military

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Army Suicides Climb; Rate Highest in 26 Years

99 active-duty soldiers took their own lives in 2006

(Newser) - American soldiers are killing themselves at the highest rate since the Persian Gulf War, the AP reports. Statistics out today show 99 active-duty soldiers committed suicide in 2006, both the highest single number and the highest rate per deployed since 1991. The problem was worst in Iraq, the most common...

Born-Again Actor Leads Charge into Iraq

Commentators cry foul over evangelical care packages

(Newser) - A ventriloquist and a born-again movie star are among those headed for Iraq to entertain US soldiers and fold them into the arms of the Lord, writes Max Blumenthal in the Nation. All well and good, but this version of the Almighty, delivered by the likes of Stephen Baldwin, is...

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied
Army: New Republic
Scribe Lied
Aug 8, 2007 10:26 AM CDT

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied

But magazine stands by private's diary from Iraq

(Newser) - The military and the New Republic are at a standoff over the accuracy of a series of damaging diaries by an Army private in Iraq. Army investigators say they're fabricated, that no one in the unit corroborated his stories about petty cruelty among soldiers. But TNR Editor Franklin Foer told...

Gates Warns of 'Protracted' Iraq Stay

Troops will remain to support government, Defense chief says

(Newser) - US troops will likely remain in Iraq for a "protracted period of time," Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned yesterday. Soldiers would remain as a "stabilizing and supporting force" for the government long after combat troop numbers are reduced, he said in a CNN interview. Gates couldn't say...

Soldier Draws 110 Years for Rape, Murder

Coconspirators handed tough sentences for young girl's death

(Newser) - A military court handed Jesse Spielman a dishonorable discharge and a 110-year prison sentence for raping and murdering an Iraqi girl last year. Spielman and four comrades planned the 2006 assault on a family near Baghdad over a drunken game of cards; they then gang-raped and murdered the girl, her...

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq
Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq
Aug 4, 2007 4:43 PM CDT

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

(Newser) - Heavily armed, remote-controlled robots are on the ground in Iraq—a first in military history. Only three of these robo-soldiers, armed with M249 machine guns, are currently deployed, but the Army has requested 80 more. Their location is classified, but officials report they're involved in reconnaissance and street patrol missions....

Fear Rules Iraq, Briefers Tell Congress

Benchmarks not likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus

(Newser) - Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan...

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Jul 9, 2007 8:22 AM CDT

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment

Reservist takes Army to court over tour he says could cost him home, job

(Newser) - A 26-year-old sergeant is suing the army to prevent his fifth deployment to Iraq, claiming that the Army follows inconsistent policies in mobilizing reserves. The military wants reservist Erik Botta return to Iraq next week, the Miami Herald reports, but Botta is suing to stop the order he says will...

Young Officers Challenge Brass on Iraq

Critiques of failure reveal rift between generals, troops

(Newser) - A growing number of young military officers are offering critiques of what went wrong in Iraq, revealing a generational divide between officers on the ground and the generals who deploy them, the Wall Street Journal reports. In an scathing essay in Armed Forces Journal,  Lt. Col. Paul Yingling charged...

Number of Black Recruits Plummets
Number of
Black Recruits Plummets
Jun 25, 2007 1:15 PM CDT

Number of Black Recruits Plummets

Job market, family pressure contribute to 38% decline

(Newser) - The number of blacks signing up for the military has dropped 38% since the beginning of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, reports the AP. The number of new active-duty and reserve recruits fell from 51,500 in 2001 to less than 32,000 in 2006, reflecting both greater job opportunities...

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It
Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It
Jun 22, 2007 1:06 PM CDT

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It

Fearsome devices call vehicle defenses into question

(Newser) - Roadside bombs are now so powerful and plentiful in Baghdad that US soldiers are leaving their vehicles behind and patrolling on foot. Militant-planted explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, can blow through the strongest Humvees and tanks, and the decision to "dismount" from the vehicles is coming from both commanders...

