President Obama gave his Afghanistan speech nine years after President George W. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq.

President Obama's speech was timed for the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death.

President Obama will address the nation from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on Tuesday night. 

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz warned the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that if Congress restores aircraft that the Pentagon wanted to scuttle, it’s got to pony up the money that goes with it.

“If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too, because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure and no money. It’s simple as that,” Schwartz said during a forum at the Stimson Center Tuesday.

The bill is the start of an effort to prevent $600 billion in defense cuts over 10 years.

A Vietnam War veteran is accusing an often-controversial airline of refusing to refund a plane ticket when his doctors prohibited him from flying because of a terminal illness.

Retiring Marine Jerry Meekins said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News that Spirit Airlines denied his request for a refund after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The airline told him "that's it too bad. Their policy is no refunds, regardless of circumstance," Meekins said in the interview.
 
"Had I known two weeks prior, of course, I would have never purchased the ticket," he added.

The White House's decision to open the door to potential arms sales to Taiwan could hinder U.S.-Chinese negotiations on a number of pressing security issues. 

Obama is beefing up sanctions on Iran and Syria, issuing an executive order targeting anyone trying to skirt the crackdown.

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With two years to go until U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, local government corruption and border-security issues with Pakistan remain the biggest risks to a successful American withdrawal, two top administration officials said Tuesday.