The Army has identified the staff sergeant suspected in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians last Sunday as Robert Bales, who is now at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He could be charged in the case as early as this weekend.
The father of two, 38, appears to have a good military record. He returns home after three months in Afghanistan. …
Here’s an interesting chart from a 2010 Defense Business Board study that looked at how evenly U.S. troops were sharing the burdens of war. It’s relevant given the fact that the alleged Afghan shooter was on his fourth combat deployment.
The trickle of mitigating circumstances trying to understand the motive of the Army soldier who allegedly slaughtered 16 Afghan civilians last Sunday has turned into an avalanche over the past 24 hours.
According to a defense attorney retained by his family, and news reports of rumors, innuendo and perhaps some facts, Staff Sergeant X …
No, not the challenging military mission that 90,000 U.S. troops are now carrying out: hunting down and killing Taliban insurgents while training Afghan security forces to take over by 2015.
No, the more vital mission right …
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., had a question Thursday for Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the Navy’s top officer. Just what investments is the Navy making to prepare for war with Iran?
Greenert, in his first appearance before the …
As least that’s what senators like to think of the Senate. They refer disparagingly to the House as “the other body,” as if they’re brushing crumbs from their lap after some fund-raising dinner. Senators – many of whom view themselves as Presidents-in-waiting – get to ratify treaties and confirm top Administration …
The gray-matter grit of the war in Afghanistan comes through loud and clear in this essay by Neil Shea, who has written for National Geographic and the Atlantic Monthly, among other publications:
Since 2006 I have written off
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Afghan soldiers listen via translator to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at Camp Leatherneck in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday. They, as well as their U.S. and allied comrades, were disarmed before Panetta arrived. The unusual …
“We must allocate resources for contingencies like Iran. We’ll be looking to place emphasis on vital weapons, should the Iranians determine that a peaceful, nuclear-free existence is not in their best interest.”
Military commanders are lining up to tell Congress they don’t have enough resources to accomplish their many missions as ongoing defense budget cuts catch up to those in uniform and hinder mission success.
President Obama …
Time’s John Wendle reports from Kabul:
The Panjwai massacre may not affect the U.S. schedule for withdrawal from Afghanistan, but it has dealt a major blow to the Obama Administration’s plan to slowly shift the military burden
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