US military

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Ex-Marines Sold Weapons to Gangs: Cops

LA trio arrested in ATF sting

(Newser) - Federal authorities have arrested three ex-Marines accused of selling assault weapons to Los Angeles gangs. The trio were arrested, along two other people, after the alleged ringleader sold two crates of weapons to a federal informant he believed was a gang member, authorities say. Police sources tell the Los Angeles ...

Navy SEAL Accused of Smuggling Guns From Iraq

He reportedly brought them home and sold them on black market

(Newser) - The spoils of war, apparently: A Navy SEAL is accused of smuggling 80 machine guns and other firearms into the US from Iraq and Afghanistan, then selling them on the black market with two civilian buddies. All three have been arrested after a 5-month federal sting. Cops say Nicholas Bickle...

Appeals Court Extends Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Policy to stay in place while government appeals

(Newser) - The law barring gay men and women from serving openly in the military will remain in place until at least next spring, a federal appeals court has decided. The three-judge panel voted 2-1 in favor of continuing to block a decision from a lower court which banned the Pentagon from...

Glitch Boots 50 Nukes Offline
 Glitch Boots 50 Nukes Offline 
Oct 27, 2010 3:03 AM CDT

Glitch Boots 50 Nukes Offline

Commanders unable to communicate with ninth of arsenal for nerve-wracking hour

(Newser) - A hardware glitch knocked 50 nuclear missiles—a ninth of America's land-based arsenal—offline for nearly an hour over the weekend. Commanders at an Air Force base in Wyoming found themselves unable to communicate with the missiles as engineers scrambled to find out what the problem was, the Atlantic reports....

US Military a Better Place Than Disney to Work

But Google's still the best boss, survey finds

(Newser) - The US military may seem like grim duty, but it's actually a relatively nice place to work, a new survey found. In fact, members of all four branches of the Armed Forces and the National Guard were happier than employees of Disney, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson. “Despite challenges...

'Big Reveal' May Be US Turning Blind Eye to Torture
'Big Reveal'
May Be US Turning Blind Eye to Torture
wikileaks files
Oct 22, 2010 7:30 PM CDT

'Big Reveal' May Be US Turning Blind Eye to Torture

Iraqi forces allowed to abuse detainees

(Newser) - It's still early, but it looks like the "big reveal" out the new WikiLeaks dump will revolve around the routine torture of detainees by Iraqi forces while the US did nothing to stop it, writes Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic . The US inaction can be blamed on something known...

Military Recruiters Accepting Gay Applicants

Pentagon orders move while legal case proceeds

(Newser) - The military is accepting openly gay recruits for the first time in the nation's history, even as it tries in the courts to slow the movement to abolish its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. A Pentagon spokeswoman said recruiters had been given top-level guidance to accept applicants who say...

Britain to Scrap Aircraft Carrier Jets

British Navy will host French, US planes on carriers

(Newser) - The British Navy will effectively abandon jet units on aircraft carriers as part of cutbacks at the Defense Ministry, the Telegraph reports. The cuts mandate that British aircraft carriers use French and US jets outsourced to fly missions for the Royal Navy. Though two new aircraft carriers are in production,...

1 in 4 Applicants Too Fat to Be in the Army Now

Standards aren't that extreme, either

(Newser) - US military recruiters have a big fat problem: "Almost one in four applicants to the military are rejected for being overweight," says a Cornell researcher. Some 6 million men and 17 million women were rejected as too porky for combat between 2007 and 2008, reports LiveScience. It's the...

Rogue Soldiers Had Little Supervision in Afghanistan

Superiors ignored warning signs

(Newser) - As the legal case proceeds against US soldiers accused of murdering Afghan civilians for kicks, it's beginning to become clear they had little supervision at their remote outpost, the New York Times reports. Interviews and legal documents paint a picture of rampant drug use in the 30-man platoon, and of...

Afghan Warlords, Insurgents Hired to Guard US Bases

Senate panel says lack of oversight creating 'grave risks' for US troops

(Newser) - American contractors in Afghanistan have hired security forces with links to the Taliban, warlords, and even Iranian intelligence services to guard US bases in Afghanistan, according to a Senate Armed Services Committee report. The report found that "systemic failures" exist in the Pentagon's oversight of Afghan guards and that...

US Military Ditching Fuel for Solar Energy

First portable solar panels arrive in Afghanistan

(Newser) - The US military may be an unlikely poster child for green energy, but with its fuel supply convoys increasingly under attack in Afghanistan, it's working hard to ditch its dependence on fossil fuels—and source its energy from the sun. Last week saw the arrival of portable solar panels and...

CIA Secretly Ramps Up Drone Hits on Pakistan

Two US strikes reportedly kill 18 today

(Newser) - A Reuters report that two US drone strikes killed 18 people in Pakistan today could become a common refrain: The CIA has significantly increased its drone attacks in the country over the last month, thanks to a secret diversion of weapons from the US military in Afghanistan, according to the...

Video Game Scraps Option to Play as 'Taliban'

Electronic Arts removes choice from 'Medal of Honor' sequel

(Newser) - Following protests and boycotts of its upcoming Medal of Honor video game sequel, Electronic Arts will remove the ability to play as a member of the Taliban. The rival team in the game's multiplayer mode will be renamed from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force" before the Oct. 12 release,...

Gates Challenges Elite Students to Join Military

Defense chief: 'Instead of J Crew, they wear body armor'

(Newser) - Defense chief Robert Gates wants students from prestigious universities to join the military, arguing that more of the country's "best and brightest" need to step up. In a speech to Duke University students, Gates praised those who do choose to serve, reports Politico . “Instead of wearing J. Crew,...

$2B Attack Subs Cheapened by Chintzy Coating

It peels away underwater, leaving nuclear submarines not-so-stealthy

(Newser) - Cost-cutting by the Navy and two defense contractors has led to a serious problem for the elite Virginia-class nuclear submarine, reports the Daily Press of Newport News, Va. A hull treatment designed to increase the subs' stealth tends to peel away underwater—and the lack of protective coating makes the...

White House Calls on Court to Keep 'Don't Ask'

Military-wide injunction 'untenable,' government argues

(Newser) - The Obama administration says it's still committed to repealing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gay service members, but it doesn't want a judge to immediately halt the program. A federal judge in California declared the policy unconstitutional earlier this month, and the Justice Department has filed...

British Budget Cuts Threaten to Weaken Our No. 1 Military Ally

Pullback could severely limit their ability to man joint operations

(Newser) - The Brits are about to make "brutal" cuts in their military budget, slashing as much as 20% and leaving US military experts to wonder if America's most reliable ally in combat operations will be substantially weakened. The British say the cuts won't undermine their troop commitment in Afghanistan over...

GOP Blocks Bill to Lift Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Democrats can't get 60 votes to end filibuster

(Newser) - Senate Republicans have blocked an effort to repeal the law banning gays from serving openly in the military. Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The move likely will push consideration of the measure into next year, when prospects for...

3 Shot on Army Base
 3 Shot on Army Base 
Sep 21, 2010 5:19 AM CDT

3 Shot on Army Base

Man killed after opening fire at a Fort Bliss convenience store

(Newser) - A man was shot and killed by law enforcement officers at Fort Bliss after he opened fire at a convenience store on the base and injured two women, authorities say. The FBI is sending a team to investigate the shooting at the base, which straddles the Texas-New Mexico border, CNN...

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