With the ascent of the Biden-Hagel-Kerry camp’s view on U.S. troops in Afghanistan – bottom line, less is more – the size of the U.S. contingent is the top item for discussion as Afghan President Hamid Karzai prepares to …
BattlelandMilitary
BattlelandMilitary
BattlelandWar Story
“Just the Kinetic Fight”
Army Major Scot Keith had one of the toughest assignments in Afghanistan during his 2009-2010 tour at Bagram: getting reporters around the country to see the progress that was being made. “They wanted…to see the kinetic fight …
Up on the Roof…
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ryan Schulte scans for threats from the rooftop at the site of a local-leader meeting in Farah City, Jan. 3.
‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Filmmakers Defend Their Story of Osama at the D.C. Premiere
At the Washington, D.C., premiere of ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ director Kathryn Bigelow, screenwriter Mark Boal and former Senator Chris Dodd tried to quash criticisms from lawmakers who say that the movie miscasts history.
A Heaping Helping of Chutzpah: AIG Considers Suing the U.S. Government For Bailing It Out
Hank Greenberg thinks taxpayers ripped him off in the bailout deal, and he will meet with AIG’s board today in an attempt to convince the company to join his company, Starr International, in a law suit against the federal government.
Stan McChrystal: Trading Shadows for Showtime
For nearly six years during the post-9/11 war on terror — including the height of the Iraq war — Stanley McChrystal was the furthest thing from a household name.
As commander of Joint Special Operations Command (known in the military then as Task Force 714), McChrystal led a team of commandos, intelligence analysts and programmers. …
“The dinner occurred last night here at the Pentagon. It was a one-on-one dinner with Secretary Panetta and Senator Hagel. It was a very good discussion. I am pleased to report that the dinner included corn chowder, filet mignon, and chocolate cake. So it was more Midwestern-themed, with a little steak and corn, than Italian this go-round...I don't know if there was any Nebraska wine.”
— Pentagon spokesman George Little on Tuesday, discussing the Monday night dining in between the current defense secretary and his nominated replacement.
155
— The number of Marine Corps scoop-type loaders in Afghanistan. All of them are slated to come home. Yet the Marines only need 59 to meet their requirements. Returning the remaining 96 loaders, the Government Accountability Office says, could cost as much as $14.7 million.
“As the federal government becomes a health care state, there will have to be a generation of defense cuts that overwhelm anything in recent history.”
— David Brooks, the New York Times' house conservative, in an op-ed column in Tuesday’s paper, explaining why he believes President Obama tapped Chuck Hagel for defense secretary.
Why Hagel Is So Well-Informed
Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee to be the next secretary of defense, may be making news today…but he’s been reading national and international news since he was a kid.
Hagel’s parents were intensely interested in …
2012 Was the Hottest Year in U.S. History. And Yes—It’s Climate Change
Last year was the hottest ever for the continental U.S.—and it wasn’t even close. Just in case you needed more evidence that the climate really is changing.
187,000 Pounds of Marijuana Annually? Legal Pot Business to Bloom in Washington
Voters in Colorado and Washington recently approved the legalization of marijuana for recreational—not “medical”—purposes. But this hardly means that the business of growing and dispensing of pot will be all fun and games.
“To gain Restricted Access to the CLASSIFIED documents, Contractor Personnel must have a FACILITY CLEARANCE approved by DSS (and confirmed by USSOCOM) at the TOP SECRET level, and the abilility to STORE CLASSIFIED material up to the SECRET Level…Upon successful confirmation of clearances and storage capability, USSOCOM will mail all CLASSIFIED documents to the approved physical ship-to address location of the interested vendor, after DSS Facility Clearance has been verified with USSOCOM Security.”
— Mail? From a contract solicitation seeking worldwide translation and interpretation services for U.S. Special Operations Command.