pentagon official visit

David B Gleason

Can I Tour the Pentagon?

The pentagon memorial is open to all visitors, and public tours inside the pentagon are available to us citizens with advance reservation..

Yes, but public tours inside the Pentagon are available to US citizens only with advance reservations. The Pentagon Memorial is open to all visitors.

How to tour the Pentagon

The Pentagon, located just outside Washington, DC in Arlington, Va., is the headquarters for the United States Department of Defense. It is open for official tours through the  Pentagon Tours program .

Pentagon tours must be reserved at least 14 days in advance and no more than 90 days in advance. Tours are conducted Tuesdays and Thursdays (excluding federal holidays) at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tours fill up quickly and it is highly recommended that you book well in advance of your visit. You can make a tour request online . International visitors must request a tour through their home country’s embassy.

Individuals who have a Pentagon badge and escort privileges are permitted to give a self-guided tours to friends or family. If you are assigned to the Pentagon or if you are visiting a Pentagon staff member, contact the Pentagon Force Protection Agency at (703) 697-1001 to determine escort status.

Nighttime at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Virginia

Touring the Pentagon

Tours are 60 minutes and cover about 1.5 miles inside the Pentagon, which is one of the largest office buildings in the world. Tours include the history of the four branches of the military and the opportunity to see the indoor memorial near the Sept. 11 crash site and the Sept. 11 Memorial chapel, as well as the Hall of Heroes (featuring the names of all the Medal of Honor recipients) and a number of other military displays.

@daily__ary

Parking, security and accessibility

There is no public parking at The Pentagon. The Pentagon can be reached via its own dedicated Metro stop on the Blue and Yellow lines or you may choose to park at Pentagon City Mall and make the five-minute walk to the Pentagon via pedestrian tunnel. Once you’ve arrived, check in at the Pentagon Tours window near the Metro entrance.

Visitors must check-in at least 60 minutes prior to their scheduled tour to allow time for security. You will be asked to present your tour confirmation email and photo ID. All visitors will go through security scanners. All purses are subject to search. Large bags, including backpacks, shopping bags and camera bags are NOT permitted on the tour. Cell phone, cameras, recording devices and other electronic devices cannot be used on the tour and no photography is permitted inside the building.

Ramps are available for visitors with disabilities. Tour visitors in wheelchairs must bring someone who can assist them on the tour.  A signer will be added to tours to assist hearing impaired visitors provided that two weeks' notice is given. Special tours for visually impaired visitors can also be arranged with two weeks' notice.

There are so many great tours and sightseeing opportunities in Washington, DC. Discover  your next tour adventure .

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US Sending Pentagon Official to Taiwan Soon, FT Reports

(Bloomberg) -- The US is sending its top China defense official to Taiwan, according to the Financial Times — though it’s unclear how Beijing will respond given the softer tone it has adopted in its diplomacy with the US and allies recently.

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The deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Michael Chase, will make the trip “in the coming days,” the newspaper reported, citing four people familiar with the situation.

China appears to have recalibrated its Taiwan strategy in the run-up to a presidential election next year. Officials from Shanghai plan to visit soon, pending approval from the government in Taipei, in what would be the first such visit since before the pandemic started.

Beijing also pledged to resume imports of Taiwanese foods after blocking shipments in December.

Beijing opposed military ties between Washington and Taipei, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Friday at a regular news briefing, adding the US should “stop creating new factors that could lead to tension across the Taiwan Strait.”

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, vehemently opposes official visits to Taipei by governments it has diplomatic ties with, often sending warplanes around the democratically run island in a show of displeasure.

Nancy Pelosi’s visit in August, the first by a sitting house speaker in 25 years, prompted an unprecedented show of force by the People’s Liberation Army, which fired missiles over Taiwan. In 2020, then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar led a delegation that was the highest-level visit by a US cabinet official since Washington cut ties with Taipei more than 40 years ago.

