US military

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Obama: 'Time to Focus on Nation-Building' at Home

33K 'surge' troops will be home by next summer

(Newser) - President Obama outlined his Afghanistan strategy in a prime-time address tonight, with no late surprises on the numbers: As expected , the US will bring home 10,000 troops by the end of 2011 and rest of the "surge" force (about 23,000 troops) by the end of next summer,...

Obama to Bring Home 30K Troops by End of 2012
Obama to Bring Home 30K Troops by Fall of 2012
speech preview
Jun 22, 2011 3:42 PM CDT

Obama to Bring Home 30K Troops by Fall of 2012

That's faster than the military would like in Afghanistan

(Newser) - A few hours ahead of President Obama's prime-time address on Afghanistan, administration officials are leaking some main points to the AP , Washington Post , and the New York Times :
  • Obama will bring home 10,000 troops this year and another 20,000 or so by the end of next summer.
...

Obama to Pull 10K Troops From Afghanistan

Officials say that's the number he's settled on for 2011

(Newser) - President Obama will outline his plans for starting to get American troops out of Afghanistan in a speech to the nation tomorrow night, and officials tell the Los Angeles Times that the magic number for 2011 will be 10,000. That's more than what many were hoping to hear:...

Military at Work on Bug-Sized Drones

'Spy flies' expected by 2030 as drones take ever-bigger war role

(Newser) - Predators are just the beginning: The US military is building drones of all shapes, imitating bugs and birds not only in flight techniques but also in tiny size. An Ohio Air Force base has a flight lab known as the “microaviary,” where experts study “how you hide...

Pig Bladder Hormone Allows Vet to Re-Grow Leg Muscles

Right thigh muscles regenerated after experimental treatment

(Newser) - Marine Isaias Hernandez lost 70% of the muscles in his right thigh in a mortar explosion in Afghanistan. Such extreme damage usually requires that the leg be amputated. Not in Hernandez's case. Instead, he was injected with a growth hormone that comes from pig bladders—and his leg muscle...

Afghan 'Allies' Increasingly Killing US Troops

Military report sees killings as a 'systemic threat'

(Newser) - Afghan troops are killing US troops in numbers that “may be unprecedented between 'allies' in modern history,” according to a new classified military report that warns the killings are becoming a “rapidly growing systemic threat” that could undermine the war effort. Based on interviews with 600...

Pentagon: Wait Til Fall 2012 to End Afghanistan Surge

Military pushes for slow withdrawal as Obama weighs next move

(Newser) - The military has called on President Obama to keep the Afghanistan troop surge in place until the fall of next year, ensuring that many of the 33,000 extra troops remain in the country for the next two fighting seasons, when the weather is warm. The military wants to avoid...

US Should Copy Model of Its &#39;Lefty&#39; Military
US Should Copy Model
of Its 'Lefty' Military
nicholas kristof
Jun 16, 2011 12:04 PM CDT

US Should Copy Model of Its 'Lefty' Military

It stresses people, education, and income equality: Nicholas Kristof

(Newser) - America is desperate to find ways out of its funk, and Nicholas Kristof thinks it would do well to copy a liberal-sounding model from an unlikely place—the US military. "The United States armed forces knit together whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics from diverse backgrounds, invests in their education...

US Stepping Up Covert War in Yemen

Airstrikes target militants as Yemeni troops return to capital

(Newser) - Chalk up yet another growing battle for America. The US has intensified its covert war against Islamic militants in Yemen during the nation's recent weeks of turmoil. Airstrikes and drone attacks have targeted al-Qaeda militants as Yemeni troops withdraw to the capital, officials tell the New York Times . American...

Delta Backs Down On Soldiers' Baggage Fees

Policy changed after returning troops stung with excess charges

(Newser) - Delta, facing a firestorm of bad publicity after hitting soldiers returning from Afghanistan with excess baggage charges , is changing its policy on military baggage. Military personnel traveling on orders will now be able to check four bags free of charge, according to the airline's blog . A YouTube video of...

