US military

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US May Double Forces in Afghanistan to 60K

(Newser) - The US could double the number of its troops in Afghanistan to about 60,000 by next summer, the highest such estimate to date, Reuters reports. American troops currently number 31,000, but joint chiefs chairman Mike Mullen said today that an additional 20,000 to 30,000 will be...

DC Ups Defenses for Inauguration

No specific threat, says general in detailing January plans

(Newser) - The Pentagon plans a dramatic expansion of the military presence in Washington to coincide with Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the Los Angeles Times reports. About 4,000 National Guardsmen and 7,500 active-duty troops will augment local police and security forces, while air patrols will be increased. No...

Pentagon Closer to Air Laser Wars

(Newser) - Barack Obama's transition team is studying the Pentagon's first test of a plane firing a laser weapon, and may nix the $4.3 billion project—but the US military is still nearing its dream of laser warfare, New Scientist Tech reports. The Airborne Laser, once touted as defensive, could easily...

Bush Makes Surprise Farewell Stop in Baghdad

Will meet leaders, thank troops in mission's 'endgame'

(Newser) - President Bush has arrived in Baghdad on a surprise farewell trip, the BBC reports. A day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the US mission in Iraq is in its “endgame,” Bush met with President Jalal Talabani; he’ll meet with other "leaders, thank the troops, and...

Gates: Don't 'Test' Obama
 Gates: Don't 'Test' Obama 
Dec 13, 2008 12:26 PM CST

Gates: Don't 'Test' Obama

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates assured the world today that there would be continuity between the administrations of George Bush and Barack Obama, and that anyone who thought otherwise “would be sorely mistaken,” the BBC reports. Gates, who will be staying on in the Obama Cabinet, told an audience...

Fighter Jet Crashes in San Diego Neighborhood

Two crew members ejected; no reports of injuries on ground

(Newser) - A fighter jet returning from a training mission caught fire and crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego today, the Union-Tribune reports. Both crew members ejected safely before the F/A-18 barreled into a home on the ground. At least one house is on fire, but no injuries on the...

Pearl Harbor Events Short on Survivors

Few remain to mark 67th anniversary of attack

(Newser) - Death and illness have trimmed the ranks of Pearl Harbor survivors appearing at ceremonies today, the Boston Globe reports. Only one survivor was expected at a ceremony in Boston, and organizers nationwide said many groups have seen their last commemoration. Of the 60,000 military members stationed at Pearl Harbor...

US Focus in Afghanistan Shifts to Kabul

Some 3,500 troops will guard capital region

(Newser) - January’s US troop deployments in Afghanistan will focus on areas near Kabul, reflecting rising security concerns about the capital, the New York Times reports. The move marks the first time large numbers of troops will be deployed to regions south of the city. The 3,500 to 4,000...

Council Gives Iraq Security Deal Final Approval

Two bombings claim lives of Iraqi civilians, US troops

(Newser) - Iraq's presidential council today approved the security pact that lays out a 3-year timeframe for US troops to leave— the final step for the agreement to replace a UN mandate that expires Dec. 31, the AP reports. As the final legal hurdle to the deal was cleared, American soldiers and...

US Combat Deaths Hit 5-Year Low
US Combat Deaths Hit 5-Year Low
Dec 4, 2008 6:16 AM CST

US Combat Deaths Hit 5-Year Low

Military hails Iraq improvement; warns of trouble in Afghanistan

(Newser) - American combat deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq fell to their lowest level last month since the US began fighting two wars, USA Today reports. Combat claimed 11 lives, and 7 others perished in non-combat incidents. Commanders credited major security improvements in Iraq for statistics there, but warned that the situation...

Halliburton, KBR Sued for Sickening Iraq Troops

Suit charges contractors supplied spoiled food, contaminated water

(Newser) - A lawsuit filed against Halliburton and KBR accuses the military contractors of exposing troops and civilian workers on a US base in Iraq to spoiled food, contaminated water, and toxic fumes from a burn pit, the Military Times reports. The lead plaintiff in the suit said he still has nightmares...

Foreign Workers Held in Iraq
Foreign
Workers
Held in Iraq
Dec 3, 2008 7:34 PM CST

Foreign Workers Held in Iraq

Contractor kept 1,000 Asian laborers 3 months in warehouses

(Newser) - About 1,000 foreign workers brought to Iraq with the promise of lucrative jobs have been living for 3 months in Baghdad warehouses under poor sanitary conditions and in possible violation of US military rules, McClatchy reports. A Kuwaiti company that subcontracts with KBR, formerly Haliburton, brought the men from...

Army Deserter Seeks Asylum in Germany

AWOL soldier says Iraqi war violates international law

(Newser) - Specialist André Shepherd has become the first US military deserter to apply for political asylum in Germany, Der Spiegel reports. Shepherd, who disobeyed orders to redeploy to Iraq from Germany in the spring of 2007, argues in his petition that the Iraq war violates international law. "If I carried...

US Readies 20,000 Troops Against Homeland Threats

Critics fear executive-power growth in major shift

(Newser) - After years of planning, the military will have 20,000 troops stationed inside the US ready to handle domestic crises such as nuclear terrorism by 2011, the Washington Post reports. That’s almost seven times the number of domestic-response troops 5 years ago—a move that would have been “...

Bombings Kill 31 in Baghdad, Mosul

Suicide attacks rock police academy, US-Iraqi patrol

(Newser) - Suicide bombers struck today near a Baghdad police academy and in Mosul against a joint US-Iraqi patrol, together killing 31 people, Iraqi officials said. In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded outside the heavily fortified academy. Minutes later, a suicide attacker blew himself up as police rushed to respond to the...

Russian Cyberattack Hits US Central Command

Malware targeted combat systems

(Newser) - Defense Department computers have been hit by a computer virus from Russia, Los Angeles Times reports. Malware has infected large parts of the military system, including Central Command systems and computers used in Iraq and Afghanistan combat zones. The military scrambled to stop the infection and banned the use of...

Iraq Parliament Delays Vote on US Security Pact

Political bargaining forces postponement to tomorrow

(Newser) - Intense dealmaking among Iraq's political factions has delayed until tomorrow a parliamentary vote on the security pact that would allow American forces to stay in the country through 2011. The Shiite-led government is struggling to meet the demands of political blocs, including a large group of Sunni Arab lawmakers, seeking...

4-Star General Confesses to Post-Traumatic Stress

4-star general seeks PTS treatment, speaks out about it

(Newser) - The trauma associated with combat is a hushed topic among troops returned from Iraq—but a four-star general’s fight off the battlefield could help usher in a new attitude, USA Today reports. After witnessing the scene of a suicide bomb in an American mess hall at a base near...

Pakistanis Fear US May Be Out to Carve Up Nation

Many fear Yanks may be colluding with India

(Newser) - Pakistanis are fearful that the US is part of an India-Afghanistan plot to carve up the nation, writes Jane Perlez in the New York Times. Those worries have been fueled by a theoretical map drawn by US neoconservatives featuring a shrunken Pakistan and larger neighbors. “One of the biggest...

Pentagon Plans Afghan Surge of 20,000

Commanders say extra 20,000 troops will quell rising Taliban violence

(Newser) - US commanders are drawing up plans to send an extra 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months, Reuters reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the surge will help reverse the rising violence in the country and safeguard elections planned for next fall. Commanders say the...

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