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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrive in Ukraine and meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the highest-level American visit in Kyiv since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy is informed of the approved new military assistance for Ukraine.
2022-04-24

Russia sanctions U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in response to United States sanctions on Russian officials.
2022-03-15

Defense Secretary James Mattis announces that transgender troops in the military will continue to serve pending the results of a study started in June to assess the Pentagon's ability to fight and win wars.
2017-08-29

During a visit to Baghdad, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announces that the United States will be sending more troops to the country to help in the fight against ISIL. The U.S. also plans to give Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which are fighting ISIL on the ground, more than $400m (£280m; €350m) in assistance.
2016-04-18

The public interest non-profit Cause for Action files a Freedom of Information Act request for United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s personal emails following his disclosure of using that account for official government emails, this in the wake of the former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton email controversy and the Office of Personnel Management data breach. The U.S. Federal Records Act restricts use of personal email for official business.
2015-12-23

While testifying about the United States military’s current strategy, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Paul J. Selva warns the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) against falling into a ground fight trap with ISIL and U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter cautions that increased U.S. ground presence will “Americanize” the conflict. The Daily Beast reports that both Pentagon officials “did little to assuage lawmakers’ concerns that the strategy isn’t working.’’ At the same time, former U.S. defense officials tell SASC the current approach is inadequate.
2015-12-10

United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter indicates a more robust role ahead for the United States military in bolstering indigenous forces countering ISIS and in response to Russia’s increasing role in Middle East conflicts.
2015-10-26

The United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter warns that the People's Republic of China's island building in the South China Sea is undermining security in the Asia-Pacific region and has called for a diplomatic solution.
2015-05-30

The Senate of the United States fails to pass legislation lifting the debt ceiling with compromise talks continuing.
2011-07-31

Robert Gates, the United States Secretary of Defense, arrives in Afghanistan to meet with the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.
2011-03-7