The U.S. Marines' newest and in some quarters most controversial transport airplane is showing the world what it's got — for the sake of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, and perhaps its own future.

Federal officials say Americans are joining the bloody civil war in Syria, raising the chances they could become radicalized by al-Qaida-linked militant groups and return to the U.S. as battle-hardened security risks.

Eight-month deployments are becoming the fleet standard, with some stretching much longer. For instance, destroyers Barry and Gravely returned from nine-month cruises in November that were extended due to the Syrian crisis.

The United States military sent the first batch of a sophisticated but accident-plagued new aircraft to an air base on Okinawa on Monday, going forward with its planned deployment despite unexpectedly fierce opposition by islanders and warn