One of the reasons Edward Snowden was apparently able to snag a well-paying job at Booz Allen Hamilton – to the firm’s eternal regret, no doubt – is that he already possessed a Top Secret security clearance he obtained …
BattlelandIntelligence
BattlelandIntelligence
Apologies Instead of Action
One would think that when the Joint Chiefs of Staff and members of their staffs took their seats in the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on June 4, they would come armed with statements promising change and detailing …
Viewpoint: Affirmative Action Has Helped White Women More Than Anyone
Their successes make the case not for abandoning affirmative action but continuing it
The VA Backlog: Where Are We Now? Really?
In recent months, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has come under sharp criticism for the mounting pile of backlogged and pending benefits claims for military veterans.
The list of critics is long, and includes members …
Photo Journalism Links: June 2013 (Part 2)
Curated by Mikko Takkunen, a collection of the best photography around the web from the past two weeks
Flat-Rate Flying: Introducing Surf Air, the All-You-Can-Fly Airline
The flat-free business model has worked for Netflix, so why not for air travel too?
BattlelandJapan
A Nice Fit for Japan?
U.S. and Japanese personnel watch as a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey – wings, rotors and engines folded — is brought below decks on the helicopter carrier JS Hyuga.
It was the first time that a V-22 has landed on a Japanese …
Revenge or Revival, Perry Raids Blue State Jobs With New Vigor
The long-reigning governor and failed presidential candidate is in the northeast this week to woo businesses—and spread the gospel of the “Texas Miracle”
BattlelandSyria
Syrian No-Fly Zone: No-Brainer or No Sense?
Lawmakers on Sunday pressed for President Obama to put a “no-fly zone” in place over Syria, even as U.S. military officers have expressed doubts over its effectiveness.
“We need to create a no-fly zone,” Senator Lindsey …
Potential Blind Spots in Clearance Process that Gave Snowden Top-Secret Access
More than a million Americans have security clearances to access classified information. Here’s what the government does–and doesn’t–do when deciding who’s trustworthy
BattlelandSexual Assault in the Ranks
Happy Father’s Day, Lieutenant Colonel
You may recall several months ago the news that an F-16 pilot’s court-martial conviction on charges of sexual assault in Italy were tossed out by his commander, an Air Force three-star general. The unilateral reversal – a rarely-used, but jealously-guarded, prerogative of command that appears (largely due to this case) in a fatal …
BattlelandMilitary Families
“A Town Without Dads”
Flag Day, on the cusp of Father’s Day weekend, makes this the perfect day to read Stephen Rodrick’s paean to his Navy EA-6B-pilot-father, over on Slate.
As someone who grew up in a non-military family close to Quonset …
Black Hawk Up
I was one of two MH-60L Black Hawk pilots, call sign Super Six-Four, shot down over Mogadishu in October 1993.
It happened in the midst of perhaps the most infamous U.S. battle since the Vietnam War. It ended up being told in …