Archiv: Mark Esper
Erneut Sesselrücken im US-Pentagon
Die Umbildung eröffnet Trump die Möglichkeit, noch vor dem Machtwechsel am 20. Jänner nicht erfüllte Wahlversprechen einzulösen. Dazu gehört möglicherweise die Anordnung eines vollständigen Abzugs der US-Streitkräfte aus Afghanistan.
President Trump tweets firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper
“I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately,” the president said in a post.
As U.S. campaigns against China, a growing welcome in India
Pompeo will be joined by Defense Secretary Mark Esper in New Delhi on Monday and Tuesday for annual talks.
Pompeo, Esper to visit India for US efforts to counter China, Russia
Esper’s comments also followed an announcement by Australia that it will take part in a large-scale military drill off the coast of India next month, the Malabar naval exercise, together with India, the United States and Japan.
Ramstein Air Base to house new NATO space center
The U.S.-led NATO alliance is expected to approve plans this week for a new space center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which will serve as a hub against threats to allied military satellites, a NATO official said Monday.
Kommen die Truppen aus Afghanistan nach Hause? Hängt davon ab, wen Sie fragen.
Aber man kann nicht eine „Amerika zuerst“-Außenpolitik betreiben, wenn man Leute wie Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Nikki Haley, Mark Milley und andere damit betraut. Sie werden es einfach nicht tun. Das sehen wir wieder, wenn es darum geht, unsere Truppen aus dem langen und törichten Krieg in Afghanistan abzuziehen.
Trump‘s Afghanistan withdrawal announcement takes US officials by surprise
(08.10.2020)
Multiple officials told the Associated Press they had not been informed of any such deadline and military experts said it would be impossible to withdraw all 5,000 US troops in Afghanistan and dismantle the US military headquarters by the end of the year.
They suggested the president’s claim was aimed at shifting the news cycle away from coronavirus coverage and that the Pentagon would not act on the order before the 3 November US election.
Official: Pentagon has started ‚prudent planning‘ for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May
(22.09.2020)
“I’d like to make it clear that [Defense Secretary Mark Esper] has not issued orders to reduce military personnel below this 4,000 to 5,000 level in Afghanistan, although we are conducting prudent planning to withdraw to zero service members by May 2021 if conditions warrant, per the U.S.-Taliban agreement,” David Helvey, the official performing the duties of assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security at a hearing.
Morocco, U.S. sign 10-year military cooperation road map: sources
The agreement was signed in the capital Rabat by Morocco‘s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita and visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Pentagon chief arrives in Tunisia on North Africa tour
Tunisia in 2016 denied a Washington Post report that it had allowed the US to operate drones from its territory for missions in Libya against the Islamic State group.
But a court martial in 2017 in a case of sexual harassment by an American officer, reported in the US defence press, publicly confirmed the presence of an American squadron operating drones from within a Tunisian base in the northern region of Bizerte.
US-Gesandter für Rüstungskontrolle diskutiert mit Südkorea über Chinas Nukleararsenal
US-Verteidigungsminister Mark Esper hatte im August letzten Jahres gesagt, dass die USA landgestützte konventionelle Mittelstreckenraketen in Asien stationieren wollten. Südkorea wurde als einer der Kandidatenorte gehandelt. China hatte jedoch Südkorea und Japan davor gewarnt, amerikanische Mittelstreckenraketen zu stationieren.
U.S. Secretary of Defense hosts Japanese Defense Minister
Secretary Esper and Minister Kono agreed to continue efforts to support interoperability and to enhance Alliance capabilities, particularly for integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) and for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) functions. They also agreed on the importance of secure networks and of strengthening information security to protect advanced defense technologies.
Esper hints no hot war, but puts allies in quandary
On August 14, US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea told Japan‘s Nikkei that the US is in talks with its Asian allies to deploy midrange missiles to counter „the immediate threat“ of China‘s nuclear arsenal. This week, Esper will head to Hawaii, Palau and Guam. In Guam, he is set to meet his Japanese counterpart. He will likely put pressure on Japan and talk about the deployment of midrange missiles.
