U.S. soldiers patrol down a mountain after visiting an Afghan border police observation point in Kunar province, Jan. 28.
National
“Leon, My Son…
Click on the headline to see what the two really discussed at the Vatican last month…
Coast Guard Hiring Lifeguards
If there’s one thing you’d think the Coast Guard had on hand, it’d be lifeguards. It’s always cool to see their orange-and-white choppers hovering over the roiling surf to rescue folks in peril.
So that’s why it …
“They say that you've never seen our wounded warriors smile as wide, or heard them laugh as loud, as when they get a visit from their secretary of defense. And whatever the challenge, Leon, you always give it to us straight, sometimes in words that can't be repeated here in public.”
— President Obama, speaking at the formal farewell ceremony for Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Friday afternoon at Fort Myer, Va. Panetta plans to stay at the helm until a successor, probably nominee Chuck Hagel, is confirmed by the Senate.
“According to DOD, in 2012, the number of contractors in Afghanistan exceeded 109,000 compared to the approximately 84,200 military personnel present at that same time.”
— From a Government Accountability Office report released Friday.
Huge Storm Blankets Northeast With Two Feet of Snow
Snow began to fall around the Northeast on Friday at the start of what’s predicted to be a massive, possibly historic blizzard, and residents scurried to stock up on food and supplies ahead of the storm
Nuclear Countdown?
Senior Obama Administration officials reportedly believe the U.S. nuclear arsenal can be cut by at least a third without hurting national security.
Of course, believing it secretly and declaring it openly are two different …
Chad Littlefield, 1977-2013: The Other Shooting-Range Victim
Chad Hutson Littlefield would have turned 36 on Monday. Instead, he will be buried Friday.
Littlefield was killed, along with ex-Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, allegedly by an Iraq war veteran at a shooting range last Saturday …
The Upside of Pentagon Budget Cuts
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was on Capitol Hill Thursday testifying about the slaying of four U.S. officials in Benghazi last September. But the looming Pentagon budget cut slated to take effect March 1 came up often. “This …
A Reckoning for The Army
In a recent essay entitled The Force of Tomorrow, General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, describes a globally engaged Army, an Army that promises all things to all people inside the Beltway, an Army that if reduced in …
The Lesson of the Bush Family Email Hack: Be Worried
A hacker by the name of Guccifer has apparently hacked into several Bush family AOL accounts, pilfered private photos and messages and posted them online.
How You Can Tell Our Austere, Remote (And Originally Temporary) Outpost in Djibouti Has Become Permanent
You know that’s the case when the Navy seeks to build a fitness center at the decade-old Camp Lemonnier for as much as $25 million – and the information package for prospective bidders notes that the deal includes “the …
To All the Non-Headline-Worthy Vets Out There…
Many within the military and veteran community were shocked and saddened by the murder of Chris Kyle.
What makes this story so distressing for those who have worn the uniform is that the murderer appears to be another veteran, …