Lawyers

• Six Guantanamo prisoners fly to Uruguay for resettlement

  Six men held for more than a decade at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were flown to Uruguay for resettlement on Sunday, the latest step in a slow-moving push by President Barack Obama's administration to close the facility.

• Obama nominates Ashton Carter for Pentagon chief

  President Barack Obama on Friday nominated veteran defense expert Ashton Carter as his defense secretary, a job that will require him to tackle messy wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan and try to fend off potentially damaging budget cuts.

• U.S., South African hostages in Yemen killed in rescue attempt

  A U.S. journalist and a South African teacher held by al Qaeda militants in Yemen were killed during a rescue attempt by U.S. and Yemeni forces, senior officials said on Saturday.

• U.S. military sex assault reports up 8 percent: officials

  Sexual assaults reported by U.S. military troops rose 8 percent in 2014 amid signs that victims are increasingly confident about reporting the attacks, defense officials said on Wednesday ahead of the formal release of the annual figures.

• Obama considering Ashton Carter, others for next defense secretary

  President Barack Obama is considering a variety of high-profile figures as his candidate to be the next U.S. defense secretary and replace the resigning Chuck Hagel, administration sources said on Monday.

• Hagel, under pressure, resigns as U.S. defense secretary

  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned on Monday, leaving under pressure as President Barack Obama faces critical national security challenges, including fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and revising plans to exit Afghanistan.

• U.S. releases five Guantanamo detainees to Georgia, Slovakia

  The United States has released five detainees from its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including the first Yemeni detainee to be resettled since 2010, officials said on Thursday.

• U.S. Army to deactivate long-serving 'Iron Brigade' in South Korea

  An Army combat brigade that has anchored the U.S. military presence in South Korea for nearly 50 years will be deactivated and replaced with a rotational unit as the service shrinks in size due to budget cuts, defense officials said on Thursday.

• U.S. Defense Secretary sees long-term fight against Islamic State

  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Saturday that the embattled Syrian city of Kobani was a very difficult problem but added that air strikes had made some progress in driving back Islamic State militants.

• U.S. to deliver 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt - Pentagon

  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Egyptian Defense Minister Colonel General Sedki Sobhy on Saturday to confirm the United States plans to deliver 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt to support Cairo's counter-terrorism efforts, the Pentagon said.

• U.S. general says cannot rule out larger ground role in Iraq

  The most senior U.S. military officer raised the possibility on Tuesday that American troops might need to take on a larger role in Iraq's ground war against Islamic State militants, but the White House stressed they would not deploy on a combat mission.

• Former U.S. Afghanistan commander to lead effort against Islamic State

  President Barack Obama has chosen retired Marine Corps General John Allen, who served as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, to coordinate international efforts to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, a U.S. official said on Friday.

• U.S. to Bolster Missile Defense Against North Korea Threat: Adding 14 Interceptors on West Coast (Video)

  The Pentagon announced on Friday that it will spend $1 billion to add 14 interceptors to a West-Coast-based missile-defense system, responding to what It called "faster-than-anticipated North Korean progress on nuclear weapons and missiles."

• Chuck Hagel Visits Afghanistan: Suicide Bombing Coincides With First Trip to Kabul as Secretary of Defense

  A suicide bomber blew himself up on the roadway outside the Afghan Defense Ministry in Kabul on Saturday, Afghan officials said as Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel made his first visit to the country in his new post. At least 8 civilians were killed in the attack, and another six or seven wounded, according to Afghan officials.

• Senate Republicans Deny Filibuster of Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel

  U.S. Senate Republicans said that their move to block President Obama's choice to be defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, was not a true filibuster because they expect him to be confirmed. The White House expressed concerns that Thursday delay would give those who have been against his nomination, including pro-Israel supporters concerned about Hagel's previous statements and actions, enough time to derail his chances of being confirmed.

• Will Chuck Hagel Face Filibuster?

  After last week's "lackluster" hearing appearance, defense secretary hopeful Chuck Hagel gets a boost from some supporters, though 12 Republicans have stated their opposition to his nomination.

• Chuck Hagel Secretary of Defense Hearings Begin, Faces a Grilling by Senate Panel

  As President Obama's newly nominated Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is set to meet with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, he will no doubt get a harsher grilling from his colleagues than the newly confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry did two weeks ago.