Yet, it offered a muted response when the most recent senior Pentagon official, ex-deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia Heino Klinck, visited Taiwan in 2019.

Despite recent efforts to improve dialogue, ties between Washington and Beijing have worsened after the US shot down a balloon it said China was using for spying. China says the aircraft was a civilian device that was collecting weather data when it was blown off course.

On Thursday, China imposed fines and sanctions against Lockheed Martin Corp. and a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corp. for selling weapons to Taiwan.

The move is largely symbolic and came after the US sanctioned six Chinese firms because it said they were linked to a military-backed global balloon espionage program.

(Updates with comment from China’s Foreign Ministry.)

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Top Pentagon official to visit Taiwan, report says, amid US-China tensions

Relations between Beijing and Washington have soured since the US accused China of sending a spy balloon into its airspace

A top Pentagon official will visit Taiwan in coming days, according to reports, as attempts between the US and China to repair relations continue to backslide after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon in its airspace.

Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China , is expected to visit Taiwan in coming days, according to the Financial Times, after he leaves Mongolia where he is meeting its military.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the report of Chase’s trip, but stressed that the US “support for Taiwan and military relations with Taiwan is in response to the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China.”

Chase would be the most high-profile US visitor since the then House speaker Nancy Pelosi travelled to Taiwan in August, setting off an angry response from Beijing.

Taiwan’s defence minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng, said he was uncertain on the report of the visit and couldn’t comment until he had been formally notified. But he said that anyone friendly to Taiwan who could give “favourable advice” on defence operations was welcome.

“If any team that is friendly to us want to visit, they will let us know. Suggestions that are beneficial to Taiwan’s defence operations are very good, and they are all good opportunities. Details are not confirmed yet, I will not explain more. For some matters, if I am not sure about who my subject is, and I am uncertain about it, I won’t make an explanation before I am officially notified.”

China claims Taiwan as a province – a stance that Taiwan’s government and people resoundingly reject. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has pledged to annex Taiwan, by force if necessary, for what he terms “reunification”. Visits by US officials to Taiwan frequently draw condemnation from China, which strongly objects to any foreign actions which signal support for Taiwan. After Pelosi visited, China’s military staged days of live fire military drills around Taiwan’s main island.

Republican members of the US Congress’ foreign affairs and armed services committees have urged the Biden administration to increase its financial commitment to Taiwan, and proposed military aid packages providing grants instead of or on top of loans to fund weapons purchases.

“We must be willing to accept the tension that comes with supporting Taiwan amidst China’s threats and aggression, and we must match words with actions,” a letter signed by members including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee head Jim Risch, according to Defense News .

The US, while not having formally committed to defending Taiwan if that should eventuate, is bound by legislation to provide the island’s government with the means to defend itself. This has seen billions of dollars in weapons sales over recent years, something which has also angered Beijing. This week it sanctioned two major US weapons companies – Lockheed Martin and a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies – over their sales to Taiwan. The two firms were placed on an “unreliable entities” list, and ordered to pay fines twice the value of their Taiwan sales contracts. The list prohibits the countries from engaging in imports, exports, or new investments in China.

The US and China had been making apparent efforts to repair the bilateral relationship, but progress collapsed after the sudden appearance of what the US government says was a Chinese spy balloon in US airspace. In response secretary of state Antony Blinken cancelled a planned trip to Beijing. The balloon was shot down earlier this month. The incident prompted allied countries, including Japan, to reassess past sightings and the UK to review security policies.

China rejects the spying accusations and has accused the US of overreaction, and of spying on China .

Taiwan’s military said on Thursday night it had found the remains of a probable crashed weather balloon, likely from China, on a remote island in the Matsu archipelago, just off the coast of China.

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The defence ministry said troops stationed on Dongyin island saw an unknown object falling from the sky, then found the remnants of a balloon on a shooting range.

The sphere is about one metre in diameter with an instrument box marked with simplified Chinese characters - which are used in China but not Taiwan - and the wording “Taiyuan Radio No. 1 Factory Co., Ltd.” and “meteorological instrument”, the military said.

