Security Brief

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper addresses the Reagan National Defense Forum, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, California, on Dec. 7.

Pensacola Shooting Casts Shadow Over U.S.-Saudi Relations

After attack on base, the U.S. defense secretary directs a review of vetting procedures for foreign nationals.

Security Brief |

Iraqi demonstrators gather as flames consume Iran's consulate in Najaf, Iraq, on Nov. 27.

Iran Goes on the Offensive in Iraq

Tehran funnels in missiles while Trump reportedly mulls a big increase in U.S. troops.

Security Brief |

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump during the 72nd U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2017, in New York.

Hurdles Remain for Renewed Afghan Peace Talks

Trump has touted new diplomatic efforts with the Taliban, but it’s unclear whether anything has changed.

Security Brief |

Richard Spencer testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing in Washington.

Navy Secretary Spencer Forced Out After Trump Meddled in War Crimes Case

Three conflicting narratives have emerged over what happened behind closed doors.

Security Brief |

Fiona Hill, the former senior director for Europe and Russia on U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Council, is sworn in prior to testifying before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on impeachment in Washington on Nov. 21.

Former NSC Official Takes the Stand in Impeachment Probe as Republicans Go on the Defensive

Fiona Hill has denounced the “fictional narrative” that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections, capping off a dramatic week of public impeachment hearings in Washington.

Security Brief |

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while speaking to Japanese and U.S. troops aboard a helicopter carrier on May 28 in Yokosuka, Japan.

Trump Presses Japan to Pay Up for U.S. Troops

The move comes as North Korea rejects Washington’s latest overtures to resume nuclear talks.

Security Brief |

Top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine William Taylor departs during a break while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 13 Washington.

After First Public Hearings, Impeachment Battle Lines Are Drawn

Testimony from U.S. diplomats pushes both Democrats and Republicans back into their corners.

Security Brief |

Syrian security forces stop civilians from approaching the site of an explosion in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on Nov. 11.

Syrian Refugees Accuse Turkey’s Proxy Army of Abusing Civilians

Those displaced in northeastern Syria have called the operation a form of ethnic cleansing.

Security Brief |

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend the opening ceremony at the 2018 NATO Summit on July 11, 2018 in Brussels.

Washington Rolls Out the Unwelcome Mat for Turkish President

Lawmakers are still fuming over Erdogan’s incursion into northeastern Syria.

Security Brief |

A convoy of U.S. armored vehicles patrols the northern countryside of the northeastern Syrian town of al-Malikiyah at the border with Turkey, on Nov. 3, 2019.

No Cease-Fire in Syria as Joint Russian-Turkish Patrols Begin

Clashes continued over the weekend despite the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish fighters from the border.

Security Brief |

A member of the Kurdish internal security services known as Asayish stands guard during a demonstration by Syrian Kurds against the Turkish assault on northeastern Syria and in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on Oct. 28, 2019.

Inside the Iran Hawks’ Doomed Campaign to Stay in Syria

Senior U.S. officials fought to reverse Trump’s withdrawal, with disastrous consequences for the Kurds.

Security Brief |

Syrians gather amid the rubble of a building at the site of helicopter gunfire which reportedly killed nine people near the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha in Idlib province along the border with Turkey, where "groups linked to the Islamic State group" were present, according to a Britain-based war monitor with sources inside Syria, on Oct. 27.

Inside the Raid That Killed Baghdadi

Information from the Syrian Kurds and Iraqi security officials was key to the CIA-led intelligence gathering operation.

Security Brief |

Mourners attend the funeral of three Syrian Democratic Forces fighters killed in battles against Turkey-led forces in the Syrian Kurdish town of Qamishli on Oct. 24.

Russian Military Police Deploy in Northern Syria

In Washington, a Kurdish leader accused the Trump administration of misleading her people.

Security Brief |

A convoy of U.S. military vehicles arrives near the Iraqi Kurdish town of Bardarash in the Dohuk governorate after withdrawing from northern Syria on Oct. 21, 2019.

Trump Weighs Leaving Skeleton Force in Northeast Syria

Under the plan, some 200 U.S. troops would stay to protect the oil fields and fight the Islamic State.

Security Brief |