Us Army

Military Sexual Trauma - Seeking Justice

Marcia G. Yerman | Posted 11.12.2009 | Impact


Marcia G. Yerman

While embedded with Marines during the invasion of Iraq, journalist Mercedes Gallego was cautioned that it was not safe to be alone. The reason, the servicewomen explained, was fear of being raped.

Why Two White Kids Are a Senseless Tragedy but an Arab American Is Terrorism

Brian Ross | Posted 11.11.2009 | Media


Brian Ross

When a couple of white kids shoot up a school, it is a tragedy. Bring on a shooting at a military base that involves an Arab-American though, and the media does everything it can to shout "terrorism."

One Grizzled Veteran's Dream

William Astore | Posted 11.11.2009 | Politics


William Astore

On this Veteran's Day, what if we began to measure our national success and power not by our military arsenal or number of recruits, but rather by the very opposite of that?

Rush to Judgment: Media Reporting or Making the News?

John L. Esposito | Posted 11.10.2009 | Media


John L. Esposito

Why is there a common tendency, post 9/11, to judge Islam and the majority of mainstream Muslims by the acts of an individual or an aberrant minority of extremists?

Maj. Nidal Hasan and the "Desperation Explanation"

Heather Robinson | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


Heather Robinson

Mainstream media has helped to cloud perceptions of the true causes of suicide terrorism. They've reinforced the perception that suicide bombing and other forms of terrorism are in some sense arguably justifiable.

Pinon Canyon Expansion: Are Nature Conservation Groups Helping The Army Secure More Land?

The Pueblo Chieftain | Peter Roper | Posted 11.06.2009 | Denver


Ranchers opposed to the Army's planned expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site are charging The Nature Conservancy environmental group with being ...

Many Issues With Tragedy at Ft. Hood -- A "Muslim Problem" not One of Them, FOX News

Jon Soltz | Posted 11.06.2009 | Media


Jon Soltz

FOX and Friends hosts twice implied on their show that this is some kind of Muslim problem. There are thousands of American Muslims serving in the military right now, and many have given their lives.

Catch-22 in Afghanistan

William Astore | Posