I was approached by Foreign Policy magazine back in January to pen one of their “Think Again” columns, this one focusing on the future of war.
The notion was, now that America has disengaged from Iraq and is doing the same …
National
More F-35 Turbulence
There’s a new and disquieting Pentagon report on the troubled $400 billion tri-service F-35 fighter.
It includes stunning pilot comments about the aircraft’s survivability (“Aft visibility will get the pilot gunned [down] …
13,600
— The number of U.S. troops U.S. Central Command chief Marine General James Mattis has recommended remain in Afghanistan after 2014, when all U.S. combat forces are slated to be gone. That's 20% of the 66,000 now there. They would consist of trainers for the Afghan military and special-operations units designed to keep the Taliban in check. Mattis’ figure is now under review at the White House, which has made clear it wants fewer troops left behind. Mattis retires soon, but President Obama doesn’t, which suggests a smaller post-2014 U.S. footprint may be in the offing.
Soviet Soldier Found After 33 Years MIA: Missing In Afghanistan
A former Soviet soldier has been discovered hiding in Afghanistan under an assumed identity 33 years after going missing.
Bakhretdin Khakimov disappeared during the first months of the nine-year war that was sparked when …
Sequester? What Sequester?
One thing Battleland has learned over many years of trying to pay attention to Pentagon goings-on is that things aren’t always what they seem.
Outsiders tend to see plots and conspiracies, when in reality the U.S. military …
A PTSD Knighthood, and Narrative
Simon Wessely, esteemed British psychiatrist and researcher, is now Sir Simon.
Last month, the Queen bestowed knighthood upon the 57-year-old King’s College professor for his pioneering work to improve mental health services …
Hey Taxpayers: [DELETED] You!
When the Government Accountability Office announced Tuesday, here, that the Navy erred when it awarded an aircraft-maintenance contract, Battleland wondered why.
The service had struck a deal with L-3 Communications Vertex …
Detroit: As the Governor Moves to Take Control, Residents Wonder What’s Next
Hundreds of millions in debt, Detroit may soon be in the hands of an emergency financial manager appointed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder — and not everybody is happy about it.
“Welcome to My New Place…”
New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomes Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to the Pentagon March 5.
Inside the Chaos of the Anti-Assad Rebellion
ANTAKYA, Turkey — Syria‘s rebels have been locked in a bloody uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad for nearly two years.
But for 27 days after it was formed last December, the Free Syrian Army’s Military …
The Civil-Military Divide
Retired lieutenant general Karl Eikenberry has written a clear-eyed piece here, in the Winter 2013 issue of the Washington Quarterly, on the growing gap between the U.S. military and American society.
The issue has become …
Another Door Opens
Following the sexual assaults at the 1991 Tailhook convention in Las Vegas, the Navy opened up combat-aircraft cockpits and warship berths to women. After the sex scandal at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1996, the Army …
“Drones lower the threshold through which civilian policymakers will decide to use military force outside of borders, undoubtedly. The United States would not have attacked Pakistan 350 times with manned aircraft or with special operations forces. So drones are distinctly different…Now, the number of countries that have drones has almost doubled, from 40 to 75 from 2005 to today. The number of actual programs have more than quintupled. Arming a drone is harder than you think, so the number of countries who have this capability is still quite limited. The United States and perhaps Israel, the only countries to ever use armed drones outside of their territory. But it is inevitable that other countries will use this.”
— Micah Zenko of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaking Mar. 1 on the future of drones.