National Security

Marine Capt. Cristian Alphonso, center, pictured with his parents, Bonny, left, and Karen, right, in 2014. Alphonso was unable to visit his parents before an upcoming deployment because of Defense Dept. travel restrictions.

For Many U.S. Military Families, Coronavirus Means Thanksgiving-In-Place

7:49pm November 25, 2020

by Dustin Jones

About half of Defense Dept. installations worldwide have implemented travel restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect America's fighting forces. It's making for a tough holiday.

Why Transition Delays Won't Be A Problem For Biden's National Security Team

7:25am November 25, 2020

NPR's David Greene talks to Dennis Blair, retired Navy Admiral who served as President Obama's first director of National Intelligence, about national security implications of the Biden transition.

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Then-Sen. Joe Biden, in August 2001, on his first trip to China as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Biden Vs. Biden On China

6:36am November 24, 2020

by Greg Rosalsky

In the early 2000s, Joe Biden helped bring China and America closer. Now, not so much.

Avril Haines pictured in January 2020. If confirmed, Haines will become the first woman to become the director of national intelligence.

Avril Haines Nominated As First Female Director Of National Intelligence

9:55pm November 23, 2020

by Dustin Jones

President-elect Joe Biden's appointee was previously the deputy director of the CIA and the White House deputy national security adviser.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, pictured in January 2014, is President-elect Joe Biden's choice for United Nations ambassador.

Biden Picks Foreign Service Veteran Linda Thomas-Greenfield For U.N. Ambassador

4:14pm November 23, 2020

by Michele Kelemen

Thomas-Greenfield has worked in foreign service for more than three decades, including as head of the Bureau of African Affairs in the Obama White House. This position requires Senate confirmation.

The eldest sister of Shamima Begum holds her sister's photo in 2015. Begum, who left London to join the Islamic State organization as a teenager, is now trying to return to the U.K. to argue that her British citizenship should not have been revoked.

Court Considers Whether Woman Who Joined ISIS As A Teen Is Allowed To Return To U.K.

3:03pm November 23, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

Shamima Begum, now 21, left London with two other schoolgirls in 2015 to join the terrorist organization and is now in a detention camp in Syria. The U.K. revoked her citizenship last year.

President-elect Joe Biden is set to choose Antony Blinken as secretary of state. He served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama.

Biden To Nominate Antony Blinken For Secretary Of State

1:26pm November 23, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

Blinken served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama. The announcement came along with a number of other national security picks.

Jonathan Pollard, the American convicted of spying for Israel, leaves a New York courthouse following his release from prison in 2015. As of Friday, Pollard has completed the terms of his parole and is a free man.

Jonathan Pollard, Who Sold Cold War Secrets To Israel, Completes Parole

6:18pm November 21, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

After 30 years in prison, and five years on stringent parole, former U.S. Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard plans to move to Israel, his lawyers said.

An honor guard is formed at Defence Headquarters in Canberra, Australia, before findings from the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry are released on Thursday. A report found evidence that 25 soldiers unlawfully killed 39

After Australian Report, Calls Grow For More Investigations Of Abuses In Afghanistan

2:55pm November 20, 2020

"Only through a series of independent inquiries will we uncover the true extent of this disregard for Afghan life, which normalized murder, and resulted in war crimes," an Afghan rights group says.

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Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber, from Lake Forest, Ill., is slated to become the Naval Academy's first Black female brigade commander, the student body's highest leadership position.

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Sydney Barber Will Be 1st Black Female Brigade Commander At Naval Academy

1:02pm November 19, 2020

The native of Lake Forest, Ill., reflects on the historic nature of her position and her plans for the future: "I feel like the world is my oyster."

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