Military
A Forgotten Horror: The Great Tokyo Air Raid
TOKYO – On a clear night in March 1945, more than 300 U.S. B-29 bombers launched one of the most devastating air raids in history. By dawn, more than 100,000 people were dead, a million were homeless, and 40 square kilometers …
War Fatigue
The latest New York Times-CBS poll confirms what has become increasingly clear: nearly seven of 10 Americans want out of Afghanistan.
This should come as no surprise.
What comes as a surprise is the FDA-approved sugar …
Iraqi IEDs: Payback Time
This doesn’t happen very often:
1. An Iraqi made IEDs during the most violent years of the conflict.
2. One of his bombs may have killed four members of the Pennsylvania National Guard in 2005.
3. The bomb-builder, …
Cannonballs for Iran!
Bombs Away? Nope — Bombers Here to Stay!
Defense procurement is like the tides. Waves of reform are followed by waves of profligacy. Repeat, war infinitum. Take the Next-Generation Bomber, for example. We were just getting used to it, even calling it, almost affectionately, the ”Next-Gen Bomber” when the Air Force pronounced it dead two years ago.
But – surprise! …
“Revenge is an important dimension in this culture. So we would be prudent ourselves in looking for the potential for that to emerge. So it is something that we will keep an eye on. I have seen no indications yet that it has emerged as a potential factor, but we will certainly keep an eye on that.”
“Call Me Ehsaan”
The Afghan who killed Air Force Lieut. Colonel John Darin Loftis in the Kabul interior ministry February 25 remains uncaptured. Thankfully, documentary filmmaker Micah Garen was able to capture some video of Loftis, now posted on the New York Times website, before he was killed. Godspeed, Colonel Loftis.
“He Did Not Do This…”
The heartbreak of the 17 Afghans allegedly murdered by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales continued to unfold Monday morning as his wife, Kari, appeared on NBC’s Today show to say “He did not do this…this is not what it appears to …
Afghan Massacre: The Coming Sanity Board
What’s next in the case ofArmy Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, formally charged Friday with murdering 17 Afghan civilians? I will not try to answer that question regarding the courtroom proceedings. But what I can discuss is the normal military procedure for assessing competency to stand trial, and criminal responsibility at the time of …
Airpower Nearing the Edge
“March Madness” isn’t just something experienced during the NCAA tournament. In March of last year, Air Force leaders dubbed the unprecedented global demand for air power with the same name. American air power is on the edge. As my co-author Doug Birkey of the Air Force Association describes it, America’s air-power capabilities are …
Who’s Going to Foot This Bill?
William Pfaff has written a stunning critique of Obama’s policy in Afghanistan — and what its implications are for what is left of the American republic. Note particularly the estimates for sustaining the American-created …
Dear John Letter 2.0
David Wood has done some of the finest reporting on the wounds of war, both seen and unseen. His latest lays bare the serious genital wounding of hundreds of U.S. troops that’s rarely acknowledged:
“Who’s going to want to be with me now?” wondered Marine Staff Sgt. Glen Silva, 39, after an IED blast shattered his leg, ripped open his
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