US military

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US Strike Group Headed to Red Sea, Syria

Major naval force assembling in eastern Med

(Newser) - While President Obama waits for Congress to vote on a strike on Syria , the US is building up its naval force in the region. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group are now moving toward the Red Sea to be in place if it is needed, Reuters...

Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case
Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case 
UPDATED
Aug 30, 2013 7:58 AM CDT

Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case

When strike would occur remains unclear

(Newser) - The specifics of President Obama's plans for Syria don't seem much clearer after a conference call with Congressional leaders. The call didn't include information on when a strike would occur, Politico notes, nor did it appear to sway lawmakers who had doubts about military action. During the...

Necessary or Foolish? Pros, Cons of Syria Strike

Pundits makes their cases for and against

(Newser) - As the US considers what to do about Syria, there's no shortage of advice on the pros and cons:
  • Pro-strike: Nicholas Kristof is generally wary of the "military toolbox," but it's important here to "reinforce the international norm against weapons of mass destruction," he
...

Young Gitmo Guards Get Primers on 9/11
 Young Gitmo Guards 
 Get Primers on 9/11 
propublica
Aug 27, 2013 5:12 PM CDT

Young Gitmo Guards Get Primers on 9/11

Many were just kids 12 years ago: ProPublica

(Newser) - It's been almost 12 years since the 9/11 attacks, which presents the US military with an unusual concern: Many of its guards at Guantanamo Bay were just kids when the attacks happened. To make sure they fully grasp the seriousness of their duties, the military conducts briefings—or "...

US 'Ready to Go': What Syria Strike Could Look Like

UK also weighs action; Russia, China warn against it

(Newser) - With John Kerry blasting the "screaming" evidence of a chemical weapons attack in Syria, the Obama administration is moving closer to launching a military strike on the country. On Saturday, President Obama held a three-hour meeting with his national security team on the issue, and CBS News last night...

What Would a US Response Look Like? Think 1999

US officials say NATO airstrikes on Kosovo could be a guide for Syria

(Newser) - A government backed by Russia is accused of killing its own civilians. That applies not only to the current situation in Syria but to the 1999 situation in Kosovo. And as the New York Times reports, top US officials are keeping Kosovo very much in mind as they weigh their...

US Soldier Gets Life Without Parole in Massacre

Robert Bales killed 16 Afghan villagers

(Newser) - The second of two high-profile military trials is in the books: A military jury has sentenced a US soldier who massacred 16 Afghan civilians last year to life in prison without a chance of parole. The decision came today in the case against Staff Sgt. Robert Bales , who pleaded guilty...

Obama Weighing Strike on Syria

President calls alleged chemical strike 'a big event of grave concern'

(Newser) - Top Obama administration officials met yesterday to discuss potential military responses to what may have been the worst chemical weapons attack in decades. Officials were "sharply divided" and emerged from three-and-a-half hours of discussions about Syria without reaching a decision, the New York Times reports; options on the table...

Bradley Manning: 'I'm Sorry'

Wikileaker apologizes during sentencing hearing

(Newser) - US soldier Bradley Manning took the stand today during his sentencing hearing for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks and apologized for hurting the United States and others. Manning gave an unsworn statement, which means he cannot be cross-examined by prosecutors. He began with an apology. "I'm sorry that...

Memo: Gay Troops to Get 10 Days of Leave to Marry

As part of proposed Pentagon plan to extend benefits to same-sex couples

(Newser) - Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the Defense of Marriage Act , the Pentagon is reviewing a plan that would extend full marriage benefits to same-sex couples by the end of this month, according to a draft memo from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel outlining the proposal obtained yesterday by the...

Study: No Link Between Combat, Military Suicides

Suicide risk factors same as in civilian population

(Newser) - People in the military kill themselves for the same reasons civilians do and there is no clear link between combat or deployment overseas and the military's surging suicide rate , according to a new study. Researchers, who tracked 150,000 soldiers from 2001 to 2008, found that most of those...

Fort Hood Victims May be Questioned by Their Shooter

Suspect Nidal Hasan is representing himself, so victims may have to face him on the stand

(Newser) - When a judge ruled that Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan is allowed to represent himself in court , she warned him it would be a "disadvantage." But there's a pretty huge downside for the prosecution as well: Hasan may well get to cross-examine the very victims he...

Helicopter Crashes on US Base in Japan

One crew member injured: report

(Newser) - A US military helicopter crashed today on the Japanese island of Okinawa, and Japan's defense minister says three of those in the chopper ejected themselves to safety while one was injured and hospitalized. No locals were hurt in the crash at US Marine Camp Hansen, though Reuters notes that...

Small-Town Cops Scoring Millions in Military Gear

Tiny police departments taking boats, bayonets, deep-fryers...

(Newser) - The 1033 Program allows law enforcement agencies to get hold of equipment the military is no longer using—for free. Last year, $546 million in property was transferred. Makes sense, right? If the army has gear just lying around, the cops may as well make use of it. But an...

US Plan to Arm Syria Rebels Gets a Boost

But Pentagon cites continuing concerns

(Newser) - Last month, the White House said it planned to arm Syrian rebels —but members of Congress haven't been thrilled with the idea. Now, however, Capitol Hill seems to be coming around, Reuters reports. Despite "strong reservations ... We got a consensus that we could move forward with the...

In Training Snafu, US Jets 'Bomb' Great Barrier Reef

Jets were forced to jettison 4 bombs

(Newser) - US fighter jets running low on fuel dropped four bombs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef last week, reports the BBC , in a training mission gone wrong. The AV-8B Harriers were supposed to drop the bombs—two of which were disabled, while two were inert—on a bombing range on...

8 Afghan Workers Killed en Route to US Base

Deadliest attack since Ramadan started

(Newser) - Eight Afghan workers were shot and killed as they headed to work on a US military base, the BBC reports. Local officials say the Taliban was behind the attacks. The civilian workers "were forced out of their car and taken about 200 meters off (the) road to a nearby...

How the Pentagon Managed to Kill Sex-Assault Reform

Military's lobbying muscle is without peer

(Newser) - Publicly, the military has vowed to do everything it can to combat sexual assault. But privately, it's been in lobbying overdrive to ensure it doesn't have to do much at all, Politico reports. While federal agencies regularly lean on legislators, this push by the Pentagon has been unusually...

How Obama Inadvertently Helped Military Sex Abusers

His words as commander in chief damning them will complicate trials: NY Times

(Newser) - He meant well. Back in May, President Obama said he had no more patience with the rising number of sexual assault cases in the military, and he declared that perpetrators should be “prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged." The problem, as the New York Times...

'Frustrated' Obama May Yank All Troops in Afghanistan

Relations with Karzai going downhill fast, insiders say

(Newser) - President Obama is so sick of dealing with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai that he is seriously considering bringing American military involvement in the country to a speedy and complete end, senior administration officials tell CNN and the New York Times . The "zero option" of leaving no American troops...

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