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days
14 Troops Killed in 2 Days
Jun 21, 2007 12:49 PM CDT

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days

5 soldiers dead after roadside bomb explosion; death toll hits 3,545

(Newser) - Fourteen American troops have been killed in Iraq over the past 2 days, bringing the US death toll to 3,545, with 68 fatalities in June. In the deadliest recent attack, five troops died today after a roadside bomb detonated under their vehicle in northeastern Iraq. Commanders attribute the worsening...

Military Preps for Iraq Pullout
Military Preps for Iraq Pullout
Jun 10, 2007 12:17 PM CDT

Military Preps for Iraq Pullout

Envisions 40K force to stay for years; big withdrawal by early 2009

(Newser) - Top military officials are quietly setting their post-pullout strategy, reports Thomas Ricks in today's Post, and they're readying to keep in place a long-term, mid-size force. The new plan requires upwards of 40,000 American troops to stay in the country, with half dedicated to security, a quarter to training,...

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gets the Gate

Defense secretary cleans house, taps admiral for top job

(Newser) - In an effort to avoid confirmation hearings that would amount to a referendum on the war, the defense secretary will not recommend the Joint Chiefs chairman for a second 2-year term. Robert Gates said today he had conferred with senators from both parties and "concluded that the focus would...

Protesting Vet Faces General Discharge

Marine board acts after antiwar rally; corporal vows to appeal

(Newser) - In a decision that may hold implications for veterans' free-speech rights, a disciplinary panel has recommended that a decorated Marine who appeared at an antiwar protest in desert fatigues receive a general discharge. Adam Kokesh, who had been honorably discharged from active duty, says the military is using "tactics...

Attacks on US Troops Get Deadlier
Attacks on
US Troops
Get Deadlier
Jun 4, 2007 5:07 AM CDT

Attacks on US Troops Get Deadlier

Bigger IEDs and more complex ambushes lead to more US deaths in Iraq

(Newser) - Iraqi insurgents are using bigger bombs and more sophisticated tactics to kill US troops, reports the Washington Post. While Iraq civilian deaths have dropped 50 percent since the new counterinsurgency strategy was launched in Baghdad, American fatalities compared to the number of wounded have nearly doubled.

Army Fights to Keep Up Quality
Army Fights to Keep Up Quality
Jun 1, 2007 12:13 PM CDT

Army Fights to Keep Up Quality

Report shows dip in quality of new soldiers

(Newser) - The Army is attracting the lowest rate of high-quality recruits in a decade, the Boston Globe reports. Almost 40% of volunteers scored below-average on verbal and math scores in 2006, according to an analysis of Defense Department personnel statistics. Four years ago, that figure was 29%. The number of recruits...

Contractors in Iraq Trigger Two Shootings

Two incidents ignited by Blackwater raise questions about quasi-miliary role

(Newser) - Contractors from private security firm Blackwater USA set off two firefights in Baghdad in as many days last week. On Thursday, a Blackwater guard shot and killed an Iraqi driver who trailed a convoy suspiciously, and Wednesday a Blackwater convoy escorting State Department officials was ambushed—sparking a battle between...

US Rushes to Aid Lebanon
US Rushes to
Aid Lebanon
May 25, 2007 9:49 AM CDT

US Rushes to Aid Lebanon

Troops surround refugee camp, prepare siege or incursion to rout out militants

(Newser) - The US has rushed military aid to Beruit, as the Lebanese army continues to battle Islamist militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp. The first shipment arrived today. Condoleeza Rice expressed support for Lebanon's government, if not confidence: "I certainly hope that the Lebanese government will be able...

Clashes in Lebanon Kill 39
Clashes in Lebanon Kill 39
May 20, 2007 2:20 PM CDT

Clashes in Lebanon Kill 39

(Newser) - A gunbattle between the Lebanese army and al-Qaeda-linked militants in Tripoli  today left 22 soldiers and 17 insurgents dead, the AP reports. The fighting—the worst in the city in two decades— began when police raided an apartment occupied by militants. The army later shelled a Palestinian refugee camp which...

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