US military

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President Obama Announces Increased Military Presence in Australia, Insists US Does Not Fear China
 Obama: US Not Afraid of China 
Nov 16, 2011 12:40 PM CST

Obama: US Not Afraid of China

President announces increased military presence in Australia

(Newser) - The US and Australia announced a new security agreement today, seen by many as a response to China’s growing power, but President Obama insisted that “the notion that we fear China is mistaken.” Under the agreement, the US military presence will be expanded, with about 250 Marines...

Atheists to Military: Recognize Us

Handful apply to be humanist leaders, thus far without success

(Newser) - The nonreligious may make up just a fraction of the military, but they say their beliefs are as valid as those of their religious counterparts—and the military should recognize them. Some dozen troops are currently applying to become humanist lay leaders—joining the lay Christians, Muslims, and Jews who...

'Thrill Kill' Soldier Calvin Gibbs Guilty
 'Thrill Kill' Ringleader Guilty 
Nov 11, 2011 4:00 AM CST

'Thrill Kill' Ringleader Guilty

Soldier Calvin Gibbs led gang that killed Afghan civilians for fun

(Newser) - Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs "had a charisma, a 'follow me' personality," a prosecutor told a military court this week. "But it was all a bunch of crap. He had his own mission: murder and depravity." Gibbs, leader of a "thrill kill" gang of US...

Troops' Incinerated Remains Dumped in Landfill

Post: Air Force disposed of unidentified body parts that way for years

(Newser) - How's this for a disturbing follow to yesterday's already disturbing report of how the main US military mortuary lost and otherwise mishandled troops' remains: The mortuary at the Dover Air Force Base routinely disposed of some body parts by incinerating them and dumping them in a landfill, reports...

Army's Latest Snack: Caffeinated Beef Jerky

And something called 'Zapplesauce'

(Newser) - The only problem with coffee is that it has no meat in it, and the only problem with meat is that it has no caffeine in it. Fortunately, the Army has solved both of those problems with its newest snack: caffeinated meat. The beef jerky stick, which contains as much...

US General Ousted After Dissing Karzai

Peter Fuller called Afghan leaders 'out of touch with reality'

(Newser) - One of the highest-ranking US commanders in Afghanistan didn't get that Stanley McChrystal memo about watching your tongue in the presence of reporters. Major Gen. Peter Fuller has been relieved of command after bad-mouthing Hamid Karzai and other Afghan leaders, reports CNN . Fuller made the comments in this Politico...

US Soldier Sentenced to 10 Years in S. Korea Rape

Pfc. Kevin Flippin convicted of assaulting 16-year-old

(Newser) - A 21-year-old US soldier stationed in South Korea has been sentenced to 10 years in prison today for raping a 16-year-old girl. Pfc. Kevin Flippin was convicted of breaking into the girl’s boarding room and threatening her with scissors, a knife, and a lighter while committing numerous “sadistic...

US Cracking Down on War Zone Corruption

Prosecutions for bribery, theft in Iraq and Afghanistan rising

(Newser) - American prosecutors have been making it a lot more difficult for people involved in reconstruction work in Iraq and Afghanistan to line their pockets and get away with it. Prosecutions for bribery, theft, and other crimes have risen sharply this year, according to two government reports. Those convicted include a...

As US Leaves Iraq, It Eyes a Beefier Gulf Presence

US military looking to increase defense ties with states around region

(Newser) - The United States may be pulling out of Iraq by the end of 2011 , but that doesn't mean it's getting out of the Persian Gulf—in fact, the US military is looking to boost its combat presence in Kuwait and increase its military ties to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,...

Ticket to Peace in Afghanistan: Yoga?

Former supermodel proposes meditation for imprisoned insurgents

(Newser) - A former male supermodel thinks he knows how to heal the rift between Taliban militants and coalition troops in Afghanistan—through yoga and meditation. Cameron Alborzian, who, incidentally, played Madonna's beau in her 1989 music video for "Express Yourself" and has worked as Ellen DeGeneres' private guru, pitched...