US Secretary of Defense to make ‚historic visit‘ to Palau
„It is not only good for the (US) military to use for their exercise and training but can be used by Palau as well to boost its economy and tourism.“
Truppenabzug aus Deutschland – USA ziehen fast 12.000 Soldaten ab
Im Zuge des Teilabzugs verlegen die US-Streitkräfte ihr Europa-Hauptquartier von Stuttgart nach Belgien. Das US European Command (Eucom) werde ins belgische Mons ziehen, sagte US-General Tod Wolters bei der Pressekonferenz mit Esper.
Pentagon Ordered National Guard Helicopters’ Aggressive Response in D.C.
On Monday night, both Mr. McCarthy and the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. James C. McConville, pressed Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, to increase his forces’ presence in the city, according to a senior Defense Department official.
An Army official declined to comment, saying that the investigation was continuing.
Esper orders hundreds of troops from 82nd Airborne home from D.C. area
He initially ordered them home on Wednesday after a night of more peaceful protests in the nation‘s capital, but reversed course later in the day and planned to keep them in the area for another 24 hours after further analysis, the official said.
The second reversal comes as White House aides made clear their irritation with Esper for declaring his opposition to deploying active-duty troops to quash recent unrest just two days after President Donald Trump threatened to do so. Officials say the Defense secretary is on thin ice with the president.
Pentagon chief does not support invoking Insurrection Act
„I‘ve always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities in these situations in support of local law enforcement,“ Esper said at a news conference Wednesday.
„I say this not only as secretary of Defense, but also as a former soldier and a former member of the National Guard, the option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations,“ he added. „We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act.“
A letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper
When I joined the Board in early 2014, after leaving government service as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, I again swore an oath of office, one familiar to you, that includes the commitment to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States . . . and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”
You recited that same oath on July 23, 2019, when you were sworn in as Secretary of Defense. On Monday, June 1, 2020, I believe that you violated that oath. Law-abiding protesters just outside the White House were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets — not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op.
Official resigns from Pentagon advisory board over Esper‘s perceived support for clearing protest outside White House
A former top policy official at the Pentagon, James Miller, resigned from his role on the Defense Advisory Board due to what he said was Secretary of Defense Mark Esper‘s visible support for law enforcement officers‘ clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square on Monday.
James N. Miller, former under secretary of defense for policy, has published his resignation letter from the Defense Science Board
Here it is.
The more we learn, the clearer it becomes that Captain Brett Crozier should be reinstated. He was executing his command responsibility of protecting his personnel. And he was right. I urge Secretary @EsperDoD to give Capt Crozier back his command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
USA rüsten in Lateinamerika weiter auf und setzen dabei auf verstärkte Kooperation mit Brasilien und Kolumbien
Die Anwesenheit der Verteidigungsminister Mark Esper (USA) und Carlos Holmes Trujillo (Kolumbien) ließ ahnen, was damit gemeint war.
Pentagon chief meets Saudi Arabia‘s deputy defence minister
On landing in Riyadh on Monday, he met the head of US Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Donald Trump kündigt Friedensabkommen mit Taliban an
US-Außenminister Mike Pompeo soll am Samstag in Doha ein Friedensabkommen mit den Taliban unterzeichnen. Anschließend sind innerafghanische Verhandlungen geplant.
Emphasizing China Threat, US Insists ‘The West Is Winning’
Instead, the US seems eager to play the Chinese threat up to get foreign allies’ support, the same way they historically have with Russia. Confidence that the West is winning is easy to say, since there is no real conflict ongoing, beyond the US trying to get countries to not do business with Huawei.
Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz: Propagandaschlacht um Huawei-Technik
Im Kern gehe es nicht um ökonomische und technologische Entscheidungen, erklärte Juliane Smith vom German Marshall Fund der USA auch in einem Gastkommentar der Süddeutschen Zeitung zum Auftakttag der MSC. Es gehe darum, „wie demokratische Staaten ihre Gesellschaften vor dem Einfluss autoritärer Staaten schützten und vor Erpressung, die weit in der Zukunft liegen mag“, schreibt Smith. Angesichts der massiven Propaganda sprachen in München manche Beobachter von einem neuen Kalten Krieg, dieses Mal im Bereich der Technologie.
