I know I’ve been radio silent for the past few weeks. I’ve been getting my ducks in a row for the post-DADT era. Here’s a look into an interview I had with National Public Radio’s Terry Gross on ‘Fresh Air’ which aired this Wednesday. In the interview, OutServe’s Josh Seefried and I discuss what it’s been like living under “Don’t …
Accompanied by Apocalyptic Arpeggios, House GOP Warns Against Defense Cuts
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Even if you accept the arguments being put forward by the Republican majority on the House Armed Services Committee in this just-released video, can we agree that the ominous music percolating throughout really doesn’t belong in a serious debate on such a fundamental topic? Then …
The Ultimate Half-Full — Or Half-Empty — Glass
Rich Hill is a San Francisco teacher who last week penned a column in the San Francisco Chronicle griping about the annual Blue Angels’ air show over his fair city:
I have strong feelings about the Blue Angels’ annual visit. I do not like it…The Boeing F/A-18 Hornet is a fierce fighter and agile attacker…Are we so distant from
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“How Can We Avoid a `Hollow Military’ This Time Around?”
Old-timers recall with dread the so-called “hollow Army” the U.S. had following the Vietnam War, which crystallized in 1980’s failed rescue mission of the U.S. hostages held by Iran. Budget cuts are coming, so how can the U.S. avoid hollowing out its military forces once again? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American …
SEAL Chopper Crash Findings
Sometimes a military investigation sets off fireworks. Sometimes it confirms what we already knew. That’s the bottom line in the Pentagon probe into the downing of that CH-47 helicopter in Afghanistan on August 6 that killed 38 military personnel, including 30 Americans and 17 SEALs:
Iranians May Have Consulted Three Stooges Script in Terror Plot
How stupid are the Iranians? If the allegations by the United States are true, they hired a used car salesman in Texas to knock of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, and they also introduced the used car salesman to members of the Quds force like it was a cocktail party.
The main character in this drama is Manssor Arbabsiar, a …
More Military Abuse in Afghanistan, Another Suicide
Photo Op: Foggy Fleet Week in San Francisco
All Politics Is Local…
Little tales illuminate big issues. Take defense spending and jobs, for example. It always drives me crazy when government bodies do something completely unrelated to their prescribed role. It happened just last week in Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of D.C. where I happen to live. Yet unrelated doesn’t mean there aren’t …
“Can We Cut Pentagon Spending Enough by Eliminating Waste, Fraud and Abuse?”
They’re three of the Pentagon’s perpetual enemies: waste, fraud and abuse. It’s so common it sometimes morphs an acronym – WFA. If it’s such a big part of military spending, can the Defense Department make its needed cuts simply by ridding itself of the trio? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I chat …
Beyond the Battlefield…
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David Wood, a one-time Timester, now covers the military for the Huffington Post. He has just launched an ambitious effort into how the nation is tending to the wars’ worst-wounded. It’s well worth your while to check out the video above, and the opening piece of …
Pork Ranger
As the defense-budget battles heat up – they’ll come to a boil later this week when Defense Secretary Leon Panetta heads to Capitol Hill to say where he thinks the ax should fall – you’ve got to be on the lookout for pyromaniacs in fields of straw men (credit: William F. Buckley via George Will). While a comprehensive review of …
Mutually-Assured Economic Destruction
Confirming our report Friday that China is our next big enemy, the Rand Corp. has just issued a study entitled Conflict with China. It paints a pretty dire picture of U.S. military prospects in China’s ‘hood, and encourages the U.S. to keep developing weapons to keep China at bay. While the study says the prospect of war is …