Aiming to Right History, Group Sniffs Out Fake POWs

Focus to be on training, special missions, not policing

(NEWSER) - The United States may be wrapping up its combat operations in Afghanistan a year early, but the fight against insurgents and terrorists will continue in the form of US special forces, who are expected to stay in the country well after 2014, reports the New York Times . According to the Pentagon's plan, which has not yet been greenlighted by President Obama, conventional forces would be the first to withdraw from Afghanistan, but thousands of special forces would continue, or perhaps grow, especially Green Berets. More»

Navy retrofitting warship for commando missions: Washington Post

(NEWSER) - With the US increasingly relying on targeted special ops instead of large military forces, the Pentagon will send an aging warship to the Gulf region to serve as a "mothership" for Navy SEALs and other special forces fighting Somali pirates, al-Qaeda, and other threats (like maybe this ), reports the Washington Post . Navy officials say they are moving quickly to convert and deploy the USS Ponce by early summer, refitting it into a floating base so it can handle small, high-speed boats and helicopters. More»

Navy Seals, Army's Delta Force make gains against top militants

(NEWSER) - Elite US military units are taking on a larger role in the hunt for the most dangerous Taliban militants in Afghanistan. Navy Seals and the Army's Delta Force have had enough success over the past few months that their operations will be expanded next year, reports the New York Times . US commanders say the special ops forces carry out some of the risky and crucial missions in the country. More»

Domestic issues must trump unwinnable war: Dem elder statesman

(NEWSER) - When George McGovern hears about President Obama's plans for Afghanistan, he reluctantly reaches an unavoidable conclusion. "I can only think: another Vietnam," the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee writes in the Washington Post . "I hope I am incorrect, but history tells me otherwise." After 9 years at war, he asks: "Why waste these fine soldiers any longer?" More»

Watch clips from Patton to Glory to Full Metal Jacket

(NEWSER) - In honor of Veterans Day, the Huffington Post runs down the best war movies of all time:

• Apocalypse Now: Vietnam War
• From Here to Eternity: Pearl Harbor
• Patton: World War II
• Braveheart: Scotland’s battle for independence
• Lawrence of Arabia: World War I
• Band of Brothers: World War II (and, yes, a mini-series, but a good one)