US Flying Armed Drones Out of Ethiopia Base

Ethiopia denies US presence, Air Force doesn't

(Newser) - Not only has the United States built a network of military drone bases in East Africa , it is flying its armed Reaper drones out of a base in southern Ethiopia on secret missions against al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups from Somalia to Yemen, reports the Washington Post . The Ethiopian government is denying...

Gay Troops Sue Over DOMA
 Gay Troops Sue Over DOMA 
Oct 27, 2011 7:26 AM CDT

Gay Troops Sue Over DOMA

Lawsuit to be filed today

(Newser) - Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell may be gone, but married gay and lesbian service members aren’t done fighting for equal rights: Six active troops and two veterans are filing suit today to challenge the Defense of Marriage Act. Lead plaintiffs Shannon McLaughlin, a Massachusetts Army National Guard...

Marines to Be Court-Martialed for Hazing

Humiliated fellow Marine shot himself in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Three Marines accused of hazing a fellow Marine so harshly that he committed suicide are to be court-martialed, the Marine Corps says. Harry Lew, a 21-year-old from Hawaii, shot himself in a foxhole in Afghanistan earlier this year after he was allegedly attacked and humiliated by the trio. The three...

Marines: Let Us Wear Memorial KIA Bracelets

Troops frustrated at inconsistent ban

(Newser) - Lance Cpl. Glenn Payne used to wear a bracelet carrying the name of a close friend who was killed in action in Afghanistan—until he was ordered to take it off. Marine Corps policy sees such KIA bracelets as unauthorized jewelry, but the ban on them is enforced inconsistently—and...

'Kamikaze' Mini-Drones Added to US Arsenal

'Switchblade' drone can fit in a soldier's backpack

(Newser) - There's a new drone about to join the American military's arsenal—and it's a suicide bomber. The "Switchblade," small enough to be carried in a soldier's backpack, is designed to hover in the sky before flying itself into a human target and detonating a...

McChrystal: US View of Afghan War 'Frighteningly Simplistic'

Now we've only met half our goals, he says

(Newser) - After a decade of fighting in Afghanistan, the US and its NATO allies are only "a little better than" halfway to meeting their war goals, Gen. Stanley McChrystal warns. The former commander of coalition forces says the slow progress is largely due to the US not knowing what it...

Prince Harry in Calif. This Week for Training

'Capt. Wales' to be treated like any other pilot

(Newser) - Prince Harry will arrive in California this week but he won't be getting the red-carpet treatment his brother received earlier this year. The prince is coming to America for two months of helicopter gunship training at bases in California and Arizona, CNN reports. "He will be Captain Wales...

Just 1 in 3 Vets Say Iraq, Afghanistan Wars 'Worth It'

Another 1 in 3 disagree: Pew Research Center poll

(Newser) - Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the US invasion of Afghanistan; with an eye on the decade-long effort, the Pew Research Center asks veterans: Were the Afghanistan and Iraq wars worth it? Just 34% of post-Sept. 11 veterans say yes, while another 33% say no (Afghanistan is considered slightly more...

Discharged Gay Soldiers Suing for Full Severance

Fight over half-pay has outlived Don't Ask, Don't Tell

(Newser) - "Don't Ask Don't Tell" wasn't cold in its grave before Obama administration lawyers were in court opposing giving full severance pay to service members honorably discharged under the policy. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the case on behalf of 142 people discharged under the policy...

US Military Amputees Increase in Afghan War

Numbers are up as more go on foot patrols

(Newser) - A new Pentagon report has some rough stats, mostly from the Afghan war:
  • The number of troops who have had amputations rose from 86 in 2009 to 187 last year. The pace continues this year, with 147 so far.
  • The number of troops who lost two or three limbs rose
...

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