This week, American military forces scored another win in the fight against ISIS.
In northern Syria, U.S. Central Command forces conducted a successful raid that killed a senior ISIS member who planned attacks in Syria as well as Iraq and who was a key organization financier.
"He had relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region, posing a direct threat to the U.S. and coalition forces and the new Syrian government," said Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson during the Weekly Sitrep video. "We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination throughout the region to ensure our lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the U.S. homeland."
The United States and Centcom remain committed to the mission of defeating ISIS, said Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, Centcom commander.
Last week, President Donald J. Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation's capital and vowed to make its streets safe again for both residents and visitors. Since that time, National Guard personnel have worked alongside federal and local law enforcement to help reduce crime.
"Under President Trump and [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth's leadership, the DOD is dedicated to addressing the lawlessness and crime in our nation's capital," Wilson said. "We will restore the beauty, honor and greatness of Washington, D.C."
On Aug. 20, Vice President JD Vance and the defense secretary visited some of those National Guard troops at Union Station to thank them for their work as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, Joint Task Force District of Columbia.
"[These guardsmen are] here because they're patriots who serve the country and believe we deserve a beautiful, safe capital," Hegseth said. "When I talk to all these people, they're proud of this mission [and] they're proud to be a part of making sure the rule of law is established. ... It's an honor to be here with you."
Yesterday, the secretary also visited the D.C. Armory to meet with about 300 National Guard service members.
"Thank you for what you're doing," Hegseth said. "I know you're away from your families, your spouses [and] your kids as a result [of the mobilization], but I think you're on the frontlines of safeguarding our nation and setting an example for the country."
Today, about 2,000 guard personnel are mobilized as part of the mission in Washington. Included in those are guardsmen from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. The D.C. National Guard makes up about 930 of those mobilized.
"We are so grateful for their bravery and service alongside D.C. law enforcement," Wilson said.
Since the National Guard mobilized in Washington, crime is down 87%, Trump said during a briefing today at the White House.
"We've made a lot of progress. [Washington] was extremely unsafe, and now it's extremely safe. We have virtually no crime," he said. "The National Guard has been unbelievable. ... Washington, D.C., is a whole different place."
Earlier this week, Trump met at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with NATO and European leaders, including the presidents of five NATO nations, to discuss ways to bring a close to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
"This week, the secretary of defense attended a meeting with European leaders at the White House and witnessed President Trump forge the peace process between Ukraine and Russia," Wilson said. "Our commander in chief is a tough and relentless peacemaker."
That meeting came less than 48 hours after a meeting in Alaska between the president and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hegseth was a witness to that historic meeting as well.
"What an honor it was to watch our president forge the peace process today," Hegseth said following those meetings. "No other leader on planet Earth could do what he did in Alaska, today at the White House or in the future."
Finally, late last week, Hegseth hosted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. at the Pentagon Athletic Center, where the two participated in something important to both of them — physical fitness.
"They introduced the 'Pete and Bobby Challenge' to help make America healthy again," Wilson said. "Their challenge: 100 pushups [and] 50 pullups in under 10 minutes. At the highest, level we are furthering our initiative with the DOD that we will be fit, not fat."
Participating alongside Hegseth and Kennedy in that "fitness check" were service members from five military branches and Defense Department civilians. Hegseth told participants that the fitness check was part of an overall promotion by DOD to highlight the importance of physical fitness throughout the chain of command.
"We've talked about [how] we're going to be fit, not fat; we've talked about how we're going to be ready — it's a real thing," Hegseth told the group, adding that it matters what service members look like, how they carry themselves and whether or not they are capable of doing what the job requires of them on a physical level.
Both secretaries said they'd like to expand their fitness check beyond the military to young Americans to encourage them to embrace fitness.