The defence ministry earlier this week said Chinese balloons were frequently spotted near Taiwan but they were all meteorological, not military. Taiwan has frequently complained of Chinese harassment of its outer islands, including the use of civilian drones last year, at least one of which was shot down.

Dongyin sits at the top of the Taiwan Strait on an important passage for any southbound Chinese forces from the eastern province of Zhejiang if they attack Taiwan, and the island is well defended.

Defence minister Chiu said on Friday authorities were investigating the origins and purpose of the balloon found on Dongyin, but hosed down suggestions that it would be considered a “strike” from China similar to last year’s drone.

Additional reporting by Chi Hui Lin, Xiaoqian Zhu, and agencies

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Object downed by US missile may have been amateur hobbyists’ $12 balloon

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Blinken will be the latest top US official to visit China in a bid to keep ties on an even keel

FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, accompanied by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, walk to meet the media after a bilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington, Oct. 26, 2023. Blinken will travel to China, the State Department announced Saturday, April 20, 2024, as the rivals attempt to keep ties on an even keel despite severe differences over issues ranging from the path to peace in the Middle East to the supply of synthetic opioids that have heightened fears over global stability. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attends a meeting in Beijing China, April 7, 2024. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China, the State Department announced Saturday, April 20, 2024, as the rivals attempt to keep ties on an even keel despite severe differences. The trip follows Yellen’s visit, a phone call this month between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and a phone call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, Pool, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China this coming week as Washington and Beijing try to keep ties on an even keel despite major differences on issues from the path to peace in the Middle East to the supply of synthetic opioids that have heightened fears over global stability.

The rivals are at odds on numerous fronts, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, Taiwan and the South China Sea , North Korea, Hong Kong, human rights and the detention of American citizens. The United States and China also are battling over trade and commerce issues, with President Joe Biden announcing new tariffs on imports of Chinese steel this past week.

The State Department said Saturday that Blinken, on his second visit to China in less than a year , will travel to Shanghai and Beijing starting Wednesday for three days of meetings with senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Talks between Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected, although neither side will confirm such a meeting is happening until shortly before it takes place.

The department said in a statement that Blinken would “discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues,” including the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

He will also talk about progress made in “resuming counternarcotics cooperation, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence, and strengthening people-to-people ties” and will reaffirm how important it is for the U.S. and China to be “responsibly managing competition, even in areas where our two countries disagree,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

The trip follows a phone call this month between Biden and Xi in which they pledged to keep high-level contacts open, something they had agreed to last year at a face-to-face summit in California. Since that call, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has visited China and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken by phone with his Chinese counterpart . Meetings at lower levels also have taken place.

Despite those encounters, relations are rocky. The U.S. has recently become more vocal in its calls for China to stop supporting Russia’s military-industrial sector, which Washington says has allowed Moscow to boost weapons production to support the war against Ukraine .

“We see China sharing machine tools, semiconductors, other dual-use items that have helped Russia rebuild the defense industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade,” Blinken said Friday. “Now, if China purports on the one hand to want good relations with Europe and other countries, it can’t on the other hand be fueling what is the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.”

Blinken also has pushed for China to take a more active stance in pressing Iran not to escalate tensions in the Middle East . He has spoken to his Chinese counterpart several times since the Israel-Hamas war began six months ago as he has sought China’s help in getting Iran to restrain proxy groups it has supported, armed and funded in the region.

That topic has taken on new urgency since direct back-and-forth attacks by Iran and Israel on each other’s soil in the past week.

Also high on the agenda for Blinken will be Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The U.S. has strongly condemned Chinese military exercises threatening Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province and vowed to reunify with the mainland by force if necessary. Successive U.S. administrations have steadily ramped up military support and sales for Taipei, much to the anger of Chinese officials.

In the South China Sea, the U.S. and others have become increasingly concerned by provocative Chinese actions in and around disputed areas. In particular, the U.S. has voiced objections to what it says are Chinese attempts to thwart legitimate activities by others in the waterway, notably the Philippines and Vietnam.

That was a major topic of concern earlier this month when Biden held a three-way summit with the prime minister of Japan and the president of the Philippines.

Pentagon UFO office unveils official website for US government personnel to report sightings

The office states it will "follow the science wherever it leads."

The Pentagon's official office for addressing UFOs has a new website where U.S. government and military personnel can report their own sightings.

The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) unveiled the new website on Wednesday (Aug. 30). According to a note from the office's director, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the website will be used to inform the public about ARRO's findings as well as offer a way for the public to report sightings of UFOs or, as they're now called, unidentified anomalous phenomena ( UAP ).

While the site is still under construction, it features a section where the office will be "accepting reports from current or U.S. Government employees, service members, or contractors with direct knowledge of U.S. Government programs or activities related to UAP dating back to 1945." These reports will help the office complete a historical record of such events, as requested by the United States Congress.

Related: UFO whistleblower tells Congress the US government is hiding evidence of 'non-human intelligence'

The site also outlines the office's mission, which it states is to "minimize technical and intelligence surprise by synchronizing scientific, intelligence, and operational detection identification, attribution, and mitigation of unidentified anomalous phenomena in the vicinity of national security areas."

In addition, the site offers a three-part definition of UAP, which it states are objects in the air that can't immediately be identified; objects or devices that travel between different domains such as air, space or water; and underwater objects that are not immediately identifiable or may be related to the first two definitions.

This focus on objects in space and in water is part of the reason the term "UFO" has fallen out of fashion and has been replaced with the more all-encompassing term "UAP." 

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In a set of slides offering a more comprehensive overview of AARO's mission, it is stated that the office will study "recovered enigmatic technologies, leveraging cross-sector partnerships and the latest developments in theoretical and applied physics, [and] engineering." 

In July 2023, a U.S. Air Force and intelligence community veteran told a Congressional subcommittee that the American government is hiding the existence of a "multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program." No definitive proof of those claims have come to light, but several members of the U.S. Congress have vowed to get to the bottom of them.

 —  Pentagon establishes office to track UFOs in space

 — Pentagon releases its long-awaited 2022 UFO report

 —  Pentagon has 'no credible evidence' of aliens or UFOs that defy physics

AARO was established in July 2022 in order to "detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in, on or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace and other areas of interest, and, as necessary, to mitigate any associated threats to safety of operations and national security," according to a Department of Defense statement. 

Despite collecting hundreds of reports from U.S. military and government personnel, Kirkpatrick stated at a public hearing in April that his office "has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known laws of physics." 

In a Frequently Asked Questions section on the new site, AARO states that it "uses a rigorous scientific framework and data-driven approach to better understand UAP" and will "follow the science wherever it leads." 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Brett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more. Brett has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett enjoys skywatching throughout the dark skies of the Appalachian mountains.

