A U.S. soldier’s viewfinder shows an old Russian observation post in Kunar province, Feb. 7.
Women’s UFC Star Ronda Rousey, Unplugged
The ex-Olympian, who will make history in the first-ever women’s UFC fight, isn’t exactly the shy type.
BattlelandWar Story
IEDs, C.O.D.
Army Major Keith Boring spent much of 2006 and 2007, his second Iraq combat tour, as a battalion plans officer for 1-40 Cavalry, 4-25 Infantry south of Baghdad. While his specialty was armor – he is a tank-driver, after all …
BattlelandAsia-Pacific
Could Abe Use Some Friendly Advice?
TOKYO – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his top priority when he meets with President Obama in Washington on Friday will be repairing the U.S.-Japan security alliance.
Obama’s priority ought to be making sure that Abe’s …
BattlelandAfghanistan
Testing the High-Test
Petroleum products are slippery fluids – in more ways than one – and it’s tough always to know if you’re getting what you’re paying for. They’re prime targets for smuggling, diluting and/or doctoring.
We recently …
BattlelandAir Force
Coming Up Empty-Handed from Davy Jones’ Locker
Last month we noted the efforts of the Navy to come to the Air Force’s aid by diving 18,558 feet deep into the Pacific, off the Japanese coast, for bits of wreckage from a doomed F-16 (the pilot parachuted to safety).
Alas, …
Knight Patrol
A soldier protects his buddies as they move to set up a remote outpost near Herat Feb. 17.
BattlelandMilitary Spending
Sequestration is for Sissies: $6.9 Billion More for the F-22
Pentagon officials took to PBS and the Pentagon press room to warn Wednesday about the impending sequester’s impact on military spending.
“We’re really trying to keep on protecting the country and delivering the defense under …
The Promise of More: Why We Should Raise the Minimum Wage
President Obama’s proposal to index minimum wage to inflation would be good for America’s economy — and its hardest workers
BattlelandSpecial Operations
You’re a SEAL Stranded in Hostile Territory: What’s in Your Survival Kit?
SEALs aren’t supposed to find themselves in trouble that they can’t get out of. That’s why the Navy is seeking to buy 300 new survival kits for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, sometimes known as Navy SEAL Team …
As FCC Chief’s Term Nears End, Speculation Grows Over Possible Successor
On June 30th, Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski’s five-year term will expire, which has led to speculation that Genachowski might soon announce his departure.
“I'm always troubled if we're trying to determine the adequacy of defense budgets based on real dollar levels in a particular year. I mean, I think you need to look at the threats that we face, and they remain quite substantial. I guess complex set of security challenges is the word. And therefore I don't think returning to some arbitrary past number for defense makes sense.”
— Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale, explaining Wednesday why the Pentagon isn't able to live with the sequester-imposed budget cuts that would return it to its 2007 level of defense spending.
“It had everything to do with 10 years of double-digit, year-over-year growth. There was no need to talk to each other. Everyone was happy. When we had a program that was bleeding, we cauterized the wound with money, because we had it. Expediency was the most important thing.”
— Brett Lambert, deputy assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing and industrial base, explaining Wednesday why communication between the Pentagon and its contractors has been lacking in recent years.