Last week, Human Rights Watch was fretting over “killer robots” on the loose.
So, as is often the case, was the Pentagon. Two days after the HRW report, the Defense Department issued a directive designed to guide the …
National
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Confetti Made Using Confidential Police Documents
Those classic hole-punched colorful dots were always so difficult to make. Perhaps that’s why some confetti throwers at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade decided to use shredded documents as confetti.
The Unintended Consequences of the Current PTSD Diagnosis
This is the last in my series of posts on the ethics of treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (the first simply outlined ethical issues for military mental-health personnel; then I wrote about the right time to send a …
Past Wars, Future Costs
Too often we tend to focus on the here-and-now costs of the wars we’re waging. Every once in awhile we need to be reminded that such costs don’t end when the wars do.
Interesting article in Site Selection: The Magazine of …
Suspected Shoplifter Dies After Run-in With Walmart Employees
The rumpus that is Black Friday shopping ensued as usual over the long holiday weekend, and in fact began early in several regions as stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving.
SGT Quayle Has Left the Building
Battleland noted Sunday that the headline on this Pentagon photo had mis-spelled POTATOE, just as VP Dan Quayle did more than 20 years ago. Glad to see it’s fixed now.
First Review of Zero Dark Thirty: The Girl Who Got bin Laden
In a “black site” at an “undisclosed location,” a CIA officer is interrogating a man suspected of having information on Osama bin Laden‘s courier. The suspect, Ammar (Reda Kateb), believes he can withstand the …
Elroy Jetson Is Building Missiles!
Well, actually it’s Raytheon. But imagine if little Elroy – the youngest Jetson in that futuristic cartoon family from the 1960s, The Jetsons — had spent his career in the defense industry. He might well be starting work Monday at Raytheon’s new $75 million missile factory opening in Huntsville (“The Rocket City”), Ala. – as an …
“Covert Combat Sex”
Laura Cannon, a 2001 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who served in Iraq following the 2003 U.S. invasion, takes issue with the U.S. military’s General Order No. 1, prohibiting sex at West Point (“cadets engage one another …
Guilty of…Attempted Suicide?
Now hear this: if you’re in uniform and suffering mental pain, you need to reach out for help. “Share your concern for their well-being,” their commanders are told. “Keep them safe.”
That is, unless, it all becomes too …
Iron Dome’s Lessons for the U.S.
Hurricane Sandy By the Numbers: A Superstorm’s Statistics, One Month Later
Four weeks ago today, east coast residents were huddled in their homes with fresh batteries and bottles of water, hoping for the best as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the region. We now know that, for many, the storm was a worst …
Separating the War from the Warriors
The past decade has not been a pleasant time for many who serve in our armed forces.
Many recall holidays deployed in danger zones far from home. Places like Fallujah, Kandahar and Bagdad brought our troops many challenges. …