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• rod https://www.aaro.mil/ Here you go folks, now some can report their UFO/UAP sightings. I plan to view Saturn tonight using my telescope. Reply
• silo commander area 51 L Found a small dead extraterrestrial insect like life form yesterday. Today things are good. Reply
• rod I did enjoy some Saturn observing tonight. No UAP/UFOs to report or ET phoning home buzzing around in my area :) Observed 2000-2200 EDT. Full Moon 30-August-2023. August 2023 issue of Sky & Telescope shows Full Moon 31-August-2023 0136 UT/2136 EDT 30-August-2023 so waning gibbous tonight in Aquarius. Moon rise near 2021 EDT. As the Moon rose higher, the fields lit up with moonlight. The Moon hit me in the eye like a big pizza pie, its amore 😊 The Moon and Saturn separated by a bit more than 19.5 degrees according to Stellarium 23.2. I enjoyed views of Saturn ranging 31x to 111x views using TeleVue eyepieces with my 90-mm refractor telescope. The moons Titan and Rhea were distinct in the north up and mirror reverse view. Skies clear, temperature 17C, winds 360/7 knots, h=62%. It was a relaxing evening out and I could see three or four satellites in the early period pass by, most were polar orbiting near 2nd magnitude. Saturn rose above a tree line near 2100 EDT, an easy target to view. Saturn provided more detail at 71x and 111x using TeleVue 14-mm Delos and TeleVue 9-mm Nagler. Hint of Cassini division along with some cloud banding. The rings are closing. Before viewing Saturn, I enjoyed some low power views of Arcturus at 31x and unaided eye views of the summer triangle (Deneb, Vega, and Altair regions). Reply
• Dave There are a lot of people out there buying into this doublespeak by the Pentagon. Three credible whistleblowers at a congressional hearing give testimony of non human spacecraft being seen that defy the laws of physics. Misdirection and coverups revealed with members of congress vowing to get the bottom of things. A wing obviously exists in the military with a definitive agenda. A crash UAP retrieval and reverse engineering program is obviously going on. The AARO needs to come forth and admit the truth. It is time to acknowledge what everyone already knows. Occam's razor has shifted. Intelligent lifeforms are observing us. We are not alone. The very concept is is not only a justified belief, but a truth as well. The evidence keeps mounting everyday. Thousands of credible witnesses can't be wrong. We are not the center of the universe. You may not like it, but humankind is on the cusp of a new way of thinking. A new interpretation of the understanding of our existence. it is time to wake up! Reply

rod said: https://www.aaro.mil/ Here you go folks, now some can report their UFO/UAP sightings. I plan to view Saturn tonight using my telescope.

Dave said: There are a lot of people out there buying into this doublespeak by the Pentagon. Three credible whistleblowers at a congressional hearing give testimony of non human spacecraft being seen that defy the laws of physics. Misdirection and coverups revealed with members of congress vowing to get the bottom of things. A wing obviously exists in the military with a definitive agenda. A crash UAP retrieval and reverse engineering program is obviously going on. The AARO needs to come forth and admit the truth. It is time to acknowledge what everyone already knows. Occam's razor has shifted. Intelligent lifeforms are observing us. We are not alone. The very concept is is not only a justified belief, but a truth as well. The evidence keeps mounting everyday. Thousands of credible witnesses can't be wrong. We are not the center of the universe. You may not like it, but humankind is on the cusp of a new way of thinking. A new interpretation of the understanding of our existence. it is time to wake up!

rod said: I did enjoy some Saturn observing tonight. No UAP/UFOs to report or ET phoning home buzzing around in my area :) Observed 2000-2200 EDT. Full Moon 30-August-2023. August 2023 issue of Sky & Telescope shows Full Moon 31-August-2023 0136 UT/2136 EDT 30-August-2023 so waning gibbous tonight in Aquarius. Moon rise near 2021 EDT. As the Moon rose higher, the fields lit up with moonlight. The Moon hit me in the eye like a big pizza pie, its amore 😊 The Moon and Saturn separated by a bit more than 19.5 degrees according to Stellarium 23.2. I enjoyed views of Saturn ranging 31x to 111x views using TeleVue eyepieces with my 90-mm refractor telescope. The moons Titan and Rhea were distinct in the north up and mirror reverse view. Skies clear, temperature 17C, winds 360/7 knots, h=62%. It was a relaxing evening out and I could see three or four satellites in the early period pass by, most were polar orbiting near 2nd magnitude. Saturn rose above a tree line near 2100 EDT, an easy target to view. Saturn provided more detail at 71x and 111x using TeleVue 14-mm Delos and TeleVue 9-mm Nagler. Hint of Cassini division along with some cloud banding. The rings are closing. Before viewing Saturn, I enjoyed some low power views of Arcturus at 31x and unaided eye views of the summer triangle (Deneb, Vega, and Altair regions).

