Tom Bowman

The U.S. military is sending more soldiers and marines to Afghanistan to work with Afghan forces at small combat outposts. But the State Department is largely staying behind the gates and blast walls of its Embassy in Kabul and not heading out into the field. Officials say it's because of security concerns, but critics say it prevents the U.S. from keeping an eye on how the billions of dollars in aid is being spent and improving governance across the country.

The nation's highest military officer, Marine General Joseph Dunford, revealed more details today about the deadly ambush in Africa earlier this month where four U.S. soldiers were killed in Niger.

The U.S. is training and equipping both sides in the Iraq-Kurdistan stand-off along with Syrian opposition forces in the battle against ISIS and the Assad regime. It has created a tangled web with no clear end game.

In a wide-ranging interview, Gen. John W. Nicholson laid out some details of the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and explained how it will work. "We can move now in the right direction," he said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani laid out a specific goal — having his security forces control 80 percent of the country in four years. Is that doable?

The Navy's Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, R.I., is the premier training facility for surface warship officers. In the past decade, junior officers have spent greatly reduced time there.

The White House is expected to issue guidance soon about President Trump's proposed ban on transgender people in the military.

The White House is expected to issue guidance soon about President Trump's ban on transgender people in the military. Also, Defense Secretary James Mattis is traveling in the Middle East.

President Trump went against what he called his own instincts when he agreed to extend the war in Afghanistan. NPR takes a look at what will actually be different on the ground in the region following the president's speech.

President Trump addresses the nation Monday night on "the way forward" in Afghanistan. NPR looks at the range of options available to the president and the situation on the ground.

The retired Marine general has said that he believes ISIS and the Taliban should be denied safe haven in Pakistan and that he fears women in combat roles risks lowering military physical standards.

President Trump awards Jim McCloughan with the Medal of Honor, 50 years after he saved 20 fellow soldiers over three days during the Vietnam War.

President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to an Army medic on Monday afternoon at the White House, nearly 50 years after his heroic actions during the Vietnam War.

Jim McCloughan will be awarded the Medal of Honor on Monday for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. He is credited with saving 10 soldiers over three days during a 1969 firefight.

Sen. John McCain joined two other Republicans in voting against the latest GOP plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, dealing a potential death blow to their efforts.

We have the latest on how the Department of Defense is reacting to President Trump's call to exclude transgender people from the military.

The White House waited to disclose a second meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin at the G-20. Also, tensions have increased outside a holy site in Jerusalem following a shooting.

Military officials, including the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, will hold a closed door meeting with senators about the state of the battle against ISIS.

Investigators are struggling to identify the cause of Monday's crash of a KC-130 that killed all 16 aboard. Fifteen Marines and one sailor died.

Donald Trump Jr. said in an interview with Fox News that "in retrospect," he would have done things differently when meeting with a Russian lawyer last year.