Pentagon

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Let McChrystal Make His Case to Congress
 Let McChrystal 
 Make His Case 
 to Congress 
peggy noonan
Oct 9, 2009 1:39 AM CDT

Let McChrystal Make His Case to Congress

National debate is needed to build consensus

(Newser) - President Obama may not want to hear from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, but Congress certainly does, writes Peggy Noonan, and he should let them. Staying on in Afghanistan and withdrawing are both unappealing options that could have dire consequences, and even though the Pentagon doesn't want to do it, the country...

Sign of Change? Pentagon Essay Rebukes Ban on Gays

(Newser) - A persuasive essay arguing against the military's ban on gay soldiers is raising hope among activists that a watershed moment is near. It's not so much because of the essay's familiar arguments—that "Don't Ask Don't Tell" hurts morale and violates civil rights—but because of its publication in...

Who Leaked to Woodward? Good Luck
 Who Leaked 
 to Woodward? 
 Good Luck 
ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2009 11:50 AM CDT

Who Leaked to Woodward? Good Luck

McChrystal report could help the Pentagon, or the White House, or...

(Newser) - The question du jour in Washington is who leaked Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s report advocating an increased troop presence in Afghanistan to Bob Woodward, Ben Smith writes on Politico. But the outcome of this tried and true “capital parlor game” is far from certain. Some Beltway insiders think the...

Pragmatic Style Makes Gates White House Heavyweight

Defense secretary helps dismantle missile shield program he backed under Bush

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has bridged the gap between the Bush and Obama administrations and become a major player in reshaping national security policy in the process, officials tell the New York Times. His pragmatic style—as seen in his decision to ditch the missile defense system he signed off...

Obama to Pentagon: Scale Back Nuke Arsenal

President rejects Defense review, plans international deal

(Newser) - Barack Obama rejected the first draft of a Pentagon report on the US nuclear arsenal and is demanding a radical review ahead of deep cuts, according to the Guardian. The president, whose stated goal is the complete abolition of nuclear weapons, wants to see a range of options: cutting the...

9/11 Ceremonies in Photos
 9/11 Ceremonies in Photos 
slideshow
Sep 11, 2009 10:34 AM CDT

9/11 Ceremonies in Photos

(Newser) - The nation marked the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks today in ceremonies under gray skies in New York City, at the Pentagon, and at the crash site of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Today also was the first time the anniversary was observed as a national day of service, following...

Coast Guard Exercise Triggers 9/11 Potomac Scare

Ill-timed drill coincides with Pentagon ceremony

(Newser) - In a case of not-so-great timing, the Coast Guard conducted a training exercise on how to handle a rogue boat this morning in the Potomac River—with 9/11 commemorations taking place at the Pentagon and the president's motorcade crossing a nearby bridge, the Washington Post reports. The exercise caused a...

Obama: 'We Will Never Falter' in Terror Fight

(Newser) - Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, President Obama said the nation "will never falter" in its pursuit of al-Qaeda and its allies. Obama placed a wreath under rainy skies at the Pentagon today in memory of those who died there on Sept. 11, 2001. The president said the nation...

NYC Observes Moment of Silence
 NYC Observes 
 Moment of Silence 
9/11 memorials
Sep 11, 2009 8:01 AM CDT

NYC Observes Moment of Silence

(Newser) - New Yorkers observed a moment of silence this morning to mark the minute the first jet hit the World Trade Center eight years ago. Three more were planned to mark the second strike and the moments each tower collapsed. Similar ceremonies will take place at the Pentagon and crash site...

US to Beef Up Afghanistan Combat Force

Up to 14K fighters swap places with noncombatant troops

(Newser) - The Pentagon will add up to 14,000 combat troops to its Afghanistan force, replacing noncombatant support units with more "trigger-pullers" as casualties continue to climb. With support for the war waning, the Defense Department's "force optimization" plan will not increase the number of US troops, and...

No Child Left Unrecruited
No Child Left Unrecruited
analysis
Sep 1, 2009 3:32 PM CDT

No Child Left Unrecruited

Pentagon uses NCLB, other sneaky means to get info on teens in high school

(Newser) - The military is using a host of behind-the-scenes methods—including the No Child Left Behind Act—to gather information on high school students for recruitment, writes David Goodman in Mother Jones. A little-known provision in NCLB, for instance, requires schools that get funding to supply recruiters with info on all...

Troops Fume Over Proposed Smoking Ban

'If I were forced to quit, I'd probably be unbearable,' says one

(Newser) - Since the days of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s signature corncob pipe, through the rationing of cigarettes during World War II, smoking has been ingrained part of military culture. But a new proposal to introduce a smoking ban in the armed forces is sparking fierce opposition, with some saying it could...

Pentagon Grades Reporters' War Coverage
 Pentagon Grades 
 Reporters' War Coverage 
ANALYSIS
Aug 27, 2009 8:06 PM CDT

Pentagon Grades Reporters' War Coverage

Documents shed light on Defense efforts to shape news from Afghanistan

(Newser) - With a view to trying to influence coverage of the war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon is grading journalists’ work, the Stars and Stripes reports. The military newspaper says it has documents that counter official denials of the practice, with coverage rated as “positive,” “neutral,” or “...

Pentagon Tells Red Cross Who's in Secret Prisons

Military grants group access to prisoners

(Newser) - After years of refusing the Red Cross information about terror suspects held in two secret camps in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has quietly reversed course, the New York Times reports. The military has begun providing the identities of prisoners at the sites in Balad, Iraq, and Bagram, Afghanstan. Under...

Congress Relents, Slashes Unwanted Jet Order

(Newser) - House leaders are slashing their $550 million order for eight new executive jets for use by senior government officials, caving to pressure from fellow lawmakers and the Pentagon, Politico reports. John Murtha’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee had more than doubled the Pentagon’s original request for $220 million to buy...

Pentagon Releases More 'Scare Force One' Photos

(Newser) - The Pentagon has released 145 new photos of the Air Force One flyover that rattled New Yorkers in April, CNN reports. The flight was for a White House photo shoot, but city officials and the public were not informed. The photos show the Boeing plane, the military version of the...

Pentagon Weighs Ban on Facebook, Twitter

(Newser) - The US military is considering restrictions on access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, citing privacy and security concerns, the Military Times reports. “Sometimes people, because of the nature of these sites, can have a tendency to get lax in what they put on there,” a...

Obama Picks Up Steam in Congress Over F-22 Funds

Lawmakers had opposed Prez's bid to cut money

(Newser) - In a shift, the White House looks likely to win over Congress in its bid to cut $1.7 billion in funding for the F-22 fighter jet, Politico reports. Congress had looked set to support the measure last week, but the administration is pressing hard with Defense Secretary Robert Gates...

US Army to Add 22K Soldiers
 US Army to Add 22K Soldiers 
Jul 21, 2009 2:16 AM CDT

US Army to Add 22K Soldiers

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates is temporarily boosting the Army's ranks with 22,000 new soldiers, reports the Army Times. The increase, which follows a permanent increase of 65,000, will reduce the strain on the forces over the next three years, according to Gates. The hike "will be used...

Cyborg Bugs Could Warn of Fires, Chemical Attacks

(Newser) - Cyborg bugs may sound like creatures in a Michael Bay movie, but they could save your life, New Scientist reports. The Pentagon is trying to implant electrodes in crickets and cicadas—which communicate via wingbeats—and program them to “speak” differently around certain chemicals. “The insect itself might...

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