Gates Launches Cyberwar Military Command

Pushes against distribution of war material

(AP) - The Defense Department is asking media organizations not to publish or post on websites classified US war files released by WikiLeaks. The department has been bracing for a possible leak of as many as many as 400,000 documents from a military database on the Iraq war. The documents are mostly field reports, summarizing actions taken by troops and intelligence gathered. Click here for more what might be in the files. More»

Defense secretary rejects Pentagon study's recommendation

(NEWSER) - American troops in war zones won't have to battle the enemy while suffering nicotine withdrawal, CNN reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is willing to consider some of the recommendations in a Pentagon-commissioned report calling for a totally tobacco-free military, but he has no intention of ordering stressed-out troops in combat zones to go without their smokes. More»

Military unit will complement Obama's new civilian office

(NEWSER) - The Pentagon is pushing ahead with a new military command devoted to cyberspace as the armed forces ramp up abilities to not only defend against computer attacks but launch them as well, the New York Times reports. The new command will work in concert with a civilian organization, which President Obama will unveil today, devoted to revamping the security of America's computer networks for stock exchanges, air traffic control, and other cyber infrastructure. The White House office will be run by an as-yet unnamed "cyberczar." More»

(NEWSER) - With a little push from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Army says it has completed its assessment of $3 million worth of high-tech, lightweight body armor and will send it immediately to soldiers in Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. The Army was dragging out testing on the new armor, which takes as much as 25 pounds off soldiers’ loads, worried that combat deaths resulting from the new equipment would raise public ire, the Times reported earlier. More»

Reservists to fill up to 300 positions intended for nonmilitary experts

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration is being forced to fill hundreds of new positions designed for civilian experts in Afghanistan with military personnel, mostly reservists, reports the New York Times. The shortfall results from insufficient funds to hire and train nonmilitary people for work in combat zones, and the fact that agencies outside the military cannot compel employees to take posts in less desirable areas. More»