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Latest in central command

An Army Black Hawk helicopter lands at the al-Tanf base in Syria in April 2025. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Fred Brown. 
Middle East

US hits dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria amid base withdrawals

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 14, 2026

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), departs Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 6, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)
Navy

US sends Ford aircraft carrier, fresh off Venezuela operations, to the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 14, 2026

Caption: An A-10 Warthog flies by for close-air support while taking part in live-fire training with the USS Santa Barbara on Feb. 2, 2026. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page.
Culture

A-10 and LCS, both headed for retirement, spotted together in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 10, 2026

Image: U.S. Air Force Capt. Josiah Bierle, 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron pilot, awaits takeoff in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 30, 2025. Stationing A-10s in the CENTCOM AOR reinforces U.S. commitment to regional stability and strengthens deterrence against potential threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonah Bliss)
Culture

An A-10 Warthog named ‘Diddy Kong’ is operating in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 26, 2026

U.S. Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Bravo Battery, 2-15 Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division conduct an artillery live fire exercise at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 1, 2023. The live fire exercise was conducted to rehearse close support and precision-strike capabilities. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Quince Lanford)
Iraq

US troops fully depart al-Asad Air Base in Iraq

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jan 18, 2026

Image: U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 10, 2026) U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II prepare to taxi at base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike, Jan. 10, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Middle East

Airstrike kills militant leader linked to ambush on US soldiers in Syria

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 17, 2026

Image: U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 10, 2026) A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II taxis at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike, Jan. 10, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Middle East

US, Jordanian air forces conduct dozens of airstrikes in Syria against ISIS

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 10, 2026

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 19, 2025) A U.S. Airman prepares an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 19, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Middle East

US forces launch strikes on ISIS in Syria in retaliation for the death of 2 soldiers

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 19, 2025

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach presents the Silver Star Medal to Lt. Col. William Parks during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., Nov. 26, 2025. Parks also received the Bronze Star Medal during the ceremony. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stuart Bright)
Air Force

Air Force F-16 pilot awarded Silver Star for actions in the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 28, 2025

A US soldier gives the thumbs-up as an Israeli digger attempts to extricate a US military vessel (not pictured) that ran aground at a beach in the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod on May 25, 2024. The US military said four of its vessels, supporting a temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, had run aground in heavy seas. (Photo by Oren Ziv / AFP) (Photo by OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images)
Middle East

US to send 200 troops to monitor Gaza ceasefire

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Oct 10, 2025

U.S. Army Infantrymen, assigned to 10th Mountain Division, Task Force ARMADILLO, oversee M240B machine gun training in Syria, June 2, 2025. Night range operations provide a tactical advantage over adversaries, enhancing operational and soldier readiness. The Coalition is committed to building partner capacity and capabilities in order to maintain the lasting defeat of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Trenton Pallone)
Iraq

US forces kill ISIS commander in charge of international attacks

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Sep 19, 2025

DEIR EZ-ZOR, SYRIA - AUGUST 13: Military vehicles that the US military sent as a reinforcement, convoy to the bases controlled by PKK/YPG (PKK listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the U.S. and the EU and YPG which Turkiye consider as the extension of PKK in Syria) in Deir ez-Zor province in Syria, on August 13, 2023. (Photo by Omer Al Diri/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Middle East

US leaves Syrian base where American troops fought Wagner mercenaries

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 4, 2025

Air Force officers inspect the Modernized Enterprise Terminal at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar in January 2016.
Iran

More damage sustained than previously revealed in Iran missile attack on Qatar base

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 11, 2025

Army combat patch
Army

Army authorizes combat patches for soldiers in parts of Africa, the Middle East

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 5, 2025

Satellite imagery showing the aftermath of US strikes on the Fordow nuclear enrichment site in Iran on June 22, 2025.
Air Force

Operation Midnight Hammer damaged, but may not have destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jun 22, 2025

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 110th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron conduct hot pit refueling on a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber during a Bomber Task Force mission at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, Aug. 21, 2024. Bomber missions enhance the U.S. Air Force’s readiness to respond to any potential crisis or challenge in the Indo-Pacific through joint and multilateral operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Erhart)
News

US bombs Iranian nuclear facilities

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jun 22, 2025