Colleague Bobby Ghosh remembers ace war correspondent Anthony Shadid Friday morning, shortly after the two-time Pulitzer winner died of an asthma attack while on a secret reporting assignment for the New York Times inside …
BattlelandPeople
BattlelandPeople
BattlelandNuclear Weapons
Nuclear New Math
Reports that the Pentagon is weighing a range of cuts to the nation’s nuclear arsenal – perhaps going as low as 300 deployed strategic weapons, down from the current 1,550 – has nuclear-triggered concern on Capitol Hill. “I have to suggest to you,” Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on …
Photo Op: Strait Shot
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) turn in formation ahead of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) as the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group transits the Strait of Hormuz on Valentine’s Day. …
BattlelandMilitary History
Japan Wages War — Over What to Name the Last One
TOKYO – It’s no secret that Japan remains deeply conflicted about its role in the Second World War. A new study finds that nearly seven decades after the war ended, there’s no agreement even on what to call it.
A …
BattlelandVeterans
“Operation Welcome Home”: Is It Welcome If You Have to Petition For it?
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is pressing the White House to welcome soldiers coming home from Iraq with parades – even though the Administration has said it would prefer to wait for all combat troops, including …
BattlelandArmy
Real Soldiers, Fake Pregnancies
Army combat vets – remember, they’re limited to men — are donning fake breasts and bellies so they can better understand how pregnant soldiers feel during physical training. It’s part of the service’s Pregnancy Postpartum Physical Training Exercise Leaders Course.
“This whole thing is pretty uncomfortable,” Sergeant Michael …
BattlelandIraq
Pleasant Baghdad Bedtime Reading
The State Department inspector general has just issued a report concluding that the Emergency Action Plans for the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad are adequate. There’s a lot that’s blacked out, but you can still check out the list of EAP annexes:
Sweet dreams…
BattlelandMilitary Spending
BRAC Counter-Attack
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified before the House Armed Services on Wednesday, and it’s funny to see how many times lawmakers questioned him on the Pentagon’s proposal to shutter military bases. Panetta has been there. He watched Ford Ord — “which represented 25% of my local economy” — shut down in his own California …
BattlelandMilitary Spending
President Obama’s Defense Budget Falling Flat on Capitol Hill
Thursday morning, the Defending Defense coalition—The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and the Foreign Policy Initiative—will host members of Congress discussing the negative consequences of the Obama …
BattlelandTroops
War Dog Stamp!
Even folks who don’t care for military matters love war dogs. So the U.S. Postal Service has just issued a set of four working-dog stamps, including a yellow Lab war dog (the other three are a black Labrador retriever guide dog, a Welsh springer spaniel therapy dog, and a German shepherd rescue dog). The 65-cent stamps, good for …
BattlelandWeapons
F-16s, A-to…V?
The F-16A first flew in 1975, followed by the F-16B (Battleland once sat in a B-model backseat for a stomach-tickling ride), F-16C. F-16D, F-16E, F-16F, F-16I, F-16IN, F-16N, F-16Q, and now: the F-16V. Manufacturer Lockheed …
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BattlelandAuthor Q&A
The U.S. and the Philippines, a Century Ago: Dashed Dreams of Empire
A long time ago, and far away, the U.S. invaded and occupied the Philippines. There are parallels to recent U.S. military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, down to torturing the enemy.
Journalist Gregg Jones has written Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America’s Imperial …
