US military

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Pentagon Will Fill Civilian Jobs in Afghanistan

Reservists to fill up to 300 positions intended for nonmilitary experts

(Newser) - The Obama administration is being forced to fill hundreds of new positions designed for civilian experts in Afghanistan with military personnel, mostly reservists, reports the New York Times. The shortfall results from insufficient funds to hire and train nonmilitary people for work in combat zones, and the fact that agencies...

Cyberspies Steal Pentagon's Jet-Fighter Plans

Hackers, possibly Chinese, download specs for Joint Strike Fighter

(Newser) - Cyberspies believed to be working from China repeatedly penetrated the computers of one of the Pentagon's most important weapons programs, reports the Wall Street Journal. Hackers broke into the system for the Joint Strike Fighter Project—the Defense Department's most expensive program ever at $300 billion—and downloaded several terabytes...

Army May Not Want You So Bad After All

Jobless rate drives surge in applicants

(Newser) - Rising unemployment and safer conditions in Iraq have boosted interest in joining the Army, allowing recruiters to raise acceptance standards. The Washington Post reports that felons and recent drug users need not apply, and the pool of applicants also is better educated. For the first time since 2004, the Army...

Let's Help Vets Avoid Extremist Urge
 Let's Help Vets 
 Avoid Extremist Urge 
OPINION
Apr 18, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Let's Help Vets Avoid Extremist Urge

(Newser) - The recent Homeland Security report detailing right-wing extremist recruitment of veterans is “true, true, true,” Charles M. Blow writes in the New York Times. But “conservatives reacted by throwing a knee-jerk hissy fit,” suggesting that vets “were being vilified by a partisan document.” Instead...

Pentagon Targets Taliban Radio
 Pentagon Targets Taliban Radio 
Apr 18, 2009 6:00 AM CDT

Pentagon Targets Taliban Radio

Extremist websites, radio stations to be jammed as part of new strategy

(Newser) - Forcing Radio Taliban off the air is a key part of the Pentagon's new Afghanistan strategy, the Wall Street Journal reports. Military communications experts are working to jam the websites and unlicensed radio stations extremists in Afghanistan in Pakistan use to proclaim their power, intimidate residents, plan attacks, and broadcast...

Army Holds Up Lighter Armor for Soldiers in Afghanistan

(Newser) - In a sign of the Army’s careful—some say plodding—procurement process, $3 million in lightweight body armor destined for Afghanistan is still stateside pending a widened assessment, the New York Times reports. The armor would shave 20 pounds off the punishing load—up to 130 pounds—some soldiers...

Napolitano Apologizes to Vets for Report

DHS had painted soldiers as prone to right-wing extremism

(Newser) - Janet Napolitano apologized today for language in a recent Homeland Security report suggesting that veterans were more likely to be wooed by far-right extremist groups, CNN reports. “The return of military veterans facing significant challenges,” said the report evaluating domestic threats, “could lead to the potential emergence...

Captain, Family Laud Military 'Heroes'

Colleagues and friends praise Phillips' high-stakes performance

(Newser) - Richard Phillips has been hailed a hero, but the rescued captain is downplaying his own role and praising his military saviors, reports the Boston Globe. "I'm just a small part in this. The real heroes in this story are the US military. They are the most dedicated, professional, and...

Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates
 Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates 
Apr 13, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates

Use of force could deter further attacks: Pentagon

(Newser) - President Obama pledged to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of Africa as he praised the military's successful attempt to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips. "I'm very proud of the efforts of the US military," the president said in his first public remarks on the five-day...

US Military May Strike Pirates on Land

In Jefferson's time, US hit land bases

(Newser) - One way for the US to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden is to cut it off at the source, targeting Somali pirate land bases. Coupled with economic and food aid for Somalia’s citizens, this plan is the only “silver-bullet solution,” an analyst tells Bloomberg. Such...

General: Al-Qaeda Threatens Iraq Withdrawal Deadline

Troops may stay in Mosul, Baqubah beyond June 30

(Newser) - The US may have to ignore the June 30 deadline for US troops to pull out of Iraqi cities if al-Qaeda is to be defeated, America's top commander in Iraq tells the Times of London. Gen. Ray Odierno believes the military can stick to most of the withdrawal timetable, but...

Critics Beef About Pig Explosions in US Army Tests

Campaigners question need to test body armor by blowing up pigs in Humvees

(Newser) - Animal rights activists have condemned the US military for blowing up live pigs to test body armor, USA Today reports. Military officials say the tests provided valuable information on the relationship between body armor and brain injury. But critics say the pig-blasting program caused unnecessary animal suffering for questionable results....

Israel Tests Missile Defense Aimed at Iran

(Newser) - Israel today performed a successful test of a missile-defense system the country said could defend against any munition in Iran’s arsenal, the Jerusalem Post reports. The Arrow 2, a US-Israel collaboration, was paired with its radar system for the first time and took down a missile masquerading as an...

Contractors Targeted in Pentagon Cuts

Gates aims to have procurement staff employed directly by Pentagon

(Newser) - The Pentagon's new budget proposal cuts the role of private contractors by a third—back to pre-9/11 levels—the Washington Post reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to replace tens of thousands of contracted workers with people employed directly by the Pentagon, especially among the vast workforce tasked with buying...

Press Allowed to Witness Return of Dead Service Member

Afghanistan casualty's return first to be covered since end of 18-year-old ban

(Newser) - The press was allowed to cover the return of a fallen US soldier last night for the first time since President Obama lifted an 18-year-old ban, the Washington Post reports. The family of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers, who was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan Saturday, gave permission...

IED Casualties in Afghanistan Soaring

75% of coalition deaths result from roadside explosives

(Newser) - Improvised roadside bombs caused 75% of all casualties among coalition forces in Afghanistan in the first two months of this year, up from 50% two years ago, reports USA Today. The rate of casualties from IEDs is also higher than at any time in Iraq, calling for urgent pleas for...

Smaller, Fiercer Insurgency Has Iraq Worried

(Newser) - As the US military prepares to withdraw from Iraq's cities, security officials in both countries have observed that a smaller but more lethal insurgency seems to be gaining ground. Several recent bombings, believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaeda in Iraq, have killed 123 people in Baghdad and elsewhere, while members...

Netanyahu to US: We'll Stop Iran if You Don't

(Newser) - Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu comes out swinging against a nuclear Iran in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, warning that if the US doesn’t stop the country, Israel will. “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs,” he said. “When the...

Cheney Ran Secret Hit Squad: Hersh

(Newser) - The Bush administration ran a secret team authorized to assassinate foreign targets without being accountable to Congress, says New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh. On CNN's Situation Room, he said the hit squad could go "into a country without telling the CIA station chief or the ambassador and whack someone....

US Soldier Pleads Guilty to Iraqi Murders

Sergeant gets 35 years for his role in the killing of 4 prisoners

(Newser) - US Army Sgt. Joseph Mayo pleaded guilty today to the murder of four Iraqi prisoners, the Washington Post reports. The 27-year-old was sentenced to 35 years for participating in the execution-style slaying of four men his infantry unit thought had attacked US military patrols in Baghdad. The prisoners had been...

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