You may recall Battleland’s advisory last week that it was too early to conclude whether the Obama Administration’s new Pentagon strategy makes sense. That’s because the devil is in the details, and they won’t be known for …
Navy Gives “Cruel” CO an Honorable Discharge
Two years after booting Navy Captain Holly Graf as commanding officer of the cruiser USS Cowpens for “cruelty and maltreatment” of her crew, the Navy decided Friday that she should be allowed to retire with an honorable …
The Mount Rainier Shooting and the Simplicity of Vet Narratives
The tragic news last week that ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed in Mount Rainier National Park by Benjamin Colton Barnes brought with it national attention and a litany of sensational headlines. (What came first,
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Battleland Diary, Dec. 31–Jan. 6
TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures from the front lines and home.
Dying to Withdraw…
On November 14th, two weeks before he was supposed to go home, Spc. David Emanuel Hickman became the last American service member to be killed in Iraq. While on a regular “presence patrol” in Baghdad, his vehicle was struck …
How America Painted Itself Into A Corner on North Korean Succession
Great Washington Post piece on China’s intense desire for stability on Korean peninsula, thus the clear backing of the “Great Successor” Kim Jong Eun. Wrap-up paragraph says it all:
The notion of a democratized Korean Peninsula
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Let’s Name More Warships for the Long Overlooked
The recent decision by the Secretary of the Navy to name a new cargo ship after farm labor leader Cesar Chavez apparently has rankled conservatives in Congress. The ship, a dry cargo and ammunition ship under construction in San …
New Defense Strategy: The Information Vacuum
On Thursday, President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta released what they called their Defense Strategic Guidance – think of it as the guardrails that guide the U.S. military down the interstate highway of war. …
Why Are DoD Service Contractors Getting A Pass?
President Obama didn’t mention them. Nor did Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. No word on them by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey either. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter? Didn’t happen. Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy? Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs James Winnefeld? Nope. Nada.
Who wasn’t …
Tomorrow’s Pentagon: Doing Less, With More
President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta unveiled a new military strategy Thursday: the Pentagon of the future, they made clear, will be doing less with more.
“Over the next 10 years, the growth in the defense …
Would It Have Made a Difference?
The Army issued this Insider Threats in Partnering Environments recently, largely because of the periodic attacks on U.S. and allied troops by their alleged Afghan allies. It’s a pretty comprehensive guide to how U.S. troops …
The Two-MRC Strategy: Major Regional Contingencies, or Mythical Routine Canards?
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is coming to the Pentagon podium Thursday the explain how he’s going to trim $450 billion of the U.S. military’s nearly $6 trillion spending plan over the coming decade.
Because the …
More Evidence of the Glorious Do-Loop That Is the East Asian Arms Race
WSJ lead story about Chinese developing a ballistic missile designed to fragment – like a cluster bomb – on the deck of a U.S. carrier and wipe out all aircraft and personnel. Naturally, it’s unbelievably provocative to us, …