US military

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Obama Declares Afghanistan 'Precarious and Urgent'

Candidate pledges more US troops

(Newser) - Calling the situation in Afghanistan "precarious and urgent," Barack Obama today urged the Bush administration to make Afghanistan—rather than Iraq—"the central front in our battle against terrorism." In his first interview since arriving in the country yesterday, the Democratic candidate told Lara Logan on...

Obama Meets Afghan Leaders, Reiterates Support

Says he's interested in listening, not talking

(Newser) - Barack Obama met today with officials from one of Afghanistan’s most hard-fought regions, the AP reports, and re-iterated his commitment to intensifying US efforts there if elected president. Together with Chuck Hagel and Jack Reed, Obama visited Jalalabad Air Field in Nangarhar province. Nangarhar lies next to the Pakistani...

Americans Now Favor 'Don't Ask, Do Tell'

Acceptance of openly gay military enlistees surges to 75%

(Newser) - In the 15 years since the inception of the US military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay servicemen and women, public opinion on the issue has shifted dramatically. In 1993, 44% of Americans said openly gay people should be allowed to enlist; a Washington Post-ABC News poll now...

Shoddy Electrical Work Killing US Troops in Iraq

Hazard from substandard work worse than Pentagon has acknowledged

(Newser) - Shoddy electrical work by private contractors is making Iraq an even deadlier place for US troops, reports the New York Times. At least 13 troops have died from electrocution and many more have been injured. Others have perished in electrical fires. The problem is worse than the Pentagon has acknowledged,...

Air Force Seeks Anti-Terror $16M for 'Comfort Pods'

Congress nixes funds for high-flying accommodations on military planes

(Newser) - Air Force chiefs have sought $16 million in anti-terrorism funds to build luxurious "comfort capsules" to be installed in military aircraft for VIP officer travel, reports the Washington Post. The project's costs have soared as finicky generals demand changes, with modifications in the plush leather seats—including a switch...

Did Iconic Photo Drive Soldier's Death?
 Did Iconic
 Photo Drive
 Soldier's Death? 
OPINION
Jul 13, 2008 9:48 AM CDT

Did Iconic Photo Drive Soldier's Death?

Photographer reflects on the power of a moment captured

(Newser) - A photo turned an American medic in Iraq into a hero, showing him carrying an Iraqi child to safety. But the photographer, Warren Zinn, wonders whether it also contributed to his suicide. Joseph Dwyer suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from Iraq; Zinn worries, in the Washington Post, whether his...

Pakistan: US Not Hunting bin Laden on Our Turf

Minister: would raise 'sovereignty issues'

(Newser) - Pakistan's foreign minister said yesterday that his country has no plans to allow US or other foreign troops into the country to search for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members, AP reports. Shah Mahmood Qureshi says that Pakistani troops, plus "grassroots" efforts to stop terrorism before it can...

US Weighs Faster Iraq Withdrawal
US Weighs Faster Iraq Withdrawal 
Jul 13, 2008 7:29 AM CDT

US Weighs Faster Iraq Withdrawal

Need for troops in Afghanistan may drive unexpected shift

(Newser) - US officials in Washington and Baghdad may pull as many as three brigades from Iraq by the time George Bush leaves office, the New York Times reports. The move, driven in part by a need to bolster the American presence in Afghanistan, could remove far more troops than seemed likely...

Bodies of 2 Missing GIs Found
 Bodies of 2 Missing GIs Found 
Jul 11, 2008 2:59 AM CDT

Bodies of 2 Missing GIs Found

Soldiers were kidnapped by insurgents in 2007 ambush

(Newser) - The families of two US soldiers missing in Iraq for over a year have been informed that their bodies have been found, reports AP. Alex Jimenez, 25, and Byron Fouty, 19, were seized by insurgents in a May 2007 ambush. Four other soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division "Polar...

