“Today crisis drives policy. It has become too politically convenient to simply allow a crisis to develop and get worse and then react to the crisis…But make no mistake about it, there is a price to be paid. And the price to be paid is that you lose the trust of the American people...My greatest concern today is that we are putting our national security at risk by lurching from budget crisis to budget crisis to budget crisis.”
— Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday, in a talk at Georgetown University that he described as “one of my last speeches as secretary of defense.”
Women in Combat: Is It Really That Big of a Deal?
The announcement that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has lifted the ban on women in direct ground combat has brought out the normal pundits who either support it — or who don’t.
What I have found in the more than 10 years I …
Famous Last Words: “O Ye of Little Faith”
Classic oldie but goodie, and still viewed a lot in Army aviation circles. An AH-64 pilot, flying at Fort Campbell, Ky., several years ago, decides to thread his Apache through some trees in the northwest corner of the …
Sitting Guard
A U.S. Army soldier provides security in Farah province Jan. 29.
The Last Ride of the Devil of Ramadi: Sniper Chris Kyle’s Final Mission
A Texas town is in disbelief and mourning as a local hero apparently falls victim to a troubled ex-marine he was trying to help
Minority Report Has Finally Arrived
Read it and weep: “Memo Cites Legal Basis for Killing U.S. Citizen in Al Qaeda.”
As a U.S. citizen, the government can now kill you in advance of your actually committing a crime – simply by knowing that you are likely to act …
Shifting into “R”
For the past 11 years, logisticians have had their hands full in Afghanistan. For one, the country is land locked and far from a seaport. The terrain, especially in the strategically important east, is covered with mountains; and …
Does an Alleged Stealth Aircraft….
…see its shadow if it’s introduced to the world for the first time on Groundhog Day?
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi unveiled the Qaher F-313 fighter February 2 in Tehran. The debut came as Iran …
Chris Kyle’s Alleged Killer
I wonder, but do not know, the motivation or the mental state of Eddie Ray Routh, the 25-year old former Marine now being held for the Saturday murders in Texas of former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and fellow military veteran …
Next Thing You Know, They’ll Be in Combat
Army Surgeon General Patricia Horoho tries on the new tactical vest specifically designed for the female body.
Women at War
Talk about timing!
Two weeks after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta opens combat positions to women, Tanya Biank is publishing Undaunted: The Real Story of America’s Servicewomen in Today’s Military. The daughter, sister and …
A Cowering Country
Here at Battleland, we continue to believe one of the most insidious impacts of 9/11 was to put the nation into a perpetual defensive crouch that American heroes ranging from Davy Crockett to Sergeant Alvin York to John Wayne …