Boy_Named_Sioux said: Neat. Sounds really interesting and I've often pondered getting a high scale telescope but am not very knowledgeable about the hobby and don't have the slightest idea of where to begin. I don't want to spend too much money but at the same time want a reasonably powerful model with programmable coordinates and memory capabilities. I can't go too big due to limited storage space but am under the belief that bigger is better? Anyways if you can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it, but if not then that's fine too. You just sounded very knowledgeable on the matter so I figured I'd give it a shot. Look forward to a response but also accept the idea that you may not want to commit your time helping someone you don't even know. Either way best of luck in your endeavors exploring the cosmos via your 🔭

• Dave A UFO or UAP sighting is an extremely rare experience. An astronomer in his or her lifetime may not see one. And yet, the President of the United States may see one. Experienced navy pilot David Fravor saw one. A very credible witness. The Pentagon in the same breath will say there is no credible evidence. Navy pilot Ryan Graves saw one. A very credible witness. The Pentagon in the same breath will say there is no credible evidence. In both instances the UAP's in question were observed performing maneuvers that defy the laws of physics. These pilots did not see the planet Venus. They saw spacecraft. The AARO will tell you that there is no evidence of any object that defies the laws of physics. Even my 3 year old grandson can tell you that the AARO and the Pentagon are lying. Ryan Graves and David Fravor are telling the truth. Fravor and Graves know what they saw, non human intelligent lifeforms observing the earth. Reply
• billslugg The main problem is humans are prone to misinterpretation. We can take a credible observer at his or her word that they saw something, but we cannot use that to prove an ET origin. Here is an example where an airline pilot mistook Venus for a UFO that was rushing towards him, put it into a dive, injured some passengers. In science, something must be repeatable by an independent party. No amount of "one time" eyewitness accounts or images can meet that requirement. If you had a piece of a UFO that several different labs could analyze, that would meet the standard. Anecdotal accounts and images cannot prove the case and are only sufficient for helping to justify further research. https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/sleepy-pilot-mistakes-planet-venus-oncoming-plane/story?id=16158107#:~:text=The%20pilot%20indicated%20that%20a%20U.S.%20Air%20Force,jet.%20He%20forced%20the%20plane%20into%20a%20dive. Reply
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U.S. to Withdraw Troops From Chad, Dealing Another Blow to Africa Policy

The departure of U.S. military personnel in Chad and Niger comes as both countries are turning away from years of cooperation with the United States and forming partnerships with Russia.

By Eric Schmitt

Reporting from Washington

The Pentagon will withdraw dozens of Special Operations forces from Chad in the next few days, the second major blow in a week to American security and counterterrorism policy in a volatile swath of West and Central Africa, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The decision to pull out about 75 Army Special Forces personnel working in Ndjamena, Chad’s capital, comes days after the Biden administration said it would withdraw more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger in the coming months.

The Pentagon is being forced to draw down troops in response to the African governments’ demands to renegotiate the rules and conditions under which U.S. military personnel can operate. Both countries want terms that better favor their interests, analysts say. The decision to withdraw from Niger is final, but U.S. officials said they hoped to resume talks on security cooperation after elections in Chad on May 6.

The departure of U.S. military advisers in both countries comes as Niger, as well as Mali and Burkina Faso, is turning away from years of cooperation with the United States and forming partnerships with Russia — or at least exploring closer security ties with Moscow.

The Kremlin uses persuasion — and other times, coercion — to achieve its aims. The United States warned Chad’s president last year that Russian mercenaries were plotting to kill him and three senior aides and that Moscow was backing Chadian rebels massing in the Central African Republic, to the south. At the same time, the Kremlin was courting sympathizers within Chad’s ruling elite, including cabinet ministers and a half brother of the president.

The impending departure of the U.S. military advisers from Chad, a sprawling desert nation at the crossroads of the continent, was prompted by a letter from the Chadian government this month that the United States saw as threatening to end an important security agreement with Washington.

