Defense Department

A National Security Act for the 21st Century

Gary Hart | Posted 11.12.2009 | Politics


Gary Hart

NATO has yet to define a 21st century mission. There are new security threats that do not lend themselves to military response and that cannot be addressed either by old alliances or by the US alone.

Pentagon Expected To Request More War Financing

nytimes.com | ELISABETH BUMILLER | Posted 11.04.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON -- The nation's top military officer said Wednesday that he expected the Pentagon to ask Congress in the next few months for emergency fina...

Raw Story: Bush Pentagon Used Psychological Operation On US Public

The Raw Story | Brad Jacobson | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics


A months-long review of documents and interviews with Pentagon personnel has revealed that the Bush Administration's military analyst program -- aimed...

Pentagon: Recruiting Last Year Was Best Since 1973

AP | PAULINE JELINEK | Posted 10.13.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — The Pentagon's personnel chief said Tuesday the military has completed its best recruiting year since 1973, meeting all its goals and bringing in a better educated group of young people.

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps met goals for active duty and reserve recruiting during the budget year ended Sept. 30 – the first time that has happened since the all-volunteer force was established, said Defense Department head of personnel Bill Carr.

He told a Pentagon press conference that it's partly because of department spending on finding recruits, even as fewer civilian jobs were available due to the nation's economic problems. He also cited increases in military pay.

For the active-duty force overall, Carr said 96 percent of recruits had a high school diploma, the best showing since 1996. For the Army, it was about 95 percent, up 11 percent from the previous year. And 73 percent of Pentagon recruits scored above average on the military's math and verbal aptitude testing, the best showing since 2004, Carr said.

The military spends about $10,000 per recruit, taking into account advertising, recruiter time and office leases for recruiting stations, he said. Recruits are in the 90th percentile of earners for their education and time in the workplace, Carr said.

Federal Contracting: End SBA's Procurement Role

Jerry Chautin | Posted 10.10.2009 | Business


Jerry Chautin

Should the U.S. Small Business Administration be in the business of helping small-business owners procure federal contracts?

Fort Carson Coping With Tragic Day In Afghanistan

AP | DAN ELLIOTT | Posted 10.07.2009 | Denver


FORT CARSON, Colo. — The Pentagon announcement Wednesday confirmed their worst fears – the eight American soldiers killed in a bloody week...

Inside Afghanistan's "Black Hawk Down"

nytimes.com | THOM SHANKER | Posted 10.03.2009 | World


The battle of Wanat is being described as the "Black Hawk Down" of Afghanistan, with the 48 American soldiers and 24 Afghan soldiers outnumbered three...

Is "Escalation" the Right Word?

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics


Lorelei Kelly

Seeking an alternative to the word "escalation" to describe U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, I asked deployed or recently back friends and they each offered a different answer.

Defense Department Stopped Reporting Deaths Of Detainees In U.S. Custody: Author

washingtonindependent.com | Posted 10.20.2009 | World


The author of the book "Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity and America's War on Terror," published in 2006 by Random House, has been monitorin...

Fake DHS Intel E-mails Spread Malicious Software

AP | EILEEN SULLIVAN | Posted 09.24.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Some e-mails purporting to be from the Homeland Security Department's intelligence division were fake and contained malicious softw...

U.S. Fast-Tracks MOP, New Bunker-Buster Bomb

SpaceWar.com | Posted 09.18.2009 | Home


Amid continuing tension over political upheaval in Iran, the U.S. Defense Department says it wants to accelerate production of a 30,000-pound "ultra-l...

Defense Department Releases Air Force One Manhattan Flyover Photos

nytimes.com | Kate Phillips | Posted 08.31.2009 | New York


At the Pentagon's Web site, you can click through an entire run of photographs (in pdf) taken last spring on that ill-fated, rather freaky, public-rel...

Defense Secretary Scores Spending Cuts, But Not Satisfied: "It Would Be Nice To Win Our Current Wars"

AP | RICHARD LARDNER | Posted 08.25.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Robert Gates is on a roll. Question is, how long will it last? The politically savvy defense secretary scored big legislative wins...

McCain: Hate Crime Amendment An "Abuse Of Power" (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Lila Shapiro | Posted 08.21.2009 | Politics


Sen. McCain was on Fox News today where he called the new hate-crime amendment an "abuse of power." In a nice back-patting moment at the end of the s...

Taliban Video Shows Captive US soldier: AP sources

AP | PAMELA HESS and LOLITA BALDOR | Posted 08.18.2009 | World


WASHINGTON — The American soldier who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured, a...

Pentagon Won't Ban Tobacco Products In War Zones

AP | PAULINE JELINEK | Posted 08.16.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Smoke 'em if you got 'em. The Pentagon reassured troops Wednesday that it won't ban tobacco products in war zones. Defense official...

Guantanamo's Early Months: "Chaotic And Sometimes Violent Operation"

AP | PAMELA HESS and NEDRA PICKLER | Posted 08.02.2009 | World


WASHINGTON — Newly released Defense Department documents and memos about the first years of operation of the jail at the U.S. base at Guantanamo...

Will Congress Put Useless Fighter Jets Above America?

Jon Soltz | Posted 07.23.2009 | Politics


Jon Soltz

Congress is about to throw $369 million (on a down-payment of $2 billion) for a dozen F-22 fighter jets that even the Pentagon doesn't want.

Afghan Civilian Casualties Threaten Airstrike Support For Troops: Pentagon

US News | Posted 07.19.2009 | World


Rising anger over Afghan civilians accidentally killed in U.S. military bombing campaigns has prompted some U.S. officers to issue a stark warning to ...

Veteran Stigma: "What Does My Country think of Me?"

Luis Carlos Montalván | Posted 07.05.2009 | Politics


Luis Carlos Montalván

The stigma that veterans face has turned into widespread employment discrimination, precisely at a time when getting a job is especially difficult.

James W. Fondren Charged With Spying For China

AP | MATTHEW BARAKAT | Posted 06.13.2009 | Politics


ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Defense Department official was charged Wednesday with conspiring to give U.S. defense secrets to an agent for the Chinese g...

DOD's James Fondren Jr. Charged With Leaking Classified Information To China

AP | MATTHEW BARAKAT | Posted 06.13.2009 | Politics


ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Defense Department official was charged Wednesday with conspiring to give U.S. defense secrets to an agent for the Chinese g...

McChrystal Choice Suggests Special Ops Strikes Will Continue

Inter Press Service | Gareth Porter | Posted 06.13.2009 | World


Gareth Porter | Inter Press Service WASHINGTON, May 12 (IPS) - The choice of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to become the new U.S. commander in Afghan...

Afghanistan War To Cost More Than Iraq

Wired | Posted 06.07.2009 | World


The price tag for running the war in Afghanistan will outstrip the cost of the conflict in Iraq next year, according to budget documents released toda...

Obama Defense Contractor Battle Only Just Begun: AP

AP | ANDREW TAYLOR | Posted 05.24.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has chalked up a quick victory in its drive to kill an expensive jet fighter better suited for the Cold Wa...