Policy & Strategy

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that Syria would be better off with President Bashar al-Assad out of power after a weekend massacre left more than 100 dead and drew international scorn.

President Obama and Mitt Romney offered clashing views over whether to arm insurgents in Syria.

The Obama administration again came under fire for its aggressive use of armed aerial drones against suspected terror targets on the same day the No. 2 al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan was killed by an American drone. 

The Defense Department on Tuesday attempted to walk back the rhetoric in Washington for military action in Syria, saying the Pentagon and the White House remain focused on finding a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Mitt Romney, Obama's presumptive opponent for the presidency this November, favors arming the Syrian rebels. 

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told U.S. Naval Academy graduates that sustaining and enhancing America's strength across the Pacific maritime region will be one of the "key projects" of their generation during his commencement speech Tuesday.

The decision was part of a coordinated response by countries around the world to Friday's massacre of 90 civilians.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is making his first trip to Cuba on Tuesday to tour the U.S. base and prison.

Tensions between the two countries came to a boil after Pakistan's head of intelligence abruptly canceled talks in Washington. 

In a Memorial Day address, Romney called for a commitment “to preserve America as the strongest military.”