The Defense Department is launching a series of counterterrorism security assistance projects in Africa, distributing $55 million worth of aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, sensors, ground vehicles, radios and more to four nations, including a new recipient -- Burkina Faso.

As the military prepares for whatever follows a decade of large-scale ground wars, reserve forces are likely to undergo changes to how they are employed and for what purposes, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said this week.

Army and Navy officials who participated in a roundtable discussion last week that mulled the future of Army forces in the Asia Pacific all agreed on the same basic point: the United States should not create a second Marine Corps.

The Defense Department's new budget request would start an array of multimillion-dollar development programs tailored to the needs of the nation's most elite troops, including investments in precision weapons, electronic warfare and future vertical-lift capabilities.

The Marine Corps' new special purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force crisis response team will be about one-sixth the size of a traditional MAGTF but will allow the service to place more units in places like Africa to provide the range and speed needed to respond to crises, a Marine Corps official said last week

The Defense Department will ask lawmakers to approve nearly $70 million in new counterterrorism aid for Libya, Nigeria and the Philippines, among other countries, according to an administration report to Congress.

The Defense Department will ask lawmakers to approve nearly $70 million in new counterterrorism aid for Libya, Nigeria and the Philippines, among other countries, according to an administration report to Congress.

More permanent and aligned authorities would better enable special operations forces to establish long-term relationships with foreign partners and prevent management challenges, according to a recent report to Congress.

As Mali descended into chaos last summer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey ordered a classified study of why years of effort to prevent the kind of lawlessness gripping the northern part of the country had proven futile, according to defense officials.

The Defense Department is launching its first fiscal year 2013 security assistance programs, moving ahead with nine projects to bolster the capabilities of European nations preparing to deploy personnel to Afghanistan to operate alongside U.S. troops, according to a Pentagon spokesman.

While Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Loyd Austin did not provide specifics in terms of appropriate troop levels for both American and Afghan forces following the 2014 drawdown, he pledged to push for a force size that would accomplish the U.S. military's objectives if he is appointed to be the next head of U.S. Central Command.

The best way for U.S. Special Operations Command to support geographic combatant commanders is by improving the theater special operations commands, according to command leaders.

The Obama administration's $32 million aid proposal for African troops fighting Islamic extremists in Mali could provide urgently needed armored vehicles, communications gear, body armor and other equipment along with training and logistical support, according to documents submitted to Congress.

The Army is once again pushing to be the Defense Department-wide proponent for all things related to stability operations, seven years after being denied that role in the Rumsfeld Pentagon, according to officials and documents.

An Army special operations leader has spoken out against a proposal to to give special operations forces broader control over worldwide operations, arguing such a move would distract from SOF's focus on more discreet engagements.

Given that the presence of American troops "can be controversial" within countries receiving U.S. security assistance, a draft State Department report urges using fewer military personnel and more career diplomats and civil servants from other agencies to accomplish the missions.

The Pentagon and State Department are proceeding with multimillion-dollar plans to provide  counterterrorism assistance to multiple countries through the new Global Security Contingency Fund, but further consultation with Congress will be needed before implementation, according to defense and diplomatic officials.

The Pentagon needs to ensure its systems are prepared to engage in operations around the world, especially in maritime areas, after spending the past decade being optimized for the hot desert and high mountains of Afghanistan, a Defense Department official focused on special operations said this week.

The Pentagon and the State Department are asking Congress to approve millions of dollars in counterterrorism aid for Libya, a request prepared prior to Tuesday's killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three of his staff members.

Defense and diplomatic officials are asking lawmakers to approve a multimillion-dollar counterterrorism assistance effort for the Philippines, Nigeria, Libya, Bangladesh, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia in what would mark the first use of the new Global Security Contingency Fund.