculation
SCOOP: The Army in recent days canceled a training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division, fueling speculation among soldiers that they may be called upon for a still undefined mission as the war with Iran widens.
US Sinks Iranian Fleet as Iran’s Missile Barrage Falters
A few notable details here. Adm. Cooper says: - The U.S. is sinking "the entire" Iranian navy, including 17 ships so far - Iran has launched 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones so far - U.S. combat power still building as Iran's is...
Pentagon Names First Four U.S. Troops Killed in Iran Attack
The Pentagon just released the identities of the first four U.S. troops killed since the United States launched its attack on Iran on Saturday. They are: Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla. Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens,...
Ops Center Was Trailer, Not Hardened
This reporting has been matched by a few outlets, including The Post: The ops center was in a trailer-like structure, not a hardened building. T-walls did provide some protection. But not from a direct hit from above.
US Secures Flights for Americans Seeking Middle East Exit
State Department official says here that the U.S. is securing military aircraft and charter flights for Americans who wish to leave the Middle East. Another U.S. official tells me such flights certainly could occur, but nothing related had moved as of...
Claims of Widespread Falsehoods Pre‑ and Post‑Iran H‑hour
There is significant reporting out there that says this post has numerous falsehoods in it. That was the case before H-hour with Iran, and certainly since. https://t.co/7s7fe7YBcW
Americans Lack Clear Information on Major War Objectives
"The American public has received too little information to effectively judge the goals and objectives of the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East in a generation, whatever they turn out to be."
CENTCOM Chief Addresses 50,000 Troops Amid Iran Ops
Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military officer at @CENTCOM, sent this message to the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops directly involved in operations against Iran, I'm told. https://t.co/9VGvRSWtTW
Trump Claims Troops Likely Unnecessary in Current Conflict
Trump today: “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it ... I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they...
Munition Penetrates Fortified Ops Center, Killing U.S. Soldiers
Hegseth, asked how U.S. soldiers were killed over the weekend, says an incoming munition hit a fortified tactical operations center as other incoming rounds were knocked down by U.S. air defenses.
U.S. Deploys More Troops to Middle East, Pentagon Confirms
Additional U.S. troops are still deploying to the Middle East, Gen. Dan Caine says in briefing at Pentagon.
Pentagon Admits More Losses Are Expected, Says Gen. Caine
"We expect to take additional losses," Gen. Dan Caine acknowledges in Pentagon briefing this morning.
Hegset Admits Iran Operation Effectively Changed Regime
"This is not a so-called 'regime change war,' but the regime sure did change," @PeteHegseth says of operations in Iran this morning at the Pentagon. He previously had said this Trump administration is uninterested in regime change.
U.S. Pulls Out of Key Syrian, Iraqi Bases
This comes after several other positions in Syria and Iraq have been vacated by U.S. forces in recent months. Among those are Al Asad air base, which Iran targeted in 2020 after the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Pentagon Schedules First Briefing in Three Months, Media Access Uncertain
The Pentagon will hold its first briefing in three months tomorrow. Unclear which news organizations will be admitted.
US Army Sustainment Unit Killed in Kuwait Deployment
Can confirm with @TaraCopp @AlexHortonTX that the U.S. troops killed overnight were with a sustainment unit deployed to Kuwait, according to two U.S. officials. One of them adds that they were in the Army. Details previously were reported by NBC...
Pentagon Still Silent Since Dec 2, Even for Right‑Wing Press
Still no briefing at the Pentagon since Dec. 2. Not even for its replacement, right-wing press corps.
Iran’s Claims Debunked: No U.S. Casualties or Ship Hits
No Pentagon calls or pressers today. But Centcom is pushing back on various claims here:
U.S. Forces Repel Hundreds of Iranian Missiles, No Casualties
U.S. officials: "Following the initial wave of U.S. and partner strikes, CENTCOM forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks. There have been no reports of U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries."
Only 12 US Warships Deployed,
Abraham Lincoln Canberra Delbert D. Black Frank E. Petersen Jr. John Finn McFaul Michael Murphy Mitscher Pinckney Santa Barbara Spruance Tulsa Plus the Ford carrier strike group and two additional destroyers (Bulkeley and Roosevelt) nearby in EUCOM.
U.S. Faces Real Fatality Risk After Soleimani Incident
As the United States moves into an uncertain period of time with Iran, important to remember: The possibility of U.S. combat fatalities is real. Look no farther than the near-misses at Al Asad air base in 2020, following the U.S....
US Navy Massing Carriers and Destroyers Near Iran
There's a continued repositioning of Navy warships in and around the Middle East as the U.S. openly deliberates an attack on Iran. On Monday, there are eight U.S. warships in the Arabian Sea: - The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln - The destroyers USS...
Trump Officials Scramble to Fund $500B Defense Boost
NEW with @JStein_WaPo: Trump administration officials are struggling to determine how to increase defense spending $500 billion in their forthcoming budget, after Pete Hegseth secured the increase despite internal criticism from Russ Vought and other officials.
US‑Israeli Strikes Will Hurt Iran, yet Conflict Persists
"They’ll definitely take terrible damage from combined U.S.-Israeli strikes. But that doesn’t mean it ends quickly, or clean — and they do have some ability to impose some costs in the other direction.” Our latest on the U.S. state of play...
US Navy Splits Fleet: Carrier East, Smaller Ships Stay Caribbean
With the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and other U.S. warships deploying east across the Atlantic amid heightened tension with Iran, a smaller fleet remains behind in the Caribbean. Those vessels include the amphibious warships USS Iwo Jima, USS...
Two US Destroyers Patrol Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. Navy presently has two destroyers -- the USS Mitscher and USS Michael Murphy -- in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz.
Defense Secretary Ousts Senior Adviser, Halts General Nomination
NEW: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has forced the ouster of a senior military adviser to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, defense officials said, marking the Pentagon’s chief’s latest intervention into the service’s internal affairs amid long-simmering tension between two of the...
Uncoordinated Counter‑Drone Laser Closes El Paso Airspace
Confirming earlier reporting: Airspace was closed by the FAA near El Paso late Tuesday after CBP personnel launched a counter-drone laser weapon without full inter-agency integration, officials say. That weapon had recently been transferred temporarily by the Pentagon to DHS. Airspace...