The letter was sent to the American defense attaché and did not directly order the U.S. military to leave Chad, but it did single out a Special Operations task force that operates from a Chadian military base in the capital and serves as an important hub for coordinating U.S. military training and advising missions in the region.

About 75 Green Berets from the 20th Special Forces Group, a National Guard unit from Alabama, serve in the task force. A handful of other U.S. military personnel work in the embassy or in different advisory jobs and are not affected by the decision to withdraw, officials said.

The letter blindsided and puzzled American diplomats and military officers. It was sent from Chad’s chief of air staff, Idriss Amine; typed in French, one of Chad’s official languages; and written on General Amine’s official letterhead, two American officials said. It was not sent through official diplomatic channels, they said, which would be the typical method of handling such issues.

Current and former U.S. officials said the letter, which was reported earlier by CNN , could be a negotiating tactic by some members of the military and the government to pressure Washington into a more favorable deal before the elections in May.

American officials said that unlike the U.S. troop departure from Niger, the withdrawal from Chad could be only temporary while diplomats determined whether a new so-called status of forces agreement could be reached, and if so, whether U.S. military advisers would return to Chad. Barring last-minute diplomatic developments, the U.S. troops are scheduled to begin leaving this weekend and complete their departure to Germany by May 1, two American officials said.

“As talks continue with Chadian officials, U.S. Africa Command is currently planning to reposition some U.S. military forces from Chad, a portion of which was already scheduled to depart,” Maj. Pete Nguyen, a Pentagon spokesman, said on Thursday.

“This temporary step is part of an ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after the May 6 presidential election,” Major Nguyen said.

While France, a former colonial power in the region, has a much larger military presence in Chad, the United States has also relied on the country as a trusted security partner.

Chad’s presidential guard is one of the best trained and equipped in the semiarid belt of Africa known as the Sahel. The country has played host to military exercises conducted by the United States . Officials at the Pentagon’s Africa Command say Chad has been a major partner in an effort involving several countries in the Lake Chad basin to fight Boko Haram.

“U.S. Africa Command remains dedicated to building enduring partnerships with Chad and other African nations in the Sahel to address mutual security concerns and to help promote a peaceful and prosperous future in the region,” Gen. Michael E. Langley, the head of the command, said during a visit to Chad in January, according to a statement from the command .

During the trip, the statement said, General Langley met with Gen. Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud, Chad’s military chief of staff, and other leaders. Discussions focused on regional security challenges and Chadian efforts to counter violent extremism in the Sahel.

Mahamat Adamou contributed reporting from Ndjamena, Chad.

Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times, focusing on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas, topics he has reported on for more than three decades. More about Eric Schmitt

Biden, South Korea to increase signs of military power as show of force against North Korea

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden  announced Wednesday that he is increasing demonstrations of military might in the Indo-Pacific and expanding collaboration with South Korea in hopes of deterring an attack by North Korea.

In exchange, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed his nation's commitment not to develop its own nuclear weapons.

Biden and Yoon delivered the joint statement after a bilateral meeting at the White House. It's the centerpiece of the new initiatives on cybersecurity, economic investments and more that the leaders are rolling out during Yoon's state visit marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the two nations.

"Our nuclear defense treaty is ironclad," Biden said, standing next to the South Korean leader on the White House South Lawn. "And that includes our commitment to extended deterrence."

The two leaders took a few steps from their podiums to shake hands as Biden thanked Yoon for his "friendship and partnership."

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Earlier in the day, Biden greeted Yoon and Kim Keon Hee, first lady of the Republic of Korea, during an arrival ceremony Wednesday morning that honored Korean War veterans as military bands played the anthems of both nations. 

Yoon, speaking through an English translator, said the U.S.-South Korean alliance is "not a transactional relationship" based on self-interests but "an alliance of values, standing together to safeguard the universal value of freedom." 

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South Korea benefits from the protection of the U.S. “nuclear umbrella,” the main deterrent against attacks from North Korea.

Biden said a nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its partners would "result in the end of whatever regime, were it to take such an action." 

