WASHINGTON: After two years of reassuring US allies that Donald Trump’s America would not abandon them, Jim Mattis finally had enough. Even before Trump was sworn in as president, the announcement that he would pick Mattis as his Secretary of Defense was met with delighted relief “from the right, from the left, and from overseas.”… Keep reading →

Contrary to the president’s rhetoric, there is no forthcoming Trump buildup, and  the new strategy emphasizing China and Russia is becoming ever more elusive and out of touch with fiscal reality. It is simply unaffordable at this point in time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States a new arms race would provoke a “quick and effective” Russian response and threatened NATO’s members. Democrat leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives predict an increased risk of “an unconstrained nuclear arms race.” Is it true? Has President Trump fired the first shot in a Cold… Keep reading →

U.S. troops in Syria aren’t going anywhere until Iran leaves the country, a senior Trump administration said Monday as Russia deploys an advanced air defense system that puts U.S. and Israeli pilots at greater risk.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday he was open to the possibility of sitting down for talks with his Russian counterparts.
“I am considering meeting with my counterpart, but there’s been no decision,” Mattis told reporters at a small, off-camera talk here.