defense secretary jim mattis

Retired U.S. Army General Lloyd Austin speaks after being nominated to be secretary of defense by President-elect Joe Biden.

WATCH: Biden's Defense Pick, Lloyd Austin Confirmation Hearing Underway

3:09pm January 19, 2021

by Brakkton Booker

Austin, a retired four-star Army general, served in the military for 40 years including as the first Black general to lead U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis delivers the keynote address during the 74th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday in New York.

Mattis Takes Swipe At Trump: 'I Earned My Spurs On The Battlefield'

1:04pm October 18, 2019

by Scott Neuman

In a speech blending humor with a serious message, the former secretary of defense also quoted a warning by Lincoln against a leader "unfettered by conscience, precedent or decency."

The Pentagon has "begun the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria," a military spokesman says. In this photo from Dec. 30, 2018, a line of U.S. military vehicles are seen at a checkpoint in northern Syria.

U.S. Has 'Begun The Process' Of Withdrawing From Syria, Pentagon Says

2:37pm January 11, 2019

by Bill Chappell

The military gave no details on the departure timeline for the more than 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria "out of concern for operational security."

Central American migrants, part of a caravan trying to reach the U.S., cross from Guatemala into a Mexican border and customs facility in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, on Wednesday.

National

Defense Secretary Mattis Will Send Some 800 U.S. Troops To Border With Mexico

10:19pm October 25, 2018

by Bill Chappell

The Department of Homeland Security requested the troops. President Trump says he is intent on stopping any people in a migrant caravan from crossing the U.S. border.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis speaking to reporters aboard an armored version of a 747 which functions as an airborne command post.

In A Tumultuous Administration, Defense Secretary Endures

3:09pm July 24, 2018

by David Welna

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis prevailed on a number of policy decisions in the first year of the Trump administration, but his positions have been rejected many times in the second year.

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President Trump congratulates a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman Friday in Annapolis, Md.

President Trump Says North Korea Summit Still Possible

9:29pm May 25, 2018

by Brian Naylor

The president spoke briefly to reporters before he took a helicopter to Annapolis, Md., where he touted the U.S. military buildup in a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Politics & Government

Alexa, Tell Me A National Security Secret: Amazon's Reach Goes Beyond The Post Office

5:08pm April 23, 2018

by Brian Naylor

It's little known that the CIA uses Amazon Web Services to store its data, and, now, it's the favorite for a big-money Pentagon contract to do the same. Amazon's tentacles go to other agencies, too.

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Lt. Col. Bryan (Bree) Fram marches in DC Pride Parade on June 10, 2017.

National

Transgender Air Force Officer On Trump's Ban And His Supportive Fellow Troops

3:50pm March 27, 2018

Lt. Col. Bryan (Bree) Fram says the Trump administration's latest move to limit military service by transgender troops will make them second-class citizens and put their lives at risk.

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