But North Korea’s aggressive missile testing and lack of interest in denuclearization talks has raised concerns in South Korea that more needs to be done.

The creation of a joint consultation group is intended to increase the confidence in the U.S. of not just Seoul but also the South Korean people. The South Korean government will be given more insight into U.S. military planning and a voice in those deliberations, according to a senior administration official.

Biden made clear that as commander-in-chief he has “absolute” and “sole authority” to use a nuclear weapon. “What the declaration means is that we're going to make every effort to consult with our allies, when it's appropriate, if any actions so call for it,” he said.

The U.S. will also increase public demonstrations of strength, such as sending a ballistic missile submarine on visits to South Korea for the first time since the 1980s.

“This is a new level of extended deterrence, much stronger,” Yoon said through an interpreter.

Yoon took office last year after a closely contested election in which he vowed to bolster South Korea's defenses against North Korea. 

• Second state visit: This is only the second state visit Biden has hosted. The first was last fall’s summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The last state visit with South Korea was hosted by President Barack Obama in 2011.
• Gifts exchanged:  Biden and first lady Jill Biden gave Yoon a small, handcrafted mahogany table made of historical White House wood by a U.S. furniture maker and inspired by traditional Korean soban tables. The president also presented Yoon with a shadow box set with custom and vintage baseball memorabilia, while Jill Biden presented Kim with a pendant necklace with blue sapphires designed by a Korean American designer.
• Why now: The two nations are marking the 70th anniversary of their alliance. In addition, the U.S. has been trying to strengthen its relationships in Asia as a counterbalance to China’s increasing economic and military might. During his visit to South Korea last May, Biden said “revitalizing” the alliance between the nations was one of his “key foreign policy priorities.”
• The schedule: In addition to their private meetings Wednesday, Biden and Yoon will  attend a state dinner, a diplomatic honor reserved for the U.S.’s closest allies. Yoon will address a joint House and Senate meeting Thursday. While he’s in the U.S., Yoon also has trips to NASA, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and is meeting with the CEOs of entertainment companies like Disney, Netflix and Sony Pictures.
• Economic collaboration and conflict: The Biden administration has touted South Korea’s billions of dollars in economic investments in the U.S., including in electric vehicle manufacturing, one of the ways the administration wants to strengthen supply chains while creating jobs. But South Korea is concerned how U.S. restrictions on technology exports to China will affect South Korean companies that make semiconductors there.

Pentagon leak complicates state visit

The state visit was complicated by the leak of classified documents that included evidence the U.S. has been spying on allies. It was an embarrassment for the Biden administration and caused Yoon political headaches back home, making it more important that Yoon be able to show he’s getting something from the summit. That could include announcements on expanded economic cooperation or more efforts to deter North Korea’s belligerence.

'Embarrassing wrench': How Pentagon leak complicates South Korean president's state visit with Biden

Ukraine likely to be discussed

Leaked intelligence indicates top advisers to Yoon were concerned ammunition South Korea agreed to sell the U.S. to refill its stockpiles would wind up in Ukraine. South Korea does not send lethal weapons to countries at war, but the trove of documents – which U.S. officials have neither verified nor disavowed – suggested that Yoon's government was considering a policy shift.

Yoon told Reuters last week it would be difficult for South Korea to stay on the sidelines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “if there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war."

It’s too early to tell if South Korea is ready to amp up support beyond humanitarian assistance, said Ellen Kim, an expert on U.S.-Korea relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But given the increased cooperation between Russia and North Korea, South Korea finds it “increasingly difficult to avoid entrapment in Ukraine,” Kim said.

China must stop aiding Russia if it seeks good relations with West, NATO says

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Tabloid publisher says he wrangled with trump over who should buy sex stories.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified at Donald Trump's criminal trial on Thursday that he wrangled with Trump and his former lawyer ahead of the 2016 election over who should buy the silence of women who said they had sexual encounters with him.

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