Ash Carter

F-35’s ‘Grotesque Overruns’ are now past

Washington - Arab Today

Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jet "has come a long way” since "grotesque” cost overruns and schedule delays plagued the costliest U.S. weapons system, departing Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in an appraisal at odds with the view of President-elect Donald Trump. Because the $379 billion program is critical to three U.S. military services and many allied air forces, "it’s essentialRead more

US Will Not Shoot Down N. Korea Missile Unless It's Threatening

Washington - Arab Today

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that the United States would not necessarily shoot down a North Korean missile, if it was not threatening. He said the US military would want to gather intelligence from the missile's flight instead of intercepting it. "If it's not threatening, we won't necessarily do so. Because it may be more to our advantageRead more

Carter Calls for More Efforts to Help Veterans

Washington - Arab Today

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter admitted that the government should be doing more to help veterans with mental health issues, days after a former soldier randomly killed five people in an airport in Fort Lauderdale. "We keep learning more about how to deal with this kind of illness, we are going to learn more and have to do more absolutely,"Read more

Carter confident US will remain key to anti-Daesh coalition

London - Arab Today

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter expressed confidence Thursday that under the Trump administration the US will remain central to the international coalition fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria. “While I cannot speak for the next administration, I am confident that based on the results we are seeing and the strength of our coalition, the United States and its military willRead more

Carter assures allies over US commitment to Daesh fight

London - ArabToday

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter expressed confidence Thursday that under the Trump administration the US will remain central to the international coalition fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria. “While I cannot speak for the next administration, I’m confident that based on the results we’re seeing and the strength of our coalition, the United States and its military will continue toRead more

Carter leads his final anti-Daesh conference amid uncertainty

London - Arab Today

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter is convening his final war-planning conference with core members of the anti-Daesh coalition. The session gets underway Thursday in London amid questions within the coalition about what Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House next month will mean for the future of the coalition. Carter has arranged for the coalition representatives to receive an updateRead more

200 more American troops head to Syria

Washington - Arab Today

Two hundred additional American special operations troops will head to Syria to help Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces fighting Daesh terrorists, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced on Saturday at a security conference in Bahrain. The troop increase will bring the total number of US troops in Syria to 500, ABC News reported. A defense official said the additional troops willRead more

US defence secretary offers assurances to Afghan leaders

Bagram Air Base , Afghanistan - Arab Today

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday that America will stick with Afghanistan for years to come as a new US president takes over what is already America’s longest war. In a joint appearance in Kabul with Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, Carter said the US cannot afford to give up on Afghanistan after more than 15 years of US involvement,Read more

US remains committed to support Afghanistan

Kabul - arabToday

The visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Friday said that the United States was committed to long-term support to the militancy-hit Afghanistan. "We stand with the people of Afghanistan who have put themselves at risk and sacrificed so much. We will continue to stand with you,"Carter told reporters at a joint press briefing with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.Read more