US Africa Command chief makes pitch for military presence amid reported plans for cuts
„If the U.S. steps back from Africa too far, China and Russia will fill the void to our detriment,” he said in his written testimony to the Senate. “Violent extremist organizations will be able to grow unchecked, some will ultimately threaten the homeland, and we will lose opportunities for increased trade and investments with some of the fastest growing economies in the world.”
Sen. Mike Lee: Defense Secretary Should Agree to Support War Powers Resolution
“Well, I‘m worried. And as a United States senator and as a voter and citizen, I have learned not to simply take the federal government‘s word at face value. I mean, look, we were lied to about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We were lied to for a couple of decades about what was happening in Afghanistan. We have been lied to about a lot of things,” Lee said.
Esper: Gang of 8 ‚did not think‘ further intelligence on Iranian threat should be shared with Congress
Esper said that he was not in the room briefing the top intelligence lawmakers, but said he spoke to one of the briefers afterward.
“His assessment was …
Trump’s ‘four embassies’ claim utterly falls apart
Trump has said in recent days that Soleimani was planning to “blow up” the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and also that he was going after “four embassies.”
But Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper revealed on talk shows Sunday that the idea that Soleimani was about to attack four embassies wasn’t based on intelligence. Instead, he said it was simply something Trump and others “believed” to be the case.
US-Verteidigungsminister Esper: Keine harten Belege für Anschlagspläne
„Der Präsident hat nicht auf ein spezifisches Beweismittel verwiesen“, sagte der Verteidigungsminister. „Was der Präsident gesagt hat, ist, dass es möglicherweise weitere Angriffe auf Botschaften geben könnte.“ Auf die Frage, ob Geheimdienstler konkrete Beweise dafür vorgelegt hätten, sagte Esper: „Ich habe keinen mit Blick auf die vier Botschaften gesehen.“
Esper says he „didn‘t see“ specific evidence showing Iranian threat to 4 U.S. embassies
„The president didn‘t cite a specific piece of evidence. What he said was he believed,“ Esper said Sunday on „Face the Nation.“ „I didn‘t see one, with regard to four embassies. What I‘m saying is that I shared the president‘s view that probably — my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies.
Administration officials defend Trump claims, Soleimani intelligence as senators push back on briefing
Esper also said the so-called Gang of Eight, the top members of Congress’s intelligence committees, did not believe further intelligence on Iran should be shared with Congress.
Esper told CBS’s Margaret Brennan he spoke to one of the officials who briefed the Gang of Eight and that “his assessment was most if not all the members thought the intelligence was persuasive and that the Gang of Eight did not think it should be released to the broader members of Congress.”
Seven Days in January: How Trump Pushed U.S. and Iran to the Brink of War
But the United States also sent secret messages through Swiss intermediaries urging Iran not to respond so forcefully that Mr. Trump would feel compelled to go even further. After it did respond, firing 16 missiles at bases housing American troops without hurting anyone as a relatively harmless show of force, a message came back through the Swiss saying that would be the end of its reprisal for now. The message, forwarded to Washington within five minutes after it was received, persuaded the president to stand down.
How Trump decided to kill a top Iranian general
(03.01.2019)
Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a meeting with reporters Friday that Soleimani was killed after U.S. officials recently became aware of intelligence that showed the “size, scale, scope” of what he was planning, which led them to conclude that there was a greater risk in not taking action than in doing so.
Pres. Trump, advisers face mounting pressure to justify Soleimani attack intel
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that no lives were lost after Iran fired ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. and coalition forces overnight. Trump said the U.S. would add new sanctions on Iran, but seemed to seek de-escalation. Meanwhile, Trump and his advisers are facing more pressure to provide justification for the airstrike that assassinated Iranian Gen. Soleimani. Senators and congressmembers found a Wednesday intelligence briefing to be wholly insufficient.
