The arrival near Latin America of the US Navy’s “most lethal combat platform” has put the spotlight on a fighting force that has a tough image but has been weakened by years of economic crisis.

Naval Station Roosevelt Roads is now one of five locations where U.S. forces are operating in Puerto Rico, an American territory strategically positioned north of Venezuela.

A Pentagon official says the U.S. military's 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea.

Three people were killed, according to the military's announcement, which didn't provide evidence that the boat was transporting drugs.

The U.S. military conducted another attack on an alleged drug smuggling ship in international waters of the eastern Pacific, killing three people.

While the government has so far been able to pay them using redirected funds, those resources are running low, meaning they could be forced to work without pay after November 15 if the shutdown continues.

Large defense companies have "conned" the U.S. military into buying expensive equipment when cheaper commercial options would have been available, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it detected and tracked a Russian military spy ship just miles off the coast of Hawaii, the latest incident of a Russian vessel or plane operating close to the U.S. The Russian intelligence vessel, Kareliya, was spotted about 15 nautical miles south of Oahu on Oct. 29, the Coast Guard said Thursday.

U.S. Southern Command confirmed over the weekend that the military conducted a strike on a vessel that was carrying alleged narcoterrorists.