US military

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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...

Secret Report Slams Inept MIA Recovery Effort

Suppressed Pentagon report says effort is approaching 'total failure'

(Newser) - An internal report that military leaders tried to bury is revealing serious concerns from within about the effort to account for those American troops still listed as missing in action. "The descent from dysfunction to total failure ... is inevitable" if action isn't taken to fix the program, says...

White House's New Leak Villain: Former Top General

James Cartwright faces investigation over Stuxnet worm story

(Newser) - The Obama White House has prosecuted or charged eight people under the Espionage Act thus far—and another one is under investigation. Retired four-star Marine Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright, former deputy chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got a letter saying he was facing an inquiry over the...

Army to Cut 80K Troops in Biggest Post-WWII Shake-Up

13 out of 45 combat brigades to be axed

(Newser) - The Army is axing 13 of its 45 combat brigades in what it says is just the first round of downsizing under automatic budget cuts. Some 80,000 troops out of a total force of 570,000 will be cut over the next four years, and while the Army aims...

Most Victims of Military Sex Assault: Men

Key fact is still overlooked by many

(Newser) - The sexual assault epidemic plaguing the military is getting quite a bit of attention —but what's not getting much attention is the fact that 53% of all sexual assault cases last year involved male victims, the New York Times reports. "It’s easy for some people to...

Naval Academy Charges 3 Footballers in Rape Case

Victim was disciplined for drinking: lawyer

(Newser) - The US Naval Academy yesterday charged three midshipmen—all current or former football players —with sexually assaulting a female student at an off-campus house in Annapolis in April 2012. The academy said in a news release that the male midshipmen are being charged with two violations of the Uniform...

US to Scrap $7B in Military Gear in Afghanistan
 Military to Scrap $7B in Gear 
Jun 20, 2013 3:00 AM CDT

Military to Scrap $7B in Gear

WaPo: Partly because it would cost too much to ship back from Afghanistan

(Newser) - Talk about the logistics of war: The US is going to destroy about $7 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan because it would cost too much money to ship it home or because the gear wouldn't be of much use anymore, reports the Washington Post . That includes about...

Taliban Kills Americans Hours After Peace Office Opens

Karzai pulls out of security talks

(Newser) - Taliban insurgents aren't letting up the fight in Afghanistan despite the opening of an office for peace talks . Four American troops were killed in a rocket attack on a convoy near Bagram Air Base just hours after the Taliban office opened its doors in Qatar, the New York Times...

Army Ranger Strangled to Death by Own Parachute

Military officials to investigative what went wrong

(Newser) - An Army Ranger was found dead on the ground with parachute cords wrapped around his neck after a routine training jump in southeast Georgia—and commanders hope an investigation will reveal what went wrong. The fatal jump occurred yesterday afternoon as Rangers stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah conducted...

US to Provide Syria Rebels With Weapons

Decision follows conclusion regime used chemical agents

(Newser) - Now that the US has determined that Bashar al-Assad's regime used chemical weapons, the Obama administration intends to help arm Syrian rebels, officials tell the New York Times . The US will send light arms and ammunition; antitank weapons are also a possibility. Rebel leaders have called for antiaircraft weapons,...

Senate Kills Plan for Military Rape Prosecutors

Carl Levin leave commanders to handle cases

(Newser) - A proposal that would have appointed independent prosecutors, rather than unit commanders, to handle sexual assault cases in the military will be MIA from the Defense Authorization Act. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin has decided to kill the provision, siding with military brass who complained that the measure...

Afghan Soldier Kills 3 US Troops
Afghan Soldier Kills
3 US Trainers
Jun 8, 2013 8:49 AM CDT

Afghan Soldier Kills 3 US Trainers

Two service members and one civilian killed

(Newser) - A man in an Afghan army uniform turned his weapon on the American trainers working with him in the country's east today, killing three of them. An argument between the Afghan soldier and his trainers appeared to have led to the shooting on an Afghan National Army base in...

Navy Football Players in Rape Investigation

3 accused of assaulting drunk female midshipman at party

(Newser) - The military has yet another high-profile sex-assault investigation on its hands, this one involving three unidentified players on the Navy football team, reports Military.com . They are accused of raping a drunk female midshipman during an off-campus party last year, reports the New York Times , which has interviewed the unidentified...

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