Pentagon

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Silver Screen's Ray Guns Become Battlefield Reality

Ground troops testing laser weapons, tagged for missile-defense systems, too

(Newser) - Ray guns aren't just for Flash Gordon anymore, the Economist reports. The US military and defense contractors are experimenting with “directed energy” weapons systems on the battlefield and in labs, most of which help troops zap unexploded bombs and incoming fire. One model, the Zeus, is designed to more...

Pentagon Will Keep Extending Soldiers' Tours

Military will deny exit to some 12K a month through 2009

(Newser) - Soldiers are likely to face involuntary extensions of combat duty throughout 2009, USA Today reports, despite repeated Pentagon promises to rely less on the practice. Roughly 12,000 soldiers are hit with “stop loss”—which forces them to stay in the Army after their commitment has expired—each...

Petraeus Panel to Rethink Iraq, Afghan Strategy

General assembles brain trust for 100-day review of regional efforts

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus is assembling a panel of experts to carefully reconsider US strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan, Iran and the surrounding region, reports the Washington Post. He's recruiting a handpicked brain trust of advisers from the private sector, State Department and Pentagon. The group will...

Joint Chiefs Head Calls for Wider PTSD Screening

Post Traumatic Stress a 'bigger problem than we realize,' says chief

(Newser) - Every member of the US military should undergo screening for post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning from combat in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has recommended. As many as 1 of every 5 returning combat vets suffers from mental health problems, USA Today reports. "I think...

Judge Orders 17 Gitmo Inmates Freed

Major blow to White House as judge refers to nation's 'founding principle'

(Newser) - In a huge blow to the Bush administration a federal judge has ordered the immediate release of 17 Chinese Muslims who have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay for seven years, reports the Washington Post. He said the men must be released to volunteer Uighur families by Friday for possible resettlement...

Pentagon Seeks $15.2B Fighter Sale to Israel

US maker Lockheed Martin still developing next-generation jet

(Newser) - The Defense Department said today it wants to sell up to 75 fighter jets to Israel in a $15.2 billion deal for the aircraft expected to be the mainstay of air power in the US and several other nations for decades. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it notified...

US Arms Sales Skyrocket
 US Arms Sales Skyrocket 
Sep 14, 2008 8:26 AM CDT

US Arms Sales Skyrocket

Some fear sparking 'arms race'

(Newser) - Seeking to arm allies and contain countries like Iran and North Korea, the Bush Administration has significantly stepped up international weapons sales, the New York Times reports. The Defense Department will sell or transfer $32 billion in arms this year, particularly in the Middle East, compared to $12 billion two...

9/11 Memorial a Testament to Family Grit

Kins' determined efforts saw project though

(Newser) - The first national memorial to the victims of 9/11 will be dedicated at the Pentagon today and it was the hard work of grieving families who made it possible, the Washington Post writes. Funding assumptions in the aftermath of the tragic attacks fell apart by the time construction began—and...

Pentagon Ponders Cyberspace Offensives

Electronic attacks on Georgia add impetus to military's cyberwarfare efforts

(Newser) - US military commanders, hoping to add a page to their offensive capabilities, are pushing for the development of strategies that will allow them to assault and control an enemy’s cyberspace, the Los Angeles Times reports. An aggressive cyber-campaign could allow the Pentagon to disrupt a foe’s command-and-control center,...

Pentagon May Prevent Petraeus From Testifying

General's views may not gel with brass' assessment

(Newser) - When David Petraeus next comes to Washington, he won’t be speaking on Capitol Hill, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Pentagon officials have denied requests for more hearings with the Iraq commander because they’re not sure they’ll agree with his recommendations. Petraeus has been criticized for being too...

Bush Ordered Troop Surge Over Internal Opposition

State Dept., Pentagon, military leaders were split over plan

(Newser) - President Bush’s 2007 addition of 20,000 troops in Iraq helped stabilize the country —but advisers didn’t support the idea until the situation there looked like “civil war,” in the CIA’s words. Instead, the Pentagon wanted to shift responsibilities to Iraqi troops; the State...

US Weighs Direct Pakistan Strikes

But unilateral action could heighten tension between countries

(Newser) - Frustrated with what some see as unproductive new leadership in Pakistan and fearing a strengthening al-Qaeda, Pentagon officials are considering a unilateral mission to root out militants hiding in the country, the Los Angeles Times reports. The CIA has backed such a move for months, but some officials remain concerned...

Gates Plans to Double Size of Afghan Army

(Newser) - Robert Gates is backing a plan to pump $20 billion into Afghanistan’s army and restructure the command of NATO and US forces, in an effort to revamp the struggling war effort there. With American troops tied up in Iraq, Gates intends to almost double the size of the Afghan...

Pentagon's New Bid Rules Favor Northrop: Boeing

Bidding changes seen to justify previous decision

(Newser) - The Pentagon issued new criteria yesterday for the second round of bidding on its lucrative fuel-tanker contract, Bloomberg reports, and Boeing backers immediately cried foul. The new terms give bonus points to a plane that carries more fuel than the earlier guidelines, which Boeing officials and congressional allies claim favors...

Pentagon Extends Tours for Marines in Afghanistan

(Newser) - As the situation in Afghanistan worsens, 1,000 Marines deployed to train local security forces will stay there for at least another 30 days, mirroring an identical move last month for another group of Marines elsewhere in the country, Reuters reports. A defense official confirmed the move, which has yet...

Sex Assaults Against Women in Military 'Epidemic'

Lawmaker discovers 41% of female vets at one hospital have been vicitms

(Newser) - A California congresswoman seeking better protection for military women said she was shocked to discover that 41% of women at a veterans hospital reported being sexually assaulted while in the service, CNN reports. "We have an epidemic here," Jane Harman told a House panel yesterday. "Women in...

Ex-Pentagon Official Eying Iraq Oil Deal

Noted war booster Perle denies deal, Kazakh connection

(Newser) - Former Pentagon official Richard Perle is on board with a consortium seeking to drill for oil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the Wall Street Journal reports—though both Baghdad and Washington want a national oil law passed before regional business is done. The Iraq war backer denies that he’s...

Bin Laden Driver's Soft Spot: McDonald's Fries

FBI agents discovered he liked them during interrogations

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden’s driver warmed up to interrogators after he was given McDonald’s french fries, Reuters reports. He "even appreciated that McDonald's fries are not good cold," an FBI agent testified yesterday at Salim Hamdan’s war crimes trial. In another instance, he perked up when...

Army Orders Lions Rookie to Active Duty

West Point star can't report to Detroit training camp

(Newser) - West Point graduate Caleb Campbell—drafted in April by the Detroit Lions—has been ordered to put his pro football career on hold and report for military duty, the Detroit News reports. The Army abruptly changed its policy and told Campbell—a day before he was to report to training...

Gitmo Trial Describes al-Qaeda Inner Circle

Driver was key member of organization: prosecutor

(Newser) - Arguments in the trial of Salim Hamdan gave a view of al-Qaeda's inner circle today, as prosecutors opened by painting Osama bin Laden's driver as a key member of the organization, the Miami Herald reports. The lead prosecutor depicted Hamdan as a constant presence in high-level al-Qaeda operations and argued...

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