US military

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US Readies 20,000 Troops Against Homeland Threats

Critics fear executive-power growth in major shift

(Newser) - After years of planning, the military will have 20,000 troops stationed inside the US ready to handle domestic crises such as nuclear terrorism by 2011, the Washington Post reports. That’s almost seven times the number of domestic-response troops 5 years ago—a move that would have been “...

Bombings Kill 31 in Baghdad, Mosul

Suicide attacks rock police academy, US-Iraqi patrol

(Newser) - Suicide bombers struck today near a Baghdad police academy and in Mosul against a joint US-Iraqi patrol, together killing 31 people, Iraqi officials said. In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded outside the heavily fortified academy. Minutes later, a suicide attacker blew himself up as police rushed to respond to the...

Russian Cyberattack Hits US Central Command

Malware targeted combat systems

(Newser) - Defense Department computers have been hit by a computer virus from Russia, Los Angeles Times reports. Malware has infected large parts of the military system, including Central Command systems and computers used in Iraq and Afghanistan combat zones. The military scrambled to stop the infection and banned the use of...

Iraq Parliament Delays Vote on US Security Pact

Political bargaining forces postponement to tomorrow

(Newser) - Intense dealmaking among Iraq's political factions has delayed until tomorrow a parliamentary vote on the security pact that would allow American forces to stay in the country through 2011. The Shiite-led government is struggling to meet the demands of political blocs, including a large group of Sunni Arab lawmakers, seeking...

4-Star General Confesses to Post-Traumatic Stress

4-star general seeks PTS treatment, speaks out about it

(Newser) - The trauma associated with combat is a hushed topic among troops returned from Iraq—but a four-star general’s fight off the battlefield could help usher in a new attitude, USA Today reports. After witnessing the scene of a suicide bomb in an American mess hall at a base near...

Pakistanis Fear US May Be Out to Carve Up Nation

Many fear Yanks may be colluding with India

(Newser) - Pakistanis are fearful that the US is part of an India-Afghanistan plot to carve up the nation, writes Jane Perlez in the New York Times. Those worries have been fueled by a theoretical map drawn by US neoconservatives featuring a shrunken Pakistan and larger neighbors. “One of the biggest...

Pentagon Plans Afghan Surge of 20,000

Commanders say extra 20,000 troops will quell rising Taliban violence

(Newser) - US commanders are drawing up plans to send an extra 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months, Reuters reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the surge will help reverse the rising violence in the country and safeguard elections planned for next fall. Commanders say the...

Obama Will Wait on 'Don't Ask' Repeal

Wants to prioritize consensus-building; heeds Clinton's mistake

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama plans to wait a bit before pursuing a campaign promise to overturn the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuals, reports the Washington Times. The new administration may not bring up the ban on gays in the military until 2010, in order...

US Troops in Afghanistan Battle Beard Ban

Clean-shaven troops complain lack of facial hair makes it harder to win Afghan respect

(Newser) - American troops in Afghanistan want to take a razor to the military's long-standing rule banning beards, US News & World Report writes. Beards are a sign of manhood in traditional areas of Afghanistan, and clean-shaven troops grumble that the rule—which the military maintains is essential for hygiene and...

Military Recruitment Up Amid Job Crisis

Pending Iraq withdrawal also increasing appeal

(Newser) - More young people are considering joining the military as civilian jobs dry up and the US begins to prepare plans to withdraw from Iraq, reports USA Today. After years of difficulty finding recruits, a Pentagon survey shows a jump from 9% to 11% in the number of 16- to 20-year-old ...

Iraq Vets Hit by Financial Woes
 Iraq Vets Hit by Financial Woes 
Nov 18, 2008 9:29 AM CST

Iraq Vets Hit by Financial Woes

Disabled veterans struggle to find jobs, keep homes

(Newser) - Many soldiers returning from Iraq are finding themselves up against a new enemy: their finances. Unemployment, lack of credit, and foreclosures all seem to be hitting veterans harder than the average citizen, the New York Times reports. "You fill out a job application and you can’t write ‘...

Mullen Warns Iraq Exit Will Take More Than 2 Years

Joint Chiefs chairman still wants US withdrawal tied to security situation

(Newser) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment...

Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study
 Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study 
Nov 17, 2008 3:55 PM CST

Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study

Research contradicts previous government denials

(Newser) - Gulf War syndrome is real, and "few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time," according to a scientific study commissioned by Congress. Nearly a quarter of the 700,000 troops who served in the first Gulf War suffer from neurological problems related to exposure to chemicals during...

Iraq's Unmasked Interpreters Fear for Their Lives

New US rule makes it easier for insurgents to target translators

(Newser) - A change in US military policy in Iraq has endangered some of its more useful local allies: Iraqi interpreters. Since September, translators have no longer been allowed to wear masks while on the job, something they say is necessary to protect their identities from extremists who target them as traitors,...

Iraqi Cabinet Backs US Pullout Pact
Iraqi Cabinet Backs
US Pullout Pact
Nov 16, 2008 7:31 AM CST

Iraqi Cabinet Backs US Pullout Pact

Parliament likely to approve plan by month's end

(Newser) - Iraq’s cabinet has approved a long-debated plan to allow US troops to stay in the country until 2011—three years beyond their UN mandate, Reuters reports. Consideration of the pact now moves to parliament, where it will likely pass, an official said. American troops are scheduled to leave Iraqi...

Are Cold War's Lost Nukes Still Ticking?

Dozens of weapons lost in accidents decades ago are still out there and still deadly

(Newser) - Dozens of American A-bombs lost in Cold War accidents are corroding around the world, Der Spiegel reports. The US admits to misplacing 11, but German nuclear expert Otfried Nassauer says up to 50 went down, mostly in plane crashes. Bombers either collided with tanker planes or, short on fuel, plunged...

Army Names First Female 4-Star General

Ann Dunwoody is a 33-year veteran of the military

(Newser) - A 33-year Army veteran today became the first woman in US history to be named a four-star general, CNN reports. Ann Dunwoody, 55, will oversee Army Materiel Command, which outfits and equips soldiers. "The Army nurtured me and mentored me, and today the Army offers me the chance to...

'Sticky Bombs' Spread Fear in Baghdad

Insurgents shift to smaller devices as security tightens

(Newser) - Small explosives dubbed "sticky IEDs" are contributing to a growing feeling of unease in Baghdad, the New York Times reports. The fist-sized bombs attached to magnets or adhesives are hard to detect, easy for a furtive bomber to put in place and have become the weapon of choice for...

US Soldier Among 9 Killed in Afghan Market

Attack brings year's death toll to 5,400

(Newser) - A suicide car bomber struck a US military convoy passing through a crowded livestock market in eastern Afghanistan today, killing an American soldier and at least eight civilians and wounding an additional 74 civilians. Yesterday, two British troops were also killed when their vehicle was struck by an explosive while...

Military Launches 'TroopTube'
 Military Launches 'TroopTube' 
Nov 12, 2008 3:28 AM CST

Military Launches 'TroopTube'

Aimed at troops banned from YouTube

(Newser) - The Pentagon has opened an alternative internet site to YouTube for military personnel who are banned from using the popular video-sharing network, reports the San Francisco Business Times. The new "TroopTube" is an approved site where service men and woman and their families can post and view videos. Strict...

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