military

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Tech Sales to China Raise Red Flags

Weapons experts say imports could upgrade military—or be sold

(Newser) - Chinese companies linked to the People’s Liberation Army were cleared to import sensitive high-tech equipment from the US after the Bush administration eased restrictions blocking the sale of technology with military applications, the New York Times reports. One company has ties to arms sales to Iran and Syria, claims...

Fallen Marine's Dog Heading Home to His Family

Lex didn't want to leave dead buddy

(Newser) - Paramedics had to drag Lex the German shepherd away from the body of Cpl. Dustin Lee when the 20-year-old Marine from Mississippi was killed in a March mortar attack in Fallujah. Now Lex is back in the States and heading for retirement with Lee's family. “Lex was my son’...

Army Seeks to Shorten Tours
Army Seeks to Shorten Tours

Army Seeks to Shorten Tours

As security improves, military leaders push to cut 15-month tours to 12 by summer

(Newser) - With violence slowing in Iraq, many Army leaders want to drop the 15-month tours of duty imposed on soldiers earlier this year to sustain the surge, the AP reports. “We can’t sustain that,” says Army Chief of Staff George Casey, the former top commander in Iraq who...

Iraqi Officers Going AWOL in America

About a dozen have skipped out while here for military training

(Newser) - Nearly a dozen Iraqi military and law-enforcement officials have fled specialized training programs in the US, the Washington Times reports. The men are either seeking asylum in this country or are still missing—leading a high-ranking congressman to warn of the national-security implications. An Army spokesman says none of the...

Mastectomy Is No Disability, Court Rules

South Korean military ordered to reinstate female helicopter pilot

(Newser) - A South Korean court has ordered the military to reinstate a female helicopter pilot who was bounced from her job after she had a double  mastectomy to treat breast cancer. Regulations require personnel to be discharged if they're missing body parts. The case has been a flashpoint for feminists and...

Chief Gitmo Prosecutor Steps Down
Chief Gitmo Prosecutor Steps Down

Chief Gitmo Prosecutor Steps Down

Chain-of-command issue leads to resignation at controversial military jail

(Newser) - The US military’s lead prosecutor in trials of terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay has resigned, the Pentagon announced today. Air Force Col. Davis sought a new post after the Pentagon rejected his complaint that an officer supervising his work did not have the authority to do so. “...

US, China Grow Closer Despite Touchy Issues

Bush accepts Olympics invitation; talks recalls, environment with Hu

(Newser) - President Bush accepted an invitation today from China’s president to attend next summer’s Olympics, a gesture that will likely anger human rights activists but may increase pressure on Beijing, the Times reports. In a 90-minute meeting in the eve of the APEC summit, Hu Jintao and Bush also...

Iraqi Police Force Should Be 'Scrapped'

Infighting, corruption force recommendation that US 'start over'

(Newser) - Corruption and sectarian biases are so deeply entrenched in the Iraqi police ranks that the force's structure must be “scrapped,” an independent panel will report to Congress next week. The recommendation stems from an examination of the 26,000-member police force that concludes “we should start over,...

Giuliani Tops McCain With Vets
Giuliani Tops McCain With Vets

Giuliani Tops McCain With Vets

Vets favor Rudy over McCain; Obama

(Newser) - In a new poll, military veterans like Rudy Giuliani best of the top-tier presidential hopefuls. Rudy beats ex-POW John McCain's favorable rating 64% to 52%, the Post reports. Surprisingly, the third place candidate is Barack Obama, at 44%, edging out Edwards (43%) and Thompson (40%). Clinton (37%) and Romney (33%)...

Three UK Soldiers Killed by US Fire
Three UK Soldiers Killed by US Fire

Three UK Soldiers Killed by US Fire

Jet was providing support v. Taliban

(Newser) - Fire from an American jet killed three British soldiers in Afghanistan yesterday evening in one of the worst “friendly fire” disasters in years. The US air support was called in to aid the soldiers, who were fighting Taliban forces; a single bomb from the F15 killed the Royal Anglian...

Army Can't Sustain Troop Demand in Iraq

Not enough soldiers to support surge through spring

(Newser) - With nearly all its forces exhausted, the US Army will have to break some promises to sustain the current troop buildup through spring, according to new documents acquired by AP. The Army would have to extend tours, reduce rest, or accelerate use of National Guard members to maintain current levels—...

Navy Squelches YouTube Vid
Navy Squelches YouTube Vid

Navy Squelches YouTube Vid

Airman's musical movie showed glimpses of aircraft carrier's security measures

(Newser) - The Navy removed an airman's video from YouTube because it showed a "lack of propriety" in the use of safety equipment  aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, the AP reports. The video, set to Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much," showed a sailor dancing in a...

Puerto Rican Pacifists Say No To Pentagon

Activists undermine recruitment push with opt-out forms

(Newser) - Anti-war sentiment is pulsing through Puerto Rico, the Washington Post reports, even rattling dormant talk of independence. Pacifists have been giving high schoolers leaflets with instructions for avoiding Pentagon recruiters who have been ravenous in the poor island territory; an independence activist said the forms helped prevent young Puerto Ricans...

Army Suicides Climb; Rate Highest in 26 Years

99 active-duty soldiers took their own lives in 2006

(Newser) - American soldiers are killing themselves at the highest rate since the Persian Gulf War, the AP reports. Statistics out today show 99 active-duty soldiers committed suicide in 2006, both the highest single number and the highest rate per deployed since 1991. The problem was worst in Iraq, the most common...

Born-Again Actor Leads Charge into Iraq

Commentators cry foul over evangelical care packages

(Newser) - A ventriloquist and a born-again movie star are among those headed for Iraq to entertain US soldiers and fold them into the arms of the Lord, writes Max Blumenthal in the Nation. All well and good, but this version of the Almighty, delivered by the likes of Stephen Baldwin, is...

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied
Army: New Republic
Scribe Lied

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied

But magazine stands by private's diary from Iraq

(Newser) - The military and the New Republic are at a standoff over the accuracy of a series of damaging diaries by an Army private in Iraq. Army investigators say they're fabricated, that no one in the unit corroborated his stories about petty cruelty among soldiers. But TNR Editor Franklin Foer told...

Gates Warns of 'Protracted' Iraq Stay

Troops will remain to support government, Defense chief says

(Newser) - US troops will likely remain in Iraq for a "protracted period of time," Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned yesterday. Soldiers would remain as a "stabilizing and supporting force" for the government long after combat troop numbers are reduced, he said in a CNN interview. Gates couldn't say...

Soldier Draws 110 Years for Rape, Murder

Coconspirators handed tough sentences for young girl's death

(Newser) - A military court handed Jesse Spielman a dishonorable discharge and a 110-year prison sentence for raping and murdering an Iraqi girl last year. Spielman and four comrades planned the 2006 assault on a family near Baghdad over a drunken game of cards; they then gang-raped and murdered the girl, her...

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq
Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

(Newser) - Heavily armed, remote-controlled robots are on the ground in Iraq—a first in military history. Only three of these robo-soldiers, armed with M249 machine guns, are currently deployed, but the Army has requested 80 more. Their location is classified, but officials report they're involved in reconnaissance and street patrol missions....

Fear Rules Iraq, Briefers Tell Congress

Benchmarks not likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus

(Newser) - Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan...

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