US-Begründung zu Soleimani-Tod: „Absolut verrückt“ und „unamerikanisch“
Die Regierung habe in der vertraulichen Sitzung in einem abhörsicheren Raum im Kongress kaum Beweise für die Behauptung vorgelegt, dass mit dem Luftangriff ein unmittelbar bevorstehender Angriff verhindert worden sei, erklärte der Senator aus dem US-Bundesstaat Utah, Mike Lee.
Die Regierung habe die Senatoren aufgefordert, „gute kleine Jungs und Mädchen zu sein, einfach mitzulaufen und das nicht öffentlich infrage zu stellen“, sagte der sichtlich verärgerte Lee, der nicht als Kritiker seines Parteifreundes Präsident Donald Trump bekannt ist.
Letter saying US troops will pull out of Baghdad was ‚an honest mistake‘
Our own sources in Baghdad confirmed that the letter was genuine and that they too had seen it.
One source said their understanding of the US position was that a partial withdrawal or repositioning of some troops to Kuwait was taking place.
Esper contradicts Trump on targeting Iranian cultural sites: We ‚follow the laws of armed conflict‘
„Nothing rallies people like the deliberate destruction of beloved cultural sites. Whether ISIS‘s destruction of religious monuments or the burning of the Leuven Library in WWI, history shows targeting locations giving civilization meaning is not only immoral but self-defeating,“ one of the officials told CNN.
„The Persian people hold a deeply influential and beautiful history of poetry, logic, art and science. Iran‘s leaders do not live up to that history. But America would be better served by leaders who embrace Persian culture, not threaten to destroy it,“ they added.
Pentagon Rules Out Striking Iranian Cultural Sites, Contradicting Trump
The defense secretary acknowledged that “the laws of armed conflict” prohibited attacking antiquities and said the military had no plans to do so, even though the president declared them targets.
Pentagon to deploy thousands of additional troops to Middle East
The United States has already dispatched about 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East since May.
US readies 4,000 troops for deployment to Middle East amid Baghdad unrest: report
Five thousand U.S. troops are already stationed in Iraq assisting the country‘s security forces. U.S. forces in the region number around 60,000 troops.
Esper says 750 soldiers to deploy ‚immediately‘ in response to violent embassy protests in Iraq
„At the direction of the Commander in Chief @POTUS, I have authorized the deployment of an infantry battalion from the Immediate Response Force (IRF) of the @82ndABNDiv to the @CENTCOM area of operations in response to recent events in Iraq,“ Esper tweeted.
Trump to send reinforcements after protesters attack U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
“We are sending additional forces to support our personnel at the embassy,” U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Tuesday.
President Trump made a brief stop at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., in the morning, leaving after less than an hour.
Pentagon moves forward with Saudi defense mission
(27.11.2019)
The Pentagon’s deployment of new radar, air defense and other military assets to the Gulf nation was discussed during talks Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held with Saudi officials this week.
Milley, in his first visit to this key U.S. ally since becoming President Trump’s chief military adviser this fall, met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other leaders during his visit.
US worried Israel may attack Iran to save Netanyahu
(27.11.2019)
According to Harel, Israel is afraid that the US will desert the Iran issue while America is worried Israel may carry out a unilateral attack against Tehran, forcing Washington into a war.
Harel warned that it is impossible to separate the internal Israeli chaos from the Iran issue; in particular with regards to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment and his failure to form a government.
Richard Spencer: I was fired as Navy secretary. Here’s what I’ve learned because of it.
President Trump involved himself in the case almost from the start. Before the trial began, in March, I received two calls from the president asking me to lift Gallagher’s confinement in a Navy brig; I pushed back twice, because the presiding judge, acting on information about the accused’s conduct, had decided that confinement was important. Eventually, the president ordered me to have him transferred to the equivalent of an enlisted barracks. I came to believe that Trump’s interest in the case stemmed partly from the way the defendant’s lawyers and others had worked to keep it front and center in the media.
White House was briefly on lockdown after aircraft entered restricted airspace
Two US Capitol Police sources said the situation is being classified as an „aircon,“ which is an as yet unidentified incoming aircraft.