The U.S. Army Vessel Churubusco somewhere in the Persian Gulf, during a training mission Jan. 9
National
Pilot 1 to Pilot 2: “Shower Below!”
Speaking of women in, or near, combat, Army Major Carol Hickey went to Iraq twice: as an intelligence officer in Baghdad in 2003-2004, and then as a company commander in the southern part of the country in 2010-2011.
In this …
Women in Combat: Shattering the ‘Brass Ceiling’
The Pentagon will declare Thursday that it is lifting a ban on women serving in combat — a decision essentially rendered a fait accompli by more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where many women served ably under …
$475,000,000
— From the Pentagon's list of Wednesday contract announcements: "Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va., was awarded a $475,000,000 maximum ceiling, $2,500 minimum guarantee, single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity personal services contract (H92222-12-R-0072) for Resiliency and Human Performance Programs support personnel in support of the U.S. Special Operations Command, Preservation of the Force and Family programs. The anticipated period of performance is not to exceed 5 years. The place of performance is multiple locations both CONUS and OCONUS. The contracting activity is U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla."
The Nation’s ICBM Force: Increasingly Creaky Broken Missiles
As the Air Force begins to dust off plans for the Minuteman III ICBM replacement, a stark choice faces the service.
On one hand, the time has come to replace them. On the other, the Air Force is strapped for cash, victim to a …
Powering the Pacific “Pivot” With Leon and Chuck
It’s old, and likely thoroughly forgotten now, but last summer the Washington Post ran an excellent article on the U.S. military‘s “pivot” toward Asia, its origins, and its budget implications. It presented some meaningful …
Swarm of Black Hawks
Six UH-60L Black Hawks and two CH-47F Chinooks take off from Multinational Base Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province Jan. 18.
760
— The number of non-strategic nuclear weapons now possessed by the U.S. -- 200 in Europe and the rest back home -- according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. The Russians have as many as 6,000 (h/t the Federation of American Scientists). Both nations, of course, also have thousands of strategic nuclear weapons. Word on the street is the definition doesn’t matter much if you’re near one when it goes off.
40 Years After Roe: Inside North Dakota’s Only Abortion Clinic
Today, there are four states that have just a single surgical abortion provider: North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas and Mississippi.
An OER for Army Captain Peter Linnerooth
Dr. Pete Linnerooth touched many people’s lives.
He did his best, each and every day, to care for those who needed his help.
He did it at what ultimately became a terrible personal cost to him and his family.
He shares …
“Wealth Is Flowing From West to East”
U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II has been an anvil on which Washington has tried to pound out its view of the future. In general, most of its military campaigns since then – think Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan …
“I want you to know that when I was standing on the steps of the Capitol today, looking out over close to a million people, the single-biggest cheer that I always get -- and today was no different at my Inauguration -- was when I spoke about the extraordinary men and women in uniform that preserve our freedom and keep our country strong.”
— President Obama, speaking to the troops Monday night at the Command-in-Chief’s Ball, following his second inauguration.
Buried Treasure
A Soviet-era tank dug up during construction on a new building near International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul.