US military

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US Sending Tanks to Afghanistan for First Time

The 68-ton machines have a main gun that can destroy a home a mile away

(Newser) - The US military is deploying a company of heavily armored tanks to Afghanistan for the first time in the nine-year war, in response to the ever-more intense opposition NATO is encountering from the Taliban. Marines in the southwest will get a batch of M1 Abrams tanks, which will allow them...

Military: Don't Use Facebook Places in War Zones

Commanders fear social media could reveal locations to the enemy

(Newser) - The Air Force is warning personnel that while geolocation features like Facebook Places or Foursquare may be a great way to let your buddies know where you're having lunch, you shouldn't use them in war zones. "Careless use of these services by airmen can have devastating operations security and...

Obama Honors a Hero: 'I Really Like This Guy'

Salvatore Giunta receives the Medal of Honor

(Newser) - The nation got a certified new hero today: staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, who became the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. In presenting it today, President Obama paused to go off script. "I really like this guy," he said to laughter and...

Let's Finally Shrink the 'Military Industrial Complex'
Let's Finally Shrink the
'Military Industrial Complex'
eugene robinson
Nov 16, 2010 12:45 PM CST

Let's Finally Shrink the 'Military Industrial Complex'

Eugene Robinson: Budget realities make it essential

(Newser) - Of all the controversial ideas in the Bowles-Simpson deficit-reduction plan, the "most welcome" is the one about slashing defense spending and at long last taming the infamous military industrial complex, writes Eugene Robinson. He lays the blame for out-of-control spending on Republicans, who talk a good game on small...

US Plans 2014 End to Afghan Combat

Phased withdrawal echoes Iraq exit strategy

(Newser) - The Obama administration has worked up a plan to complete the US combat mission in Afghanistan by 2014, gradually shifting security into the hands of Afghan troops, insiders tell the New York Times . The piecemeal strategy, which echoes the phased Iraq withdrawal, will be presented at a NATO meeting in...

Ex-Marines Sold Weapons to Gangs: Cops

LA trio arrested in ATF sting

(Newser) - Federal authorities have arrested three ex-Marines accused of selling assault weapons to Los Angeles gangs. The trio were arrested, along two other people, after the alleged ringleader sold two crates of weapons to a federal informant he believed was a gang member, authorities say. Police sources tell the Los Angeles ...

Navy SEAL Accused of Smuggling Guns From Iraq

He reportedly brought them home and sold them on black market

(Newser) - The spoils of war, apparently: A Navy SEAL is accused of smuggling 80 machine guns and other firearms into the US from Iraq and Afghanistan, then selling them on the black market with two civilian buddies. All three have been arrested after a 5-month federal sting. Cops say Nicholas Bickle...

Appeals Court Extends Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Policy to stay in place while government appeals

(Newser) - The law barring gay men and women from serving openly in the military will remain in place until at least next spring, a federal appeals court has decided. The three-judge panel voted 2-1 in favor of continuing to block a decision from a lower court which banned the Pentagon from...

Glitch Boots 50 Nukes Offline
 Glitch Boots 50 Nukes Offline 
Oct 27, 2010 3:03 AM CDT

Glitch Boots 50 Nukes Offline

Commanders unable to communicate with ninth of arsenal for nerve-wracking hour

(Newser) - A hardware glitch knocked 50 nuclear missiles—a ninth of America's land-based arsenal—offline for nearly an hour over the weekend. Commanders at an Air Force base in Wyoming found themselves unable to communicate with the missiles as engineers scrambled to find out what the problem was, the Atlantic reports....

US Military a Better Place Than Disney to Work

But Google's still the best boss, survey finds

(Newser) - The US military may seem like grim duty, but it's actually a relatively nice place to work, a new survey found. In fact, members of all four branches of the Armed Forces and the National Guard were happier than employees of Disney, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson. “Despite challenges...

'Big Reveal' May Be US Turning Blind Eye to Torture
'Big Reveal'
May Be US Turning Blind Eye to Torture
wikileaks files
Oct 22, 2010 7:30 PM CDT

'Big Reveal' May Be US Turning Blind Eye to Torture

Iraqi forces allowed to abuse detainees

(Newser) - It's still early, but it looks like the "big reveal" out the new WikiLeaks dump will revolve around the routine torture of detainees by Iraqi forces while the US did nothing to stop it, writes Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic . The US inaction can be blamed on something known...

Military Recruiters Accepting Gay Applicants

Pentagon orders move while legal case proceeds

(Newser) - The military is accepting openly gay recruits for the first time in the nation's history, even as it tries in the courts to slow the movement to abolish its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. A Pentagon spokeswoman said recruiters had been given top-level guidance to accept applicants who say...

Britain to Scrap Aircraft Carrier Jets

British Navy will host French, US planes on carriers

(Newser) - The British Navy will effectively abandon jet units on aircraft carriers as part of cutbacks at the Defense Ministry, the Telegraph reports. The cuts mandate that British aircraft carriers use French and US jets outsourced to fly missions for the Royal Navy. Though two new aircraft carriers are in production,...

1 in 4 Applicants Too Fat to Be in the Army Now

Standards aren't that extreme, either

(Newser) - US military recruiters have a big fat problem: "Almost one in four applicants to the military are rejected for being overweight," says a Cornell researcher. Some 6 million men and 17 million women were rejected as too porky for combat between 2007 and 2008, reports LiveScience. It's the...

Rogue Soldiers Had Little Supervision in Afghanistan

Superiors ignored warning signs

(Newser) - As the legal case proceeds against US soldiers accused of murdering Afghan civilians for kicks, it's beginning to become clear they had little supervision at their remote outpost, the New York Times reports. Interviews and legal documents paint a picture of rampant drug use in the 30-man platoon, and of...

Afghan Warlords, Insurgents Hired to Guard US Bases

Senate panel says lack of oversight creating 'grave risks' for US troops

(Newser) - American contractors in Afghanistan have hired security forces with links to the Taliban, warlords, and even Iranian intelligence services to guard US bases in Afghanistan, according to a Senate Armed Services Committee report. The report found that "systemic failures" exist in the Pentagon's oversight of Afghan guards and that...

US Military Ditching Fuel for Solar Energy

First portable solar panels arrive in Afghanistan

(Newser) - The US military may be an unlikely poster child for green energy, but with its fuel supply convoys increasingly under attack in Afghanistan, it's working hard to ditch its dependence on fossil fuels—and source its energy from the sun. Last week saw the arrival of portable solar panels and...

CIA Secretly Ramps Up Drone Hits on Pakistan

Two US strikes reportedly kill 18 today

(Newser) - A Reuters report that two US drone strikes killed 18 people in Pakistan today could become a common refrain: The CIA has significantly increased its drone attacks in the country over the last month, thanks to a secret diversion of weapons from the US military in Afghanistan, according to the...

Video Game Scraps Option to Play as 'Taliban'

Electronic Arts removes choice from 'Medal of Honor' sequel

(Newser) - Following protests and boycotts of its upcoming Medal of Honor video game sequel, Electronic Arts will remove the ability to play as a member of the Taliban. The rival team in the game's multiplayer mode will be renamed from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force" before the Oct. 12 release,...

Gates Challenges Elite Students to Join Military

Defense chief: 'Instead of J Crew, they wear body armor'

(Newser) - Defense chief Robert Gates wants students from prestigious universities to join the military, arguing that more of the country's "best and brightest" need to step up. In a speech to Duke University students, Gates praised those who do choose to serve, reports Politico . “Instead of wearing J. Crew,...

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