Pentagon finally gets a boss: Senate confirms Army veteran Mark Esper as secretary of defense
It took seven months, but President Donald Trump finally has a Senate-confirmed secretary of defense. Mark Esper, an Army veteran and former defense industry lobbyist, won Senate confirmation Tuesday by a vote of 90-8. He was to be officially sworn in by the end of ...
In a move likely to concern Japan and other Asian allies, Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down Tuesday before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate, citing a "painful" family situation that would hurt his children and reopen "wounds we have ...
Trump sows doubt over use of U.S. force to protect Gulf oil after 'very minor' ship attack impact
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was prepared to take military action to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb but left open whether he would back the use of force to protect Gulf oil supplies that Washington fears may be under threat by ...
U.S. 'gift' to China shows North Korea sanctions going unenforced
The meeting between acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and his Chinese counterpart began with all the hallmarks of a routine staged and scripted session between two uneasy rivals. First came the posed photo, as the two men shook hands with broad smiles in front of ...
U.S. preparing to sell over $2 billion in arms to Taiwan, testing China, say sources
The United States is pursuing the sale of more than $2 billion worth of tanks and weapons to Taiwan, four people familiar with the negotiations said, in a move likely to anger China as a trade war between the world's two biggest economies escalates. An ...
In meeting with Abe, U.S. acting defense chief says alliance with Japan has 'never been stronger'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Tuesday with U.S. acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to bolster the security alliance between the two countries and promote stability across the Indo-Pacific region. "To strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the alliance and realize a free and open ...
U.S. to sell 34 advanced surveillance drones to allies in South China Sea region
The Trump administration has moved ahead with a surveillance drone sale to four U.S. allies in the South China Sea region as acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Washington will no longer "tiptoe" around Chinese behavior in Asia. The drones would afford greater intelligence gathering ...
Acting U.S. defense chief calls out China and urges Asian allies to boost military spending
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan suggested Saturday that China was responsible for a range of destabilizing activities in Asia, stirring already heightened tensions between the world's two largest economies. In a wide-ranging speech in front of regional defence chiefs at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue ...
Pentagon pick focuses on China despite Mideast tensions and deployment
Tensions may be high in the Middle East, but the man chosen by President Donald Trump to run the Pentagon is turning his focus to China. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan arrived Wednesday in Asia on a high-profile weeklong trip that is intended to reinforce ...
U.S. defense chief tells U.S. Naval Academy graduates to embrace the mantra of the samurai
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan had a message for the next generation of naval officers Friday: What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Speaking at the U.S. Naval Academy's commencement ceremony in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday, Shanahan encouraged new graduates to embrace the ...
U.S. defense chief to meet Chinese counterpart during Singapore defense forum
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will meet China's defense minister at an Asia defense forum in Singapore, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday, at a time of strained relations between Beijing and Washington over trade and security. Tensions between China and the United ...
U.S. stance on Iran 'deterrence, not about war,' says Pentagon chief
The U.S. defense chief said President Donald Trump's administration was seeking to deter Iran but not start a war, after he briefed members of Congress. "This is about deterrence, not about war. We are not about going to war," Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told ...
