Defense Secretary at Last Chuck Hagel had a predictable first day at the helm of the Pentagon Wednesday following his nearly two-month fight to win confirmation.
Arriving shortly after oh-dark-thirty, he took the oath as …
National
Digging Tunnels, 14 Stories Below New York City
Far beneath the bustling streets of Manhattan, and out of sight for the majority of New York City’s 8 million residents, the largest transportation project in the country is churning away day and night hollowing out granite to …
Neo-Imperialism and the Arrogance of Ignorance
The Danger of the Lone-Wolf Terrorist
2.6 Years
— The total time the first operational KC-135R Stratotanker spent in the air before retiring following its final flight from Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma to the Davis-Monthan “boneyard” in Arizona Feb. 21. The flying gas station flew its first Air Force flight on Aug. 14, 1962, and accumulated 22,500 flight hours in the more than half-century since (it got new engines in 1985). Happy contrails to you, Tail No. 61-0312…
The Germany Military, On the Move
BERLIN — On March 1, the German Parliament will debate sending 80 soldiers to Mali to provide medical care and help French soldiers train Malian government troops to clear mines and build bridges.
That may not seem like a big …
“Mind the Gap”
Army Sgt. Curtis Smith provides security at Nawa Pass, Kunar province, Feb. 10.
“What I see Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney doing today is behaving as if they are getting ready to sell me the very last F-35 and the very last engine and are trying to squeeze every nickel out of that last F-35 and that last engine…I want them to take on some of the risk of this program, I want them to invest in cost reductions, I want them to do the things that will build a better relationship. I'm not getting all that love yet.”
— U.S. Air Force Lieut. General Christopher Bogdan speaking in Australia on Wednesday, where he is trying to convince the Australian government to stick to its plan to buy 100 F-35s despite the $396 billion program’s troubles. Lockheed builds the plane, and Pratt & Whitney supplies its engines.
SEAL, Lost At Sea
For every SEAL who achieves a degree of fame, or infamy, for blabbing about what it was like to kill Osama bin Laden, there are hundreds who keep their mouths shut and train hard for missions. Unfortunately, sometimes that leads …
So Just How Wounded is Hagel?
So did Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s lengthy and painful confirmation ordeal mortally wound him, even before as he takes the oath of office Wednesday morning to become the nation’s 24th defense secretary?
Of course …
What’s Wrong with the Violence Against Women Act?
The political fight on Capitol Hill over the Violence Against Women Act has little to do with the central debate feminists and academics are having about whether better policing is the best way to stopping domestic violence
A Matter of Mindset: Iraq, Sequestration and the U.S. Army
Fear-mongering is a common practice inside the Beltway.
Sequestration is simply making things worse.
Twenty-two years ago, a chorus of political pundits and generals engaged in fear-mongering, warning the American people …
The Funniest Logistician in the U.S. Army (So Far)
Army Major Joel Huft is that rare officer who since 9/11 has served in Uzbekistan/Afghanistan (2003), Djibouti (2007) and Iraq (2009). In this December 2012, interview with the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, …