There was absolutely no way Ian Smith was suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. He was sure of it.
He was O.K. He was living with his girlfriend in a suburb of Nashville working three jobs — mowing lawns, delivering …
A Smoking Pillbox: Evidence that Sgt. Bales May Have Been on Lariam
New evidence has surfaced that Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales may have been on mefloquine during his March, 2012, rampage that killed 16 Afghan civilians.
I first wondered if Bales had been on the anti-malarial agent, also …
Owner’s Guide: How to Use Your Nuclear Weapons
Ever wonder how, where and when the U.S. might decide to unleash the big one?
Well, your days of wondering are over: the Pentagon has just released a revamped Report on the Nuclear Employment Strategy of the United States. …
About That Boom! in the Pentagon’s Civilian Workforce
What is most remarkable about the Pentagon’s massive growth in its civilian workforce is not that it expanded after 9/11, alongside the military’s much smaller increase. Rather, it has been the unchecked boost in Pentagon …
Wing Walker
Gen. Martin Dempsey, CJCS, on the left atop the wing, checks out a B-2 bomber June 18.
Women in Combat: A Mirror of Society?
While I strongly support the military’s decision to allow women to hold combat and special ops positions, I am concerned that the military thinks this will substantially cut back on sexual assaults by equalizing male and female …
“The President's desire to negotiate a new round of arms control with the Russians, while Russia is cheating on a major existing nuclear arms control treaty, strains credulity.”
— Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on President Obama's call for Washington and Moscow to cut their nuclear arsenals by a third from the 1,550 ceiling that exists under the current arms-control pact.
How the Iraq War Got Off on the Wrong Foot
It’s always fascinating to listen to an eyewitness to history recount what was happening when the rest of us were relying on press releases and government spin. That’s what makes the comments from a retired Army colonel about …
Power Outage
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne change batteries in Khowst province, June 12.
The Increasingly Inefficient Triad
A new Congressional Research Service report contains this interesting chart, which tracks the sharp reduction in the nation’s strategic nuclear warheads alongside the scant reduction in its strategic nuclear launchers.
The …
The Military Aerospace Market: Sky’s No Longer the Limit
As the industry’s all-important Paris Air Show gets underway, the outlook for the defense sector appears like a UFO blip on a radar screen: something’s definitely there, but how much of a threat it poses is uncertain.
One …
Some Hope Amid the Calendar’s Grim Pages
June is PTSD Awareness Month.
May was Mental Health Awareness Month.
September will be Suicide Awareness Month. More public-service announcements about “seeking help is a sign of strength.”
Despite the monthly …
Women in Combat Marching Orders Issued
One thing the U.S. military can do is draft reports.
The Pentagon has released the services’ plans detailing how women are to be integrated into front-line combat units over the next couple of years.
The reports are from …