Vets Slipping Into the Bottle
 Vets Slipping Into the Bottle 
Jul 8, 2008 5:36 AM CDT

Vets Slipping Into the Bottle

Military blames troubled vets turning to booze for rise in misconduct

(Newser) - A rise in alcohol abuse among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is worrying military officials, the New York Times reports. Counseling services for vets suffering post-traumatic stress disorder are stretched to the limit and many tormented former soldiers are turning instead to the bottle. The increase in binge drinking, and a...

Iraq Films Get Army's Attention

Film liaisons offer help; some directors see spin

(Newser) - War films can help shape public perception, and the Army is trying to guide moviemakers away from negative portrayals of the Iraq conflict like the ones that dominated films about Vietnam. Army liaisons to Hollywood offer equipment, expertise—and script alterations that some filmmakers see as spin. The LA Times...

Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda
 Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda 
ANALYSIS
Jul 6, 2008 6:56 PM CDT

Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda

Insurgents reeling from citizen backlash, troop surge

(Newser) - Outsmarted and overwhelmed by allied forces in Iraq, al-Qaeda is getting desperate, Marie Colvin writes for the London Times. The insurgents, masters of organized resistance, are now resorting to small-scale hit-and-run attacks amidst waning support from Iraqis. “Al-Qaeda in Mosul is pretty much not able to do the attacks...

US Spies Getting Own Version of Second Life

Military is planning a virtual world for agents, complete with a 'time machine'

(Newser) - Call it 007 2.0, if you will. The US military is planning a Second Life-style virtual world just for spies, complete with a “time machine” feature. But some are skeptical. "They can't do plain old forensics right and they're going to develop a mechanism that rolls the...

Afghan War Hamstrung by Troop Shortage

But Joint Chiefs chair says that Iraq's needs limit US options

(Newser) - The US needs more troops in Afghanistan but lacks the available forces because of the Iraq war, the nation’s top military officer said yesterday. In his most pointed remarks to date, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen said that countering the country's resurgent Taliban and booming...

US Deaths in Afghanistan Hit Record

More troops die there than in Iraq for second straight month

(Newser) - More troops from the United States and coalition countries died in Afghanistan last month than at any other time since the 2001 invasion. For the second month in a row, deaths among American-led forces were higher in Afghanistan, where 46 servicemen died, than in Iraq, where 31 were killed. The...

Pregnant Soldier's Death Homicide: Cops

'Zodiac'-style letter claims responsibility for Touma's murder

(Newser) - Police say the pregnant soldier whose body was found in a North Carolina motel last week was murdered, the Fayetteville Observer reports. The Observer, meanwhile, received a letter from someone claiming to be the killer, which contains a symbol sources say was also drawn in lipstick in the room where...

Iraq Planning Seriously Flawed: Army

At a loss after combat

(Newser) - The planning and execution of the Iraq occupation was seriously flawed, the Army concedes in an unclassified report to be released tomorrow. Built on some 200 interviews, the study is a detailed analysis of the Army's activities, aimed at military experts, reports the New York Times. A central problem identified...

Fighting Forces Get No Break on Fuel Price Hikes

Pentagon fuel expenses have doubled in 3 years

(Newser) - Consumers at the gas pump aren't the only ones suffering sticker shock: Military units in Iraq and elsewhere will see another hike in fuel costs next week, the second increase this budget year amid soaring oil prices. On July 1, the cost for refined fuel used by troops will jump...

Lesbians Bear Brunt of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Women discharged more often than men for homosexuality

(Newser) - Debates about gays in the military have focused on men, but new information reveals that lesbians have faced much greater "don't ask, don't tell" challenges. Although women make up only 15% of Army and Air Force personnel, nearly half of the soldiers and airmen discharged for open homosexuality were...

How to Transition Out of Iraq
 How to Transition Out of Iraq 
OPINION
Jun 19, 2008 1:37 PM CDT

How to Transition Out of Iraq

David Ignatius offers a strategy for scaling back in Iraq

(Newser) - It's time for the US to carve out a practical strategy in Iraq, David Ignatius argues in the Washington Post. At a cost of $400 million a day, the war is draining America's economy—precisely what Osama bin Laden hoped for. The solution will not be quick, simple, or easy,...

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