Martin Dempsey

The United States is struggling to track a fragmented Syrian opposition and has found it increasingly difficult to get a clear picture of rebel factions, the US military's top officer said Monday.

The US military said Tuesday it halted production of a new medal for drone and cyber warfare, ordering a review after critics called the award an insult to combat veterans.

The general overseeing US forces in Afghanistan told senators Tuesday that he recommended keeping 13,600 American troops in the country once NATO withdraws in 2014, even as White House officials have pushed for a smaller presence.

The Pentagon's new chief held talks with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday and pledged to ensure US budget cuts have no effect on funding for military assistance to the Jewish state, officials said.

The Pentagon's new chief hosted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday for talks after having faced allegations from some US senators that he was too critical of the Jewish state.

With a feuding Senate holding up approval of his successor, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday joked that he hoped he would be allowed "to get the hell out of town" and retire as planned.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States is exploring ways to end Syria's increasingly bloody conflict as the White House defended its refusal to arm rebels there.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday acknowledged for the first time that the Pentagon had backed proposals to arm the Syrian opposition battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Defense chiefs on Thursday defended the military response to a militant attack on a US mission in Libya, but warned looming deep budget cuts threaten America's ability to protect itself.

The US military is not a 911 service ready to rush to every emergency around the world, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta told lawmakers Thursday, defending the response to an attack on a mission in Libya.

Syria accused Israel of staging an air raid on a military research centre, a day after a peace envoy issued a fresh warning of the 22-month conflict spilling over into neighbouring states.

Syria accused Israel of staging an air raid on a military research centre on Wednesday, a day after a peace envoy issued a fresh warning of the 22-month conflict spilling over into neighbouring states.

The United States on Wednesday declined to comment on an Israeli air raid against a weapons convoy from Syria as senior officials hosted Israel's director of military intelligence for talks.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague Monday hosted a private dinner to bid farewell to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she steps down from her post this week, officials said.

Ushering in a new era for the US military, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted a ban on women serving in ground combat, saying female troops had proven themselves in a decade of war.

The US military officially dropped its ban on women serving in ground combat Thursday after a policy review by top commanders, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a ban on women serving in combat, officials said -- a ground-breaking move after a decade of war that saw female troops thrust onto the battlefield.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a ban on women serving in combat, officials said -- a ground-breaking move after a decade of war that saw female troops thrust onto the battlefield.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has decided to lift a ban on women serving in combat, a senior defense official said Wednesday, after a decade of war that saw female troops thrust onto the battlefield.

The United States is increasingly focused on how to secure Syria's chemical weapons if President Bashar al-Assad falls from power, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.