'Biden's promise of returning to 'normalcy' after Trump appears to mean that the same old politicians, who are responsible for the 'endless wars' in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, are being brought out of the woodwork after four years,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The United States Secret Service prostitution scandal has now grown to include a 12th member of the elite security agency, even as the Pentagon has suspended clearances of all implicated military personnel. Rediff.com takes a look at the chain of events.
Pakistan nurtured extremist groups to fight 'proxy irregular' war against India, while its military benefited from presenting New Delhi as a threat, a top Pentagon official told US lawmakers.
The United States military is "fully prepared" for any confrontation with Iran over moves to close the strategic Gulf of Hormuz, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said, as the White House indicated that the option of diplomatic negotiations was still open for Tehran. "We always continue to make preparations to be prepared for any contingency," Panetta told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. Panetta was asked whether Washington was adjusting American forces.
Two of the soldiers appearing in a shocking video showing Marines urinating on corpses of the Taliban militants have been identified, even as top United States officials, including the White House, strongly deplored the incident.
A shocking video has appeared online showing United States Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, triggering protests from Muslim lobbies and prompting Pentagon to announce that it is investigating the authenticity of the film.
The United States now faces new array of security challenges from across the globe, including the rise of new powers in Asia; behaviour of countries like Iran and North Korea and proliferation of lethal weapons, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday.
The United States is investing in long-term strategic partnership with India, the Pentagon on Thursday said in a new defence strategic document which puts Asia on a bigger priority and identifies China as a security threat.
The elusive leader of the Islamic State "caliphate," Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is evidently still alive, despite rumours that his low profile for the past few months might have signaled his death or a serious injury.
Pakistan on Thursday said that the United States probe report on the last month's North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers is "not based on facts".
The United States probe into the November 26 air attack on Af-Pak border that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers has found that American forces acted in self-defence after being fired upon and there was no intentional effort to target them, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
The United States Army continues to investigate the tragic killing of 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar, the Pentagon has said but remained unclear as to when the suspected American soldier would be charged.
United States Congress has pushed ahead to freeze 3,640 crore aid to Pakistan until Islamabad comes up with a strategy to fight the spread of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the region, a step which is likely to deepen crisis between the two countries.
Amid growing uneasiness in the United States over the rise of Chinese military power, Washington asserted that its interest in the Asia-Pacific region is not targeted towards any specific country, but towards the general peace and security of the region.
The United States has ruled out any change in its Afghanistan strategy in view of the recent violence in the restive country, particularly the killing of American servicemen after the burning of Qurans at a military base.
'Pakistan has worsted India in the Afghan proxy war and the defeat becomes a template of regional politics,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Asserting that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers was a "military engagement", the United States has said it is carrying out a crucial investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the tragic incident but Islamabad has refused to participate in the probe.
"We have a special focus area on our relationship with India -- a strategic partnership that continues to grow, both government-to-government and military-to-military. India is the largest democracy in South Asia. It's the most consequential military in the region," he said.
The Pentagon has notified the United States Congress on the possibility of the sale of six more C-130J super Hercules transport planes to India worth $1.2 billion that will equip the country with a credible special operations airlift capability to deter aggression in the region.
Foreseeing India as a major military partner in the long-run, the United States on Wednesday said it was working to transfer some of its most advanced technology to New Delhi and offering co-development of weapon systems, including on the futuristic Joint Strike Fighter.
The Pentagon has notified the United States Congress on the possibility of the sale of six more C-130J super Hercules transport planes to India worth $1.2 billion that will equip the country with a credible special operations airlift capability to deter aggression in the region.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make announcements in this regard on Thursday unveiling the annual budget of the Pentagon and the new defence strategy for the US to meet the needs of the time within the financial constraints.
India had deployed nuclear-capable missiles on its western border and refused to budge under United States pressure to hold any talks with Pakistan after the 2001 attack on its Parliament by terrorists from across the border, says former top American diplomat Condoleezza Rice.
Dismissing the remarks by the Pakistani military on the November 26 deadly NATO cross border strike, the United States on Monday said it stands by its own investigation that it was not an unprovoked firing by the US-led forces.
"Pakistan would allow back US military trainers, including Special Forces teams, and a resumption of close cooperation with the CIA in targeting militants who use the Pakistani side of the border as a safe haven and breeding ground for extremism," Fox News reported.
Bradley Manning, a United States serviceman suspected of passing classified information to the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, is being transferred to a new prison, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
United States President Barack Obama on Thursday said that the US has delivered justice to Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and put his terror group on the path of defeat.
"Our expectations are straight forward: Taliban and Haqqani leadership and attack planners should no longer be able to find safe haven or conduct operations from Pakistani soil," Pentagon Press Secretary Army Col Rob Manning told reporters during an off-camera news conference.
Applauding India's key role in Afghanistan, the United States has said that New Delhi has been helpful in providing training to the security forces of the war-torn country to help improve the situation there.
The United States has asked China to "immediately" return its unmanned naval probe in international waters in the South China Sea which it alleged has been "unlawfully" seized by them.
United States State Department spokesman P J Crowley resigned on Sunday, days after criticising the Pentagon's treatment of the man accused of leaking secret cables to Wikileaks as "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid". "Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State," Crowley said in his resignation statement.
Pakistan's border region remains the most dangerous place in the world and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas remains the epicentre of the world's worst of global jihad, a top Pentagon official has said.
United States President-elect Donald Trump has formally nominated James Mattis, a retired 4-star Marine Corps general who has long voiced concerns about the threat posed by Iran, as the Defence Secretary to replace Ashton Carter.
"Whatever happened over the weekend on the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan is a tragedy. We express regret for it and as well as condolences for the loss of life. In no way shape of form should this be construed as an intentional attack on Pakistan by the United States. That is simply incorrect," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told media persons.
An Israeli military strike can at the most delay Iranian nuclear programme by a couple of years, a top Pentagon official has said, noting that such a move would not be "prudent".
India's defence establishment is taking the new Chinese threat seriously, as also that posed by Pakistan's nuclear-tipped MRBMs -- like the Ghauri-2 and the Shaheen-2 -- which can strike targets 2300 kilometres away.
The United States is lagging behind India, China and Brazil in rate of growth in research and development (R&D) indicators, a Pentagon report has said. The global investment in R&D rose to nearly USD 1.1 trillion in 2007 in the three major regions where R&D is funded, the report said.
The US is in desperate need to conjure up an ideology-driven relationship with India, to enable it to boost its arms exports to the Indian market, says M K Bhadrakumar.
United States President Barack Obama paid his last respect to the soldiers killed in Afghanistan when the helicopter that were carrying them exploded mid-air after being reportedly hit by a rocket propelled grenade.
The offer of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to India is an example that US holds India's military modernisation in high regard, a top Pentagon official has said.
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