Obama administration expands elite military unit’s powers to hunt foreign fighters globally; First U.S. service member killed in Syria fighting the Islamic State; A military historian’s find could unlock the mystery of 136 sailors missing since WWII; Report: Islamic State has used chemical weapons 52 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014; How Trump naming Mattis as Pentagon chief would break with 65 years of U.S. history;   A military blog by Dan Lamothe   Obama administration expands elite military unit’s powers to hunt foreign fighters globally Joint Special Operations Command's 'Counter-External Operations Task Force' will hunt terrorist networks. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Dan Lamothe  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   First U.S. service member killed in Syria fighting the Islamic State The service member was killed by a roadside bomb. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   A military historian’s find could unlock the mystery of 136 sailors missing since WWII Four graves are marked "Unknown U.S. Sailor — January 3, 1944." That's the same date the Navy destroyer USS Turner exploded, killing 136 sailors. By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.  •  Read more »   Report: Islamic State has used chemical weapons 52 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014 The group has used chemical weapons 19 times around Mosul since 2014. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   How Trump naming Mattis as Pentagon chief would break with 65 years of U.S. history Congress allowed Gen. George Marshall to become defense secretary. Will it allow Mattis? By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   WorldViews Important stories from around the world, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Checkpoint:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Checkpoint or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071