US military

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US Operation Killed 65 Civilians: Afghan Officials

NATO, US officials cast doubt on claim

(Newser) - A US military operation in the desolate, mountainous lands of northeastern Afghanistan last week killed 65 civilians, among them 22 women and 30 children, Afghan officials tell the Washington Post . US officials have launched an emergency probe into the situation, seeking to minimize damage to American-Afghan relations—while some cast...

Female Vets Sue Pentagon Over Sex Abuse

Lawsuit says rape is rampant, but ignored by commanders

(Newser) - Seventeen current and former service members, all but two of them female, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the military alleging that systemic sexual abuse is rampant among the troops but ignored by commanders. "There are three types of women in the Army,” one of the female victims...

US to Train Terrorist Hunters in Yemen

First time US has worked with the country's counterterror unit

(Newser) - Faced with an increasingly alarming threat from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the US military will begin a new training program with Yemen's counterterrorism unit so it can move against militants believed to be plotting attacks on America from safe havens there. The effort will mark the first time the...

US Military Awash in Deadly Prescription Drugs

Powerful drug cocktails for stress, depression can be deadly

(Newser) - When Senior Airman Anthony Mena was found dead in his apartment, he had eight prescription medications in his blood, including three antidepressants, a sleeping pill, a sedative, and two powerful painkillers—but it was the combination of those drugs that killed him, not his own hand. The US military's medical...

To Collect Full Benefits, War Widows Must Remarry

Confusing rules result in weird set of complications

(Newser) - Thanks to a confusing system of federal regulations, tens of thousands of war widows can’t fully collect on insurance bought by their late husbands—unless they marry someone else. There’s more: that remarriage must occur when the widows are 57 or older to count, the AP reports . The...

Navy's New Stealth Drone Makes Maiden Flight

X-47B can take off and land from aircraft carrier

(Newser) - The US Navy says the next big leap forward in unmanned aerial warfare has successfully made its first flight. The robotic, bat-winger X-47B drone is designed to take off and land from aircraft carriers, a feat described as one of the most difficult in aviation. The military hopes the technology...

20K Troops, Vets Lost Their Homes Last Year

But VA says that number could have been much worse

(Newser) - Last year saw the most military foreclosures since 2003, despite efforts from Veterans Affairs to counsel and assist floundering servicemen. More than 20,000 active-duty troops, reservists, and veterans who’d taken out special government-backed mortgages lost their homes last year, the USA Today reports, and foreclosure filings in the...

Amnesty to UK: Manning Is British —So Help Him

Jailed private inherited British citizenship from mother

(Newser) - The US Army private accused of providing WikiLeaks with a vast trove of classified information is a British citizen and the UK should be doing more to look out for his interests, say rights groups. Bradley Manning, who has been held in a military prison since last July, is an...

US Should Treat Pirates Like Terrorists: Vice Admiral

To stop piracy, follow the money and bust the network

(Newser) - The problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden might be receiving less attention in the media these days, but it has not gone away. In fact, hostage-taking is up, from 350 people in captivity in September to 750 today. Ransoms are a million-dollar business for pirates, who are also...

Air Force Official Pleads Guilty to Sexual Misconduct

Senior airman says he was 'caught up in a cycle of sin'

(Newser) - A senior official at an Ohio Air Force base who says he was "caught up in a cycle of sin" faces a dishonorable discharge and a long sentence in a military prison. Chief Master Sgt. William Gurney pleaded guilty yesterday to 13 charges of adultery and sexual misconduct stemming...

Troops Suicides Increase
 Military Suicides Jump 
Jan 24, 2011 4:15 PM CST

Military Suicides Jump

As many, if not more lost to suicide than combat

(Newser) - Admiral Mike Mullen's ominous prediction of a continuing rash of military suicides looks to be spot on—though suicides in 2010 didn't surpass combat deaths as they did in 2009, they did significantly jump, from 381 to 434, Congress.org reports. But that combined tally of 434 is also a...

Discharging Gays Cost Pentagon $193M

Each discharged service member cost $53K to replace

(Newser) - Recruiting and training replacements for gay service members discharged under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy cost the Pentagon a whopping $193 million from 2004 to 2009, according to the Government Accountability Office. The analysis found that 1,442 of the 3,664 service members dismissed for being...

Air Force Sentences HIV 'Swinger' to 8 Years

Airman David Gutierrez guilty of exposing partners to virus

(Newser) - A US Air Force sergeant who exposed partners to HIV at swingers' parties has been sentenced to 8 years in a military prison. David Gutierrez was convicted on charges including aggravated assault and failure to obey orders to use a condom and inform partners of his HIV-positive status, the BBC...

Solar Panels Power Marines in Afghanistan

Alternative energy test wins over skeptics

(Newser) - US Marines in Afghanistan say flexible solar panels aren't just helping them cut back on fuel consumption, they're making military personnel safer. A unit testing the Solar Portable Alternative Communications Energy System—SPACES—says it reduced generators' diesel consumption from 20 gallons a day to 2.5 gallons a day,...

Iraqi Soldier Kills Two US Troops
Iraqi Soldier Kills
Two US Troops
Jan 15, 2011 2:06 PM CST

Iraqi Soldier Kills Two US Troops

Attack came as Americans were conducting a training exercise

(Newser) - Two US troops were killed today by an Iraqi soldier who apparently smuggled real bullets into a training exercise and opened fire. A US military official said the shooter was immediately killed by American soldiers who were running the morning drill at a training center on a base in the...

Pentagon Panel: End Combat Ban for Women

Draft report calls restrictions discriminatory

(Newser) - Another military taboo to fall? It looks like the ban on women serving in direct combat roles is in jeopardy. An advisory panel's draft report declares that the practice of restricting women's duties is behind the times and discriminatory, the Huffington Post reports. Among other things, the panel says it...

Loughner Failed Drug Test in Attempt to Join Army

He attempted to enlist in December 2008

(Newser) - More background on Gabrielle Giffords' would-be assassin: Jared Lee Loughner was rejected from the US Army in 2008 because he failed a drug test, says a military official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he wasn't sure what drug Loughner tested positive for. The Army has...

US Will Beef Up Military to Counter China

China's military buildup requires a US response, says defense secretary

(Newser) - With China quickly growing as a regional power, the US military is stepping up investment in a range of military technologies, including a long-range nuclear-capable bomber aircraft, a new generation of electronic jammers, and a radar-evading fighter jet, reports the New York Times . China has concerned many with its own...

Navy Videos Show Depths of Homophobia in Military
Navy Videos Show Depths
of Homophobia in Military
MEGHAN MCCAIN
Jan 7, 2011 5:40 PM CST

Navy Videos Show Depths of Homophobia in Military

Meghan McCain: Gay service members can come out, but who'd want to?

(Newser) - Former Navy Capt. Owen Honors' homophobic videos raise a big question in the wake of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, writes Meghan McCain in the Daily Beast . Now that gay service members can serve openly, why on earth would they in that kind of environment? "What gay...

Pentagon Plans a Rarity: No More Budget Increases

Gates says they won't be necessary by 2015

(Newser) - For the first time in more than a decade defined by costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon announced plans today to freeze its budget, forcing the military to shrink the Army and Marines and increase health care premiums for troops and their families. The Pentagon says it can...

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