The White House and Pentagon won’t admit it, but everybody else knows the size and scope of the continuing U.S. presence in Afghanistan is now subject to debate. That’s the result of a perfect storm of factors — the killing of Osama bin Laden, the weariness of the American public, and the continuing zaniness of Afghan President …
Whew…Secret SEALs Can Win Secret Medals
Stars and Stripes’ Rumor Doctor(the U.S. military has just about as many rumors as it does secrets, and believe me — the rumors tend to be more interesting) Jeff Schogol was told that the military doesn’t award secret commendations. Does that mean the SEALs who took out Osama bin Laden — in addition to not being able to …
The Outing of the SEALs Has SecDef Ticked Off
Remember when then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld got that question about “hillbilly armor” in 2004 from a soldier in Kuwait complaining about lousy protection for troops in the war in Iraq? And Rumsfeld’s timeless response: “As you know, you go to war with the Army you have.”
It turns out the question, from a member of …
NATO’s New, Less U.S.-Centric, Way of Waging War
“So did you kill Gaddafi last night?”
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen laughed generously at the temerity of the question. The former Danish prime minister — now chief of the most powerful military alliance in history — unspooled his political answer to an impolitic query. “Let me stress that we do not target …
The Things They Say on Their Way Out the Door
Bin Laden’s Secret Communications Plan: Use a Thumb Drive
The Associated Press has details on how Osama bin Laden managed to email his terrorist colleagues and avoid detection by the United States. The AP piece has a relatively breathless buildup, suggesting bin Laden had an ingenious secret plan:
WASHINGTON – Despite having no Internet access in his hideout, Osama bin Laden was a prolific
…
Damn.
Isn’t It Nice…
…to hear national-security weenies all of a sudden talking about “a post-OBL world” instead of “a post-9/11 world”?
Newsflash: Gaddafi Apparently Alive
Yesterday I noted that Libya’s Col. Muammar Gaddafi had disappeared for 11 days following a NATO air strike that killed his son. Some on the streets of Tripoli had begun to wonder if the two bombs that struck that house — Gaddafi was there also — might have killed the Libyan leader as well.
Gaddafi, understandably, appears to be a …
Contaminated Dust Story Does Need that Question Mark Headline
Thanks to Ron Capps for highlighting the provocative story by Kelly Kennedy in USA Today about how contaminated dust in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait may have triggered high rates of respiratory, neurological, and heart ailments among U.S. troops. The dust is laden with toxic metals and bacteria.
I’m a genuine fan of the hugely …
Pakistan: indispensable to US security?
I am amazed at how quickly the Obama administration is going out of its way to assure everyone that we’re sticking with Pakistan for the long haul no matter what. No discussion and little explanation, it’s just assumed that Pakistan becomes the new indispensable partner that anchors US national security, even as every day reveals …
Is This the Next Agent Orange?
Soldiers who served in Afghanistan, Iraq or Kuwait inhaled aluminum, nickel, lead and chromium in microscopic dust according to research led by a Navy medical officer. Officials at the Defense Department have dismissed the findings. The story is reported in USA Today by Kelly Kennedy.
A Magazine For Military Spouses
We noted the other day that there is a growing split between the U.S. military and U.S. society. Here’s another example: there is now a magazine for military spouses called, believe it or not, Military Spouse. This tells us two things: military spousing has become almost a career-lifestyle thing, and advertisers believe military …