Adm. Mike Mullen

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McChrystal Leaves White House Before Strategy Meeting

No word on his fate after 30-minute meeting with Obama

(Newser) - Stanley McChrystal left the White House after a 30-minute meeting with President Obama today—and didn’t return for the big strategy session that followed. There’s still no word on the general’s fate, or on how the meeting went— MSNBC says there’s “an almost complete lockdown...

McChrystal Recalled to DC After Article Slamming White House

General has some explaining to do after mocking, criticizing colleagues

(Newser) - The top US commander in Afghanistan has been summoned to Washington to explain his controversial comments about colleagues in a Rolling Stone interview, Obama administration officials said today. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who has issued an apology for the article—in which either he or his aides slammed Joe Biden, Richard...

Democrats Confront Pentagon on Afghan War

Violence is up, and so is lawmaker anxiety

(Newser) - A schism deepened yesterday between US war leaders and Congress as top Democrats challenged Pentagon assertions that progress is picking up in Afghanistan. "I wouldn't call it eroding," Carl Levin said of support for the war. "But there's a lot of fair concern." That was especially...

Obama Embraces Sestak
 Obama Embraces Sestak 
May 20, 2010 10:15 AM CDT

Obama Embraces Sestak

Meet the man who beat Arlen Specter

(Newser) - Barack Obama was lined up against Joe Sestak until Tuesday, as was much of the Democratic establishment, but, well, that was Tuesday and this is now. The president called the Pennsylvania rep yesterday to congratulate him on beating Arlen Specter, and promised him his full support—including campaigning on his...

Pentagon: Repealing 'Don't Ask' Is About 'Integrity'

Gates, Mullen tell senators the year-long process has begun

(Newser) - Rolling back Don't Ask, Don't Tell boils down to a simple matter of "integrity," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senators today. Adm. Mike Mullen and defense secretary Robert Gates took to Capitol Hill to provide details on how the Pentagon is beginning a year-long...

Military to Ease Off on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Gays outed by third parties won't be prosecuted

(Newser) - The military will no longer aggressively pursue disciplinary action against gay service members who are outed by a third party, the Pentagon will announce today. Under the new policy, gay personnel would face discharge only if they go public themselves on their sexual orientation. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm....

Pentagon Starts Clock on Lifting Gay Ban

First step is review of how repeal would affect troops

(Newser) - The Defense Department will next week start the process of repealing the ban on gay people serving openly in the military—a process expected to last years, reports the AP. A special investigation into how the ban can be lifted without hurting morale or readiness of the troops is expected...

Pentagon Lawyer: Delay Dropping 'Don't Ask'

'Now is not the time," warns Adm. Mullen's counsel

(Newser) - The in-house lawyer for Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has urged him to delay moving towards dropping the military's ban on having serving gays serve openly. "Now is not the time," the lawyer wrote in a memo obtained by the AP , citing the...

White House Piles on Rummy Over Afghan Troop Gripe

'You go to war with the defense sec you have'

(Newser) - Donald Rumsfeld would prefer President Obama not disparage the previous administration by suggesting it ignored troop requests by US commanders in Afghanistan, as he did in Tuesday’s speech. That’s a “bald misstatement,” the former defense secretary says in a statement. “At least as it pertains...

Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase
 Top Obama Advisers 
 Push 30K Troop Increase 
Afghan rethink
Nov 11, 2009 7:45 AM CST

Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase

President, war council, weigh Afghan troop options today

(Newser) - As President Obama heads into a meeting with his national security team today, one of the four options on the table for increasing troop levels in Afghanistan has emerged as a favorite of his top advisers. Hillary Clinton, Mike Mullen, and Robert Gates all favor a plan to send about...

Pentagon Holds Secret Afghan War Games

Mullen leads exercise to assess effects of troop surge

(Newser) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, led a secret war game earlier this month to assess the Obama administration's options in Afghanistan, including a 44,000-troop surge. A team of military leaders used Gen. Stanley McChrystal's analysis to examine how Taliban insurgents and the Afghan...

Joint Chiefs Chair: Afghan War Needs More Troops

(Newser) - The drumbeat for more US troops in Afghanistan goes on: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senators today that a "properly resourced counter-insurgency probably means more forces." Adm. Mike Mullen said he hasn't yet received a formal request from Gen. Stanley McChrystal but expects one...

Time to Quit Afghanistan
 Time to Quit Afghanistan 
OPINION
Sep 1, 2009 2:15 AM CDT

Time to Quit Afghanistan

Nation-building in one of the world's weakest states is a lost cause

(Newser) - America needs to abandon its idea of nation-building in Afghanistan before the lives of yet more troops are squandered trying to establish an effective central government in a country that has never had one, George F. Will warns in the Washington Post. Even with America's troop-intensive efforts, experts say Kabul...

US Commanders: We Need More Troops in Afghanistan

(Newser) - American military officials leading the NATO mission in Afghanistan told the Obama administration they need more troops to do their job, compounding Washington's headaches in the wake of an allegedly fraudulent presidential election. Support for the Afghan war is diving among Americans, and several US senators said this weekend that...

Mullen: Afghan Security 'Serious,' 'Disintegrating'

Arizona sen. says he warned Qaddafi and that Senate feels Kennedy's absence

(Newser) - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs today acknowledged waning public support for the war in Afghanistan, but cautioned that the threat of extremist takeover is real, reports Politico. The security situation is "pretty bad right now and getting worse," Adm. Mike Mullen told NBC's Meet the Press. With...

US Military Review Calls for Afghan Prison Changes

(Newser) - Afghanistan’s prison system, including the American-run Bagram facility, needs a complete overhaul, according to a new US military review. The current system, which has a dreadful reputation with both human rights advocates and Afghan civilians, houses radical inmates with more moderate prisoners. The offensive in the southern part of...

Obama Vows to Veto His Own Defense Bill Over F-22s

Congress tries to tack on $1.75B for planes

(Newser) - Barack Obama has found himself in the odd position of threatening to veto his own defense spending bill, after senators tacked on a last-minute amendment to spend $1.75 billion on seven F-22 fighter jets, Fox News reports. The jets are outdated, costly to fly, require frequent maintenance, and have...

Gates Seeks to Make 'Don't Ask' More Humane

Military may not boot gays outed by jilted lovers, blackmailers

(Newser) - The Obama administration is looking for ways to get around the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law that forbids gays from serving openly in the military, CNN reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he is investigating ways to make the policy “more humane,” such as not...

Military's New Afghanistan Chief Gets Free Rein

Allowed to choose own team as Obama prioritizes effort

(Newser) - With Afghanistan a priority for the administration, officials have given the new US commander there free rein to select his team, the New York Times reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s job “is that important. Afghanistan is the main effort right now,” said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs....

Obama Looks to Curb Mexican Drug Violence

President powwows with envoy, may offer US military support

(Newser) - President Obama met yesterday with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen, recently returned from Mexico City, with an eye toward offering US military and intelligence support to Mexican forces as they battle a tidal wave in drug-related violence, CNN reports. The meeting followed reports of new bloodshed: A US...

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