Pentagon

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UN Torture Watchdog: I Want to See Manning

Pentagon is blocking unmonitored visit, official complains

(Newser) - The United Nations' torture watchdog is accusing the US of stonewalling him in his attempts to visit suspected WikiLeaker Bradley Manning. "I am deeply disappointed and frustrated by the prevarication of the US government with regard to my attempts to visit Mr. Manning," said UN official Juan Mendez....

US Price Tag for Week 1 of Libya Mission: $600M

But money has all come from Pentagon's existing budget

(Newser) - Week one of the United States' intervention in Libya has cost us at least $600 million, according to new data from the Pentagon. That figure includes $268.8 million worth of Tomahawk cruise missiles, tens of thousands of dollars worth of precision guided bombs, and more than $60 million to...

US Costs in Libya Hit 'Hundreds of Millions' Quickly

Those Tomahawks are at least $1 million apiece

(Newser) - So how much does the Libya intervention cost? The AP tries to nail down some specifics:
  • The US fired about 160 Tomahawk missiles, and those cost somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million apiece.
  • B-2 bombers flying round-trip from Missouri have logged 25 hours of flying time, with the
...

Why It's Called 'Odyssey Dawn'

The answer is ... kind of dull

(Newser) - What does the name “Odyssey Dawn” have to do with the military operations in Libya? Actually, not a thing, reports the Washington Post . “The goal is to create a name that has absolutely nothing to do with the activity of the region, so you could walk down the...

US Drones Quietly Spy on Mexico Drug Lords

Flights kept hush-hush because they're probably illegal

(Newser) - The Obama administration has begun sending high-altitude spy drones deep into Mexican territory to keep an eye on the movements of drug traffickers, the New York Times reports. The information is intended to be shared with Mexican law enforcement, and Felipe Calderón formally agreed to the flights in his...

Gates: After 2014, US Should Stay Involved in Afghanistan

Officials agree on engagement beyond deadline, says defense secretary

(Newser) - Both the US and Afghanistan agree that the US military should maintain its involvement with Afghanistan past 2014 by continuing to train and advise Afghan troops, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we're...

Pentagon Investigates Psy-Ops Allegations

Two senators say it didn't work on them

(Newser) - The Pentagon has begun investigating claims that one of its generals used psychological trickery to try to convince US lawmakers to support the Afghan war effort. (Read the earlier summary of the Rolling Stone expose here .) "The facts will take them where they lead," said a Pentagon...

Pentagon: Petraeus Isn't Going Anywhere

Papers said he'd leave by the end of the year

(Newser) - The Pentagon moved quickly today to quash reports that it’s looking to replace David Petraeus by the end of the year. “Despite some sensational speculation by one of the London papers, I can assure you General Petraeus is not quitting,” a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement....

Rumsfeld: I Wish Bush Had Let Me Leave Earlier
Rumsfeld: I Wish Bush
Had Let Me Leave Earlier
MEMOIR PREVIEW
Feb 3, 2011 12:32 PM CST

Rumsfeld: I Wish Bush Had Let Me Leave Earlier

Memoir unapologetic, but he wishes president accepted resignation in '04

(Newser) - Reviewers have gotten an early peek at Donald Rumsfeld's memoir, Known and Unknown, with the Washington Post and New York Times noting these highlights:
  • Biggest regret: Not insisting that President Bush accept his resignation after the Abu Ghraib allegations in 2004. He says the abuse was the work of rogue
...

Scientists to Pentagon: Map Every Soldier's Genome

Report prompts fears over flaws in process, discrimination

(Newser) - A secretive group of top scientists is pushing the Pentagon to map the genomes of all military personnel, the Huffington Post reports. Such mapping could reveal information about troops' "responses to battlefield stress"—for example, how well they can tolerate "sleep deprivation, dehydration, or prolonged exposure to...

Pentagon Plans a Rarity: No More Budget Increases

Gates says they won't be necessary by 2015

(Newser) - For the first time in more than a decade defined by costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon announced plans today to freeze its budget, forcing the military to shrink the Army and Marines and increase health care premiums for troops and their families. The Pentagon says it can...

Pentagon to Slash $100B From Budget

Weapons systems in development to be axed

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to unveil details of some $100 billion in Pentagon spending cuts, sources tell Reuters . The savings, which could be announced as early as Thursday, are expected to include cuts to some weapons programs, including the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, a 40-ton landing craft being developed...

'Rent-a-General' Business Is Booming for Contractors
'Rent-a-General' Business
Is Booming for Contractors
investigation
Dec 26, 2010 2:06 PM CST

'Rent-a-General' Business Is Booming for Contractors

When officers retire, the vast majority pick up lucrative consulting jobs

(Newser) - For America's military generals, retirement is when the real money starts pouring in. It's no secret that former officers often show up on the payrolls of defense contractors, but a Boston Globe investigation into what it terms the "rent-a-general" business puts some eyebrow-raising numbers to the trend: 80% of...

Advocates to Military Gays: Don't Come Out Yet

Gays can still be investigated, discharged during transition

(Newser) - The Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy concerning gays might be dead, but don't be too quick to come out of the military closet, advocates are warning gays. "While the immediate impact of this bill may inspire folks from across the nation, it is important to note that...

DADT Repeal or No, Military Discharges Drop Off

Top-level approval required under Obama

(Newser) - Despite the continued reign of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the military has lately been discharging far fewer people under the rule, the Los Angeles Times reports. Thanks largely to changes in enforcement under President Obama, the number of discharges has fallen off this year after a continuous decline...

Foes of 'Don't Ask' Repeal in Trouble Now
Foes of 'Don't Ask' Repeal
in Trouble Now
analysis
Nov 30, 2010 5:51 PM CST

Foes of 'Don't Ask' Repeal in Trouble Now

Analysis: Survey undercuts arguments of keeping gay ban in place

(Newser) - We knew the broad strokes of the Pentagon's review of Don't Ask, Don't Tell before today's official release , but the details also tell an important story, writes Greg Sargent at the Plum Line blog . "The upshot: It will leave GOP moderates with no reasons left to oppose repeal."...

Pentagon Review: Troops Don't Care About DADT

... and they don't need separate bathrooms

(Newser) - All those leaked reports were right: The Pentagon's 10-month review on Don't Ask, Don't Tell is officially out, and it concludes that most troops don't consider it a big deal to serve with fellow service members who are gay, reports the Washington Post . "The risk of repeal of Don't...

Pentagon: Hurry Up on DADT
 Pentagon: Hurry Up on DADT 
Nov 22, 2010 6:06 AM CST

Pentagon: Hurry Up on DADT

Better for Congress, not courts, to repeal it: Gates

(Newser) - Top military brass are calling on Congress to quickly repeal "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell"—before the courts overturn the policy, potentially ordering changes that military leaders consider too fast or poorly thought-out. “If this law is going to change, it's better to be changed by...

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...

Supreme Court Allows 'Don't Ask'—for Now

Can stay in place while it winds through lower courts

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today allowed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military to remain in place while a federal appeals court considers the issue. The court did not comment in denying a request from the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, to step into...

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