Policy & Strategy

Pentagon officials have rejected a request from Rep. Buck McKeon for classified information.

The decision by the United States and Russia to put their differences aside and jointly host a peace summit between Syrian rebels and the Assad regime earned plaudits from the United Nations' special envoy to the war-torn country.

“This is the first hopeful news concerning that unhappy country in a very long time,” Lakhdar Brahimi said in a statement Wednesday. “The statements made in Moscow constitute a very significant first step forward. It is nevertheless only a first step.”

Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement late Tuesday after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. He said the two countries have agreed to host an international conference “as soon as is practical,” perhaps by the end of the month.

“The specific work of this next conference,” Kerry said, “will be to bring representatives of the government and the opposition together to determine how we can fully implement the means of the communique, understanding that the communique’s language specifically says that the Government of Syria and the opposition have to put together, by mutual consent, the parties that will then become the transitional government itself.”

President Obama on Tuesday said he had “no tolerance” for sexual assault in the military.

The Topline: President Obama weighed in on the military’s present problem of sexual assault Tuesday, vowing to hold military leaders accountable in response to a new Pentagon report showing cases are on the rise.

Obama said that he had “no tolerance” for sexual assault in the military, saying those responsible should be court-martialed, fired and dishonorably discharged.

"I expect consequences. I don't want just more speeches, awareness programs or training where people ultimately look the other way," Obama said Tuesday at a news conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

The president’s comments on sexual assault in the military could bring new urgency to an issue that has long plagued the services.

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Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterparts agreed on Tuesday to establish a bilateral peace council, in an attempt to bring the two-year Syrian civil war to an end. 

President Obama on Tuesday told Congress he is extending the imposition of sanctions against Syria for another year — they were due to expire on May 11.

In a notice to Congress, Obama said Syria has reduced the facilitation of foreign fighters into Iraq, it's ongoing civil war against Syrian civilians means the sanctions will continue.

The Pentagon's review of its overall military strategy, designed to address huge budget cuts under sequestration, is nearly complete. 

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Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called on Congress to pass new legislation to strengthen sexual assault prevention measures in the military, on the same day the Defense Department released a report showing sexual assaults increased in 2012.

Speier was also reacting to reports that Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, the chief sexual assault prevention officer, was charged with sexual battery over the weekend.

The Pentagon's claims mark the strongest to date about the Chinese government launching cyberattacks against U.S. government. 

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he believes the U.S. is moving quickly to arm Syrian opposition forces.

“I do think we’ll be arming the opposition shortly,” Corker said Tuesday on “CBS This Morning.” “We’re doing a lot more there on the ground than really is known, but we do have to change the equation … we’ve got to change the balance there and I do think we will be arming the rebels soon.”