Delta Stings Returning Soldiers for Baggage Fees

Troops returning from Afghanistan told to pay up

(Newser) - A unit of soldiers on their way home had to shell out nearly $3000 of their own money in excess baggage fees to Delta Airlines. The troops, whose orders stated that they could check in up to four bags free of charge, had to pay $200 for every fourth bag...

Half Military Now Trained on DADT Repeal

And it's going quietly

(Newser) - More than a million troops have now been trained on the law allowing gays to serve openly and military officials say that with around half the force now trained, the turmoil some had predicted is nowhere to be seen. "So far this seems to be a non-event," the...

Five US Troops Killed in Iraq Rocket Attack
 5 US Troops Killed in Iraq 
Jun 6, 2011 7:21 AM CDT

5 US Troops Killed in Iraq

Largest loss of life for American military in Iraq in past two years

(Newser) - Five American troops have been killed in an Iraq rocket attack, according to Iraqi security officials. Three or more rockets hit an Iraqi base in Baghdad this morning where the troops were living as advisers, they say. The US military had earlier acknowledged five troops were killed but offered no...

Army Testing Smartphones in Combat

Off-the-shelf consumer electronics proving durable in field

(Newser) - Want to fight a war? There are some 85 apps for that being developed by the Army as it seeks to adapt off-the-shelf smartphones and tablet computers for use in combat. The Army is beginning desert trials of the iPhones and other devices next week, stress-testing a wide variety of...

US Troops Mark Memorial Day in Iraq, Afghanistan

Soldiers honor fallen comrades

(Newser) - US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan remembered their fallen comrades in Memorial Day services nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that sparked the Afghanistan war. In that country, dawn flag-raising ceremonies honored the more than 1,400 who have been killed, the AP reports. "We...

Gen. Martin Dempsey Expected to Be Named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Monday
 Meet the New 
 Joint Chiefs 
 Chairman 
and he sings, too
May 28, 2011 6:29 PM CDT

Meet the New Joint Chiefs Chairman

Obama expected to name Army Gen. Martin Dempsey

(Newser) - The White House is putting out the unofficial word today to the big news outlets that the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be Army Gen. Martin Dempsey. Currently the Army's top general, he is known not only for his military skills but for his political...

Barbara Boxer: It's Time to Set an End Date for Our Mission in Afghanistan
 Let's Get Out of Afghanistan 
Barbara Boxer
May 27, 2011 1:18 PM CDT

Let's Get Out of Afghanistan

Barbara Boxer: With bin Laden dead, it's time to set an end date

(Newser) - Barbara Boxer rounds up some facts and figures related to the Afghanistan war: Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda looks to be crippled in the country, more than 1,500 Americans have been killed, and we're spending $10 billion a month on a seemingly never-ending war effort. Easy to...

US Told to Cut Military Presence in Pakistan

Former president labels Osama raid 'act of war'

(Newser) - Amid rising distrust since the killing of Osama bin Laden, Pakistan has told the US to reduce the number of military trainers it has in the country. A Pentagon spokesman has confirmed that the number of US personnel in Pakistan is being halved at the request of Islamabad, Reuters reports....

Military Chaplains: Protect Anti-Gay Speech

Don't punish troops after DADT is lifted for speaking minds: Letter

(Newser) - Military chaplains are concerned troops could be punished for expressing objections to homosexuality once the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is lifted. Leaders of 21 religious groups that provide chaplains to the US military sent a letter yesterday to the chiefs of chaplains of the Navy, Army,...

Troops' Morale Drops in Afghanistan

Stress levels rise as fighting intensifies

(Newser) - As fighting and casualties in Afghanistan's war reached an all-time high, US soldiers and Marines there reported plunging morale and the highest rates of mental health problems in five years. Only 46.5% of soldiers said their morale was medium, high, or very high last year, compared with 65....

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