Marines
Razor Wire River Walk
Marines’ Move to Guam: Just the First Step
Over on Time’s Global Spin blog, Krista Mahr explains that the shift of 9,000 Marines from Japan’s Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam only fixes half the problem:
…many islanders recognize Japan’s geopolitical vulnerability next to China, and are okay with the U.S. military presence on the island. But they really don’t
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Coming Soon to Your Town: Sequestration Road Tour
Americans will celebrate Memorial Day next month, and honor those who’ve died while serving to protect the rest of us. But some concerned members of Congress are going to skip their hometown barbeques so they can hit the road: …
Hey Army: Why You So Far Behind the Marines When It Comes to Women?
The recent announcement by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos that he is exploring ways to better integrate female Marines into combat units came hot on the heels of a policy shift that will allow women to attend the Marine …
Gomer Pyle 2.0
The Marines have decided to boot Sergeant Gary Stein from the corps with an other-than-honorable discharge for declaring on Facebook that he would refuse to obey unlawful orders issued by President Obama.
It’s surprising it took this long. When the nation’s troops get to decide when, or when not, to obey their …
A Marine Two-Star: Why Afghanistan Is Like Vietnam
After years of U.S. officials insisting Afghanistan is not turning into another Vietnam, a two-star U.S. Marine general — just back from a year-long combat tour there — says Afghanistan could well end up resembling the …
“…For Changes to the Configuration…”
These are the first two contracts in the Pentagon’s Tuesday list (click on them to enlarge). They’re for changes to be made to the F-35 fighter’s design. Even though the planes already are coming off Lockheed’s Fort Worth assembly line (the machinists’ strike launched Sunday nonwithstanding), changes in the $400 billion program’s …
“Some of the Afghans now, they’re very snooty, they don't want to drink anything that’s not bottled. We’re trying to draw them back: `Hey, remember when you used to drink it right out of the well?’”
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Kill”
There’s a lesson in here, somewhere: early Saturday, a Marine stabbed another Marine, just down the street from the Marine commandant’s house in Washington, D.C. Marine guards tried to break up the fight, and apprehended the suspect. Marine Michael Joseph Poth, 20, apparently stabbed fellow Marine Philip Bushong, 23, after Poth used an …
Brass Ceiling Cracking?
The Marine Corps is planning to let women enroll in its school that trains infantry combat officers. It’s not the same as letting women serve in front-line combat units, but it’s definitely a step in that direction.
A top …
They Better Be 100% Silk
Five of the first six contract awards announced Tuesday were for parachutes costing nearly $1 billion. All five contracts were for “low-cost, low velocity parachutes.” Alas, as is becoming increasingly common, the contract …
