Pentagon

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In First, Pentagon Blasts China for Hacks Against US

Says China modernizing military, looking to exploit US weakness

(Newser) - The Pentagon is squarely blaming China for hacking into its computer systems, marking the first time the Obama administration has made the accusation. China's spying is aimed in large part at boosting its own defense capabilities, the Pentagon says in its annual report to Congress , per Reuters . Further, China...

If N. Korea Keeps at It, Nuke Could Reach US: Report

Pyongyang is critical security challenge to US: Pentagon

(Newser) - The Pentagon's annual report card on North Korea's military capabilities gives the dictatorship an A for effort: It says that if Pyongyang continues to apply its very limited resources to nuclear tests and improving technology, its Taepodong-2 missile could eventually reach US shores, Reuters reports. "Advances in...

200 US Troops Headed to Jordan—and It's a Big Deal

LAT explains it's the first acknowledged step toward military involvement in Syria

(Newser) - Some 200 US troops are headed to Jordan, where some US troops are already stationed. So why is this deployment notable? How it's being played:
  • The Los Angeles Times pulls no punches in its explanation: "The move marks the first deployment that Pentagon officials explicitly described as a
...

Pentagon Drops Drone-Pilot Medal

Award angered veterans, drone opponents

(Newser) - The Pentagon has nixed a new medal for drone pilots before anyone was nominated for it. The Distinguished Warfare Medal, announced by Leon Panetta just before he left the Pentagon, angered veterans as well as those taking issue with drone tactics, the Washington Post reports. A veterans' petition hit the...

Pyongyang Can Likely Make Nuclear Missile: US Report
North Korea Nuke Report Declassified by 'Mistake'
say sources
Apr 12, 2013 7:23 AM CDT

North Korea Nuke Report Declassified by 'Mistake'

Officials cast doubt on nuclear intelligence report

(Newser) - John Kerry has arrived in South Korea amid fears the North could be poised for another missile test, the AP reports. Kerry's first trip to the Asia-Pacific as secretary of state, during which he'll also visit China and Japan, was planned prior to concerns about a possible launch....

US Delays Missile Test Over N. Korea Tensions

White House defends move as 'absolutely not' a retreat

(Newser) - As tensions escalate with North Korea, the US has opted to delay a missile test at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, CNN reports. The long-planned test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was unrelated to North Korea, but delaying it is "prudent and wise" in light of...

No Purple Hearts for Fort Hood Victims: Pentagon

Texas Rep. John Carter calls decision 'dead wrong'

(Newser) - A Texas lawmaker's attempt to make victims of the Fort Hood shooting eligible for purple hearts has fallen on deaf ears at the Pentagon, ABC News reports. Awarding them purple hearts could "irrevocably alter the fundamental character of this time-honored decoration" and "undermine the prosecution of Major...

Obama to Take Drones Out of CIA's Hands: Report

Defense Department will eventually run sole program

(Newser) - A big scoop from the Daily Beast : President Obama is set to eighty-six the CIA's drone program, per three senior US officials. Daniel Klaidman reports that the plan, which the White House is "poised to sign off on," would instead centralize the drone program under the Pentagon;...

Military Bans Mortars After Marine Deaths

Pentagon issues mortar moratorium following deadly training disaster

(Newser) - The Pentagon has issued a "blanket suspension" on all 60mm mortar rounds until it can figure out what went wrong in the tragic mortar blast that killed seven Marines in Nevada on Monday night, reports CBS . The move follows an earlier ban on rounds that were manufactured along with...

Pyongyang Threats Prompt US to Boost Missile Defense

Obama had halted program's expansion

(Newser) - North Korea's missile warnings have the US building up its defenses, insiders tell Fox News . The Pentagon is preparing 14 new ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California. The result—44 total interceptors—is in line with Bush administration plans. President Obama had halted deployment at 30 when he entered...

After Closest Vote Ever, Chuck Hagel Sworn In

He'll next address Pentagon workers

(Newser) - Chuck Hagel's 58-41 confirmation vote wasn't just close; it was the closest ever for a defense secretary, notes Reuters , with just four Republicans voting in favor of the Republican, who was sworn in this morning. The closed-door ceremony will be followed by an address to Pentagon workers at...

5 Cuts Pentagon Should Make Now
 5 Cuts Pentagon 
 Should Make Now 
OPINION
Feb 26, 2013 12:08 PM CST

5 Cuts Pentagon Should Make Now

Start with the F-35 mistake: Paul Barrett

(Newser) - To hear the Pentagon tell it, the looming sequester cuts will hurt military readiness and put the nation at genuine risk. "Flapdoodle," writes Paul Barrett at Businessweek . "The military is manufacturing a crisis to protect its wasteful, bloated, poorly designed budget." He suggests five cuts the...

White House Brief Makes Strong Case for Gay Rights

Urges Supreme Court to kill DOMA, suggests Obama will weigh in on Prop 8 case, too

(Newser) - The White House looks poised to make a robust defense of gay marriage before the Supreme Court. The first step came yesterday when the Justice Department filed a legal brief urging the court to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, reports CNN . DOMA defines a marriage as a union...

Pentagon Grounds F-35s Over Cracked Engine

The fighter-jet program cost nearly $400B

(Newser) - The Pentagon says it has grounded its entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine blade. The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., of an Air Force version of the F-35. Other versions of the F-35...

New Drone Medal's Rank 'Degrading', Say Veterans

Award for remote control operators outranks combat medals like Bronze Star

(Newser) - The Pentagon's new medal for drone operators has sparked a backlash from veterans whose medals were earned on the battlefield but are ranked lower than the Distinguished Warfare Medal, the Military Times reports. The new medal is higher in the military's "order of precedence" than the Bronze...

GOP Blocks Nomination of Hagel, for Now

He's still expected to become defense secretary, but after Senate recess

(Newser) - The Chuck Hagel drama continued on Capitol Hill today, as Republicans refused to allow a final vote on his confirmation to become defense secretary, reports the Hill . Hagel is expected to prevail eventually—but now it can't happen until lawmakers return from the Presidents' Day recess. Expect the next...

Drone Pilots Eligible for New Military Medal

New Pentagon honor doesn't require being on battlefield

(Newser) - They fight the war from computer consoles and video screens. The troops that launch the drone strikes and direct the cyberattacks that can kill or disable an enemy may never set foot in the combat zone, but now their battlefield contributions can be recognized. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced today...

US Might Expand 'Kill List' Into North Africa

Officials debate adding Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar

(Newser) - Amid the debate about whether US drone strikes go too far, the Wall Street Journal reports that US officials are considering a "significant" expansion of the nation's targeted-killing program into northwest Africa. Specifically, the powers-that-be are debating whether to add Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar to the Pentagon's...

Pentagon Leaders: We Wanted to Arm Syria Rebels

Panetta, Dempsey suggest military disagrees with White House decision

(Newser) - The response seemed to catch even questioner John McCain off guard, notes the Washington Post : When he asked Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs chairman Martin Dempsey whether they supported a plan last summer to arm Syrian rebels, this exchange followed:
  • "We did," said Panetta.
  • “You did support
...

Pentagon on Cybersecurity Force: Quintuple It

900-member Cyber Command will soon be 5 times larger

(Newser) - Last year, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of a " cyber Pearl Harbor "; now, the Pentagon is preparing for a digital battlefield. It's ballooning its Cyber Command from 900 people to a 4,900-strong combination of troops and civilians, the Washington Post reports—even as the government plans...

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