US military

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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...

Don't Believe the Hype: Afghanistan's Fixable

US position in the country far different from previous foreign powers'

(Newser) - We hear plenty of doom and gloom about Afghanistan, the so-called “graveyard of empires” that defeated the Brits way back when and kicked out the Soviets in 1989. But the naysayers are forgetting all that’s working in favor of the US, writes Peter Bergen in the New York ...

Navy Award for Murtha Sparks Marine Furor

40K sign petition against rep who cried murder in Haditha

(Newser) - Sailors and Marines are up in arms over a Navy commendation to Rep. John Murtha, who has accused servicemen of murdering Iraqi civilians, the Navy Times reports. Outgoing Navy Secretary Donald Winter awarded Murtha the Distinguished Public Service Award earlier this month for his work on a House subcommittee. The...

Main Threat to Obama's Afghan Plan: Obama's Afghan Plan

Middle-ground strategy on militants not realistic

(Newser) - President Obama could be undermining his own strategy to combat militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, David Cloud writes for Politico. The strategy—increase the number of US troops but also draw greater support from allies—“keeps the US committed but not too committed,” says Cloud, questioning if the...

Obama Rolls Out Afghan Plan: 'Al-Qaeda Must Be Stopped'

(Newser) - President Obama laid out the government's new strategy for Afghanistan today, declaring that the US must “disrupt, defeat, and dismantle” al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Obama will send another 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, on top of the 17,000 already approved. He also announced plans to work with regional...

Brooks: We Can Win in Afghanistan
 Brooks: 
 We Can Win in Afghanistan 
OPINION
Mar 27, 2009 7:57 AM CDT

Brooks: We Can Win in Afghanistan

(Newser) - David Brooks has always been skeptical of our efforts in Afghanistan, “one of the poorest, least-educated and most-corrupt nations on earth,” and his recent six-day tour of the country reinforced "every element" of his skepticism. But the columnist also emerged “infected by the optimism of the...

Sudan Accuses US of Strike
 Sudan Accuses US of Strike  
Mar 26, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

Sudan Accuses US of Strike

(Newser) - Sudan is now blaming "American fighters" for an airstrike on a convoy of trucks in the desert, the New York Times reports. The US denies the charges. Sudan's accusation follows earlier reports that Israel conducted the January airstrike to prevent a weapons delivery to Gaza. A Sudanese official's statement...

US Afghan Plan: 4K More Troops, Help From Iran

(Newser) - When President Obama unveils his strategy for Afghanistan tomorrow, he will for the first time ask Iran to help bring peace to the region, Marc Ambinder writes for the Atlantic. Obama may not mention Iran by name, but he will ask neighboring nations to form a group to mediate disputes...

Post 9/11, Highest Military Honor Grows Scarce

The highest military award has gone to only five—and all posthumously

(Newser) - The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have produced only five recipients of the Medal of Honor, all of whom died as a result of their heroism, the Military Times reports. Pentagon stinginess with the highest military honor in the post-9/11 era frustrates service members who say a politicized, stringent, and...

US Takes Charge in Afghanistan
 US Takes Charge in Afghanistan 
Mar 26, 2009 9:32 AM CDT

US Takes Charge in Afghanistan

With troop increase, US resources in country tower over NATO's

(Newser) - As President Obama sends 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan—making American service members two-thirds of the foreign force there—the US is taking a firmer grip on the country’s reins, the Washington Post reports. America’s civilian presence in the country is also growing by at least half,...

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