Things have gotten so bad for the alleged terrorists camped out at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that, at last count, 93 of the 166 detainees still there are on hunger strikes to draw attention to their …
712
— The number of people killed in Iraq in April in acts of terror and similar violence, including 595 civilians, the UN reported Thursday. It was the deadliest month in the country in nearly five years, since June 2008. There is increasing talk that religious civil war looms. In related news, the Pentagon announced that Lockheed Martin has landed an $830 million contract to provide Iraq with its second batch of 18 F-16 jet fighters.
Two Years After bin Laden Raid, the Future of Special Operations
The raid that took out Osama bin Laden two years ago Wednesday was only a few minutes old when it nearly fell to pieces.
We’ve all heard the story: one of the helicopters lost lift and crashed into an animal pen before Navy …
“Our national geography for America gives us a distinct advantage over many countries. I mean, our enemies are not going to come through Canada, they're not going to come through Mexico. I mean, we would clearly be able to stop that at those borders if they tried that.”
— Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., at a House Armed Services Committee hearing last Friday.
Base Motives
Let’s suppose you’re a typical American family, with kids that have largely grown up and flown the coop, leaving you and your spouse empty-nesters. Well, maybe not complete empty-nesters. You had a rather large brood, and …
“Over the course of the last few years, I have made several trips to Afghanistan and I've spoken to many women who own or run businesses in that country. To a one, they have all indicated their desire to leave before December 2014…The top reason they cite for leaving is physical security.”
— Stephanie Sanok of the independent Center for Strategic and International Studies, before a House Armed Services Committee panel Apr. 25. She was speaking of the anxiety among Afghan women to flee their homeland as U.S. combat troops do.
Who Knew the Pentagon Had Bad Habits?
At lunch with reporters Tuesday sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made a public confession of sorts. He expanded on an earlier point he’d made to the New York Times about “bad …
Air Power
Ailing Hunter Tomlin, 8, became an honorary B-52 crew chief at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., last week.
Bagram Horror
For both good – grabbing the alleged Boston Marathon bombers – and bad – there are a lot of vile videos out there — cameras have become ubiquitous.
That’s how a videocam atop a dashboard was able to capture the final …
Red-Line Risks
Reports of possible chemical weapons use by Syria’s Bashar Assad regime are serious and need to be addressed.
But they are not a justification for involving the U.S. military in Syria’s bloody civil war, as Senators John McCain
…
Insurgents…With a Cause
As the U.S. military pulls its combat forces out of Afghanistan by 2015, what drives the Taliban insurgency become increasingly important in trying to determine just how the country will fare without massive U.S. military …
A Key Step: Certifying Vets for Post-Military Jobs
A lesson drilled into me throughout officer training went something like this: “If you ever decide to leave the Army, companies will snap you up in a second. They’ll value your leadership and management skills. It’ll set …
“On a Clear Day, You Can Shoot Forever…”
Lance Cpl. Franklin Susanaperalta provides fire support for Afghan police as they seek out insurgents in Helmand province, April 28.