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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Pentagon

Pentagon stories: 221 news summaries

1 - 20 of 221 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 ... 12 Next >>

 US Secretly Speeds 
 Pakistan Military Aid 

Washington funnels helicopters, arms, technology for Taliban fight

(Newser) - The Pakistani government keeps insisting that the US has little to no role in its offensive in Taliban-controlled border regions—but out of sight, Washington has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars worth of arms and equipment to the country's forces this year. President Obama himself intervened at one point... More »

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Barack Obama Pentagon Pakistan Waziristan Swat US military aid Pakistan army South Waziristan

Brits Hold Up Hacker's  Extradition

Asperger's sufferer accused of cracking Pentagon systems

(Newser) - American authorities keen to get their hands on a man accused of the biggest military hack in history are going to have to wait. British authorities have "stopped the clock" on the extradition of Gary McKinnon while lawyers examine new medical evidence, say officials. McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome,... More »

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Iraq Pentagon autism hacker US military hacking Asperger's Syndrome

 Military Frustrated 
 by 'Slow' Obama 

Commanders irked by ongoing review of Afghanistan strategy

(Newser) - President Obama's ongoing review of Afghan strategy is frustrating military officers used to a different commander-in-chief's style, say past and present top brass. Some fear that the long deliberations over Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for more troops signal weakness and indecision to the enemy, while others fear the president is... More »

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Afghanistan Pentagon US military Afghanistan war President Obama Stanley McChrystal

UPDATED

 Pentagon Downplays 
 13K Surge in Afghan 
 Support Troops 

Extra thousands swell US numbers in Afghanistan

(Newser) - When does 21,000 equal 34,000? When the Pentagon is counting. The 21,000 additional troops President Obama approved for Afghanistan earlier this year have been accompanied by 13,000 extra support troops, bringing the total number in Afghanistan to nearly 68,000. Pentagon and White House officials have... More »

peggy noonan

 Let McChrystal 
 Make His Case 
 to Congress 

National debate is needed to build consensus

(Newser) - President Obama may not want to hear from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, but Congress certainly does, writes Peggy Noonan, and he should let them. Staying on in Afghanistan and withdrawing are both unappealing options that could have dire consequences, and even though the Pentagon doesn't want to do it, the country... More »

(Newser) - A persuasive essay arguing against the military's ban on gay soldiers is raising hope among activists that a watershed moment is near. It's not so much because of the essay's familiar arguments—that "Don't Ask Don't Tell" hurts morale and violates civil rights—but because of its publication in... More »

ANALYSIS

 Who Leaked 
 to Woodward? 
 Good Luck 

McChrystal report could help the Pentagon, or the White House, or...

(Newser) - The question du jour in Washington is who leaked Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s report advocating an increased troop presence in Afghanistan to Bob Woodward, Ben Smith writes on Politico. But the outcome of this tried and true “capital parlor game” is far from certain. Some Beltway insiders think... More »

Pragmatic Style Makes Gates White House Heavyweight

Defense secretary helps dismantle missile shield program he backed under Bush

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has bridged the gap between the Bush and Obama administrations and become a major player in reshaping national security policy in the process, officials tell the New York Times. His pragmatic style—as seen in his decision to ditch the missile defense system he signed off... More »

 Obama to 
 Pentagon: 
 Scale Back 
 Nuke Arsenal 

President rejects Defense review, plans international deal

(Newser) - Barack Obama rejected the first draft of a Pentagon report on the US nuclear arsenal and is demanding a radical review ahead of deep cuts, according to the Guardian. The president, whose stated goal is the complete abolition of nuclear weapons, wants to see a range of options: cutting the... More »

slideshow
(AP) - The nation marked the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks today in ceremonies under gray skies in New York City, at the Pentagon, and at the crash site of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Today also was the first time the anniversary was observed as a national day of service, following... More »

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updated

Coast Guard Exercise Triggers 9/11 Potomac Scare

Ill-timed drill coincides with Pentagon ceremony

(Newser) - In a case of not-so-great timing, the Coast Guard conducted a training exercise on how to handle a rogue boat this morning in the Potomac River—with 9/11 commemorations taking place at the Pentagon and the president's motorcade crossing a nearby bridge, the Washington Post reports. The exercise caused a... More »

(AP) - Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, President Obama said the nation "will never falter" in its pursuit of al-Qaeda and its allies. Obama placed a wreath under rainy skies at the Pentagon today in memory of those who died there on Sept. 11, 2001. The president said the nation... More »

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9/11 memorials
(AP) - New Yorkers observed a moment of silence this morning to mark the minute the first jet hit the World Trade Center eight years ago. Three more were planned to mark the second strike and the moments each tower collapsed. Similar ceremonies will take place at the Pentagon and crash site... More »

 US to Beef Up 
 Afghanistan 
 Combat Force 

Up to 14K fighters swap places with noncombatant troops

(Newser) - The Pentagon will add up to 14,000 combat troops to its Afghanistan force, replacing noncombatant support units with more "trigger-pullers" as casualties continue to climb. With support for the war waning, the Defense Department's "force optimization" plan will not increase the number of US troops, and... More »

analysis

No Child Left Unrecruited

Pentagon uses NCLB, other sneaky means
to get info on teens
in high school

(Newser) - The military is using a host of behind-the-scenes methods—including the No Child Left Behind Act—to gather information on high school students for recruitment, writes David Goodman in Mother Jones. A little-known provision in NCLB, for instance, requires schools that get funding to supply recruiters with info on... More »

Troops Fume Over Proposed Smoking Ban

'If I were forced to quit, I'd probably be unbearable,' says one

(Newser) - Since the days of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s signature corncob pipe, through the rationing of cigarettes during World War II, smoking has been ingrained part of military culture. But a new proposal to introduce a smoking ban in the armed forces is sparking fierce opposition, with some saying it could... More »

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ANALYSIS

 Pentagon Grades 
 Reporters' War Coverage 

Documents shed light on Defense efforts to shape news from Afghanistan

(Newser) - With a view to trying to influence coverage of the war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon is grading journalists’ work, the Stars and Stripes reports. The military newspaper says it has documents that counter official denials of the practice, with coverage rated as “positive,” “neutral,” or “... More »

Pentagon Tells Red Cross Who's in Secret Prisons

Military grants group access to prisoners

(Newser) - After years of refusing the Red Cross information about terror suspects held in two secret camps in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has quietly reversed course, the New York Times reports. The military has begun providing the identities of prisoners at the sites in Balad, Iraq, and Bagram, Afghanstan. Under... More »

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(Newser) - House leaders are slashing their $550 million order for eight new executive jets for use by senior government officials, caving to pressure from fellow lawmakers and the Pentagon, Politico reports. John Murtha’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee had more than doubled the Pentagon’s original request for $220 million to buy... More »

(Newser) - The Pentagon has released 145 new photos of the Air Force One flyover that rattled New Yorkers in April, CNN reports. The flight was for a White House photo shoot, but city officials and the public were not informed. The photos show the Boeing plane, the military version of the... More »

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1 - 20 of 221 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 ... 12 Next >>