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Started by S Goldstein; Last updated Feb 28, 08 12:08 PM CST by K Schwartz | View history

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US Military

With stubborn, costly conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, our armed forces are facing unprecedented pressures

Stories

Stories 321 - 340 of 463

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February 2008
- Missile Lapse Due to Flagging Nuke Vigilance
  
  Reuters | Feb 13, 08 8:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - An Air Force panel told Congress yesterday that "diminished focus" on nuclear weapons allowed six nuclear-armed missiles to be accidentally flown across the country last August, Reuters reports. "Training in nuclear procedures became less frequent without the daily activity required by nuclear alert conditions," the panel concludes in its written report. More »
- UC Berkeley Rumbles Over City Council's War Criticism
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Feb 12, 08 4:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Berkeley is getting a little of its ‘60s vibe back, with pro- and anti-war groups gearing up for a night of demonstrations as the City Council decides whether to revoke a letter critical of the Marine Corps, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The council’s letter, written 2 weeks ago, demands that the Marines abandon their recruiting post near the UC Berkeley campus. More »
- Japanese Fury Mounts Over US Marine Rape Case
  
  Reuters | Feb 12, 08 3:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Tensions continued to mount in Japan today in the aftermath of the arrest of a US Marine accused of raping a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Okinawa. "It is unforgivable," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told a parliamentary panel. "It has happened over and over again in the past and I take it as a grave case." The nation's foreign minister warned that it's "unthinkable that this would have no impact. Enough is enough." More »
- Army Buried Report Critical of Iraq Planning
  
  New York Times | Feb 11, 08 10:29 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A federally funded report harshly critical of President Bush's management of rebuilding efforts in Iraq was deliberately buried by the Army, reports the New York Times . The 2005 assessment by the RAND Corp. accused Bush of failing to smooth over interagency rivalries. It criticized the "uneven quality" of a State Department plan for reconstruction and said the military had a “fundamental misunderstanding” of necessities for securing postwar Iraq. More »
- GI Gets 10 Years for Iraqi Murder
  
  Los Angeles Times | Feb 11, 08 5:12 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A US Army sniper was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday after a court martial found him guilty of murdering an Iraqi civilian. The Iraqi was shot when he stumbled upon the sniper's hideout, and a weapon was planted on the body to make it appear that the victim was a terrorist, reports the Los Angeles Times . More »
- Germany Balks at US Request for Troop Help
  
  Der Spiegel | Feb 1, 08 5:47 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Germany has rejected a request from US defense secretary Robert Gates for more troops to fight the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan, Der Spiegel reports. German defense minister Franz Josef Jung prefers his troops remain in the country's north, in accordance with Germany's Afghanistan mandate—which says troops will only head south to aid allies in emergencies. More »
- Soldier Suicides at Record High
  
  Reuters | Feb 1, 08 4:26 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A record number of US soldiers may have killed themselves last year and it's likely linked to the stresses of war, according to the latest figures from the military. The survey found 121 soldiers died in confirmed or suspected suicides last year, a 20% increase over the previous year and the highest number since the Army started keeping records 30 years ago. The number of attempted suicides has also leaped since the Iraq war began. More »
January 2008
- Falling Spy Satellite May Hit North America
  
  Associated Press | Jan 30, 08 11:38 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A defunct and out-of-control spy satellite is falling to Earth, and could scatter debris somewhere in North America in late February or early March, the AP reports. The Air Force says the satellite called US 193, whose central computer failed shortly after its launch in 2006, is big enough that it probably won't all burn up on reentry, and some pieces will hit the ground. But they aren't a security issue, the head of US Northern Command tells the AP. More »
- US Wants More NATO Troops for Afghan War
  
  Reuters | Jan 30, 08 5:23 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The US will pressure its NATO allies to commit more troops to Afghanistan, Reuters reports, but won't send more Americans, beyond the 3,200-Marine surge ordered last month. The need for increased manpower in the 6-year-old conflict resurfaced this week when Canada's prime minister threatened to withdraw his nation's 2,500 soldiers unless they're supported by more NATO forces in the embattled southern region of the country. More »
- Bush May Stall Iraq Troop Cuts
  
  New York Times | Jan 30, 08 4:49 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - President Bush is signaling that troop reductions in Iraq may slow or stop after this summer, reports the New York Times. Insiders say Bush is preparing Americans for the possibility that troop levels may be at least as large as they were a year ago when he leaves office. Troop numbers are scheduled to return to levels before the surge—when 20,000 fighters were added—by July. That would leave some 130,000 soldiers still in the country. More »
- Complexity of Army Software Raises Concern
  
  Washington Post | Jan 24, 08 5:07 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - More than 2,000 developers are working on a $200 billion software project considered the biggest Army modernization since World War II, but many worry the Boeing-led Future Combat Systems may come in late and severely flawed. FCS, which dwarfs Windows in complexity, would enable communication with hovering drones, bomb-defusing robots, and laser-guided missiles—but congressional overseers are getting anxious, the Washington Post reports. More »
- Uncle Sam Wants ... Anybody
  
  Washington Post | Jan 23, 08 10:28 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Army is lowering standards to meet recruiting goals, with the percentage of high school-educated recruits dropping to a new low of 70.7% last year, reports the Washington Post . The Army hasn't reached its goal of 90% since 2004. A new study also shows that the number of "high quality" recruits—high school graduates who score in the upper half of a military qualification test—has dropped more than 15% since 2004. More »
- Petraeus Could Be Tapped to Head NATO
  
  New York Times | Jan 21, 08 7:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Iraq’s top commander could be at the helm of NATO by the start of next year, the New York Times reports. While no final decisions have been made, the Pentagon is considering nominating Gen. Petraeus in September, installing him before the election dust settles in a new, highly prestigious, but less politically treacherous position. But some fear taking his hand off Iraq’s tiller. More »
- Homeless Vets Spark Outcry: Haven't We Learned?
  
  Associated Press | Jan 20, 08 4:22 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Iraq war veterans are suffering from stress, turning to alcohol, and falling into poverty—a fate that prompts some to ask whether the US has learned from tragedies of veterans past. Washington has identified 1,500 Iraq vets as homeless and helped about a third, but echoes of Vietnam persist among activists. "I'm like, wait, wait, hold it, we did this before," one said. "I don't know how our society can allow this to happen again." More »
- Pregnant Marine 'Slit Her Own Throat,' Suspect Told Wife
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jan 18, 08 6:19 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The suspect in the murder of a pregnant Marine told his wife she slit her own throat during an argument and he buried her body in the woods, reports the Los Angeles Times . Cesar Armando Laurean's wife waited almost 24 hours before reporting the account to police. He vanished the day after he told her of the death, and is believed to be hiding out in Mexico. More »
- Indignant NATO Allies Blast Gates' Critique
  
  Times (UK) | Jan 17, 08 5:02 AM CST