Tom Bowman

All the armed services are confronting a challenging environment for adding numbers to their ranks. The U.S. is near full employment and fewer young people physically qualify.

President Trump has said U.S. forces are not on the table for potential negotiations with North Korea, but he has also complained about the cost of keeping them there.

The Army must increase its active duty members by 76,000 this fiscal year. A difficult task is made harder by low unemployment and an increasing civilian-military cultural divide.

The Pentagon released its long-awaited report on the deaths of four U.S. and five Nigerian soldiers in a battle with ISIS last October in Niger.

NPR has obtained details of the report, to be released Thursday, on the deaths of four American soldiers in Niger last October. The report identifies no single failure leading to their deaths.

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan views a rising China and proliferating military high tech as key challenges to the long-term security of the United States.

The classified report sent to Congress, says the special forces team was retasked from a simple mission to a more dangerous one for which it was not equipped or trained — without notifying higher-ups.

The White House says President Trump still wants to pull troops from Syria as soon as possible. This follows weekend airstrikes after allegations that Syria used chemical weapons on civilians.

On Friday, President Trump authorized airstrikes on Syrian targets to retaliate after an alleged chemical weapons attack by President Bashar Assad. Pentagon officials say the attacks were "precise" and "effective."

We have the latest from the U.S. military about the airstrikes in Syria.

The U.S., France and Britain attacked Syria overnight in response to the Assad regime's alleged chemical attack.

Following President Trump's vow on Twitter to attack Syria and the five days since the alleged chemical weapons attack which prompted the move, no attack actions have been taken.

NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR Beirut Correspondent Ruth Sherlock discuss the U.S. preparations that are underway to respond to an apparent chemical attack in Syria.

President Trump says he has a lot of military options following a suspected chemical attack in Syria. He met with top military officials on Monday to discuss how to respond to the attack.

President Trump said that his administration is making plans to send troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border. He also said he wants to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria.

The State Department is holding back on the money for recovery funds for Syria. It was promised by departing Secretary of State Tillerson, and was to go to areas controlled by U.S.-backed rebels.

Two people were killed and five wounded by an improvised explosive device in Syria, the U.S.-led coalition said Friday.

U.S. special forces in Africa train local forces and go after terrorists. But after four Americans died in an ISIS ambush last year, there is new scrutiny about their mission and their safety.

Reports say national security adviser H.R. McMaster may be on his way out of the White House, the latest in a long line of departures.

Reports say national security adviser H.R. McMaster may be on his way out. Also, Ian Talley of The Wall Street Journal discusses sanctions on Russia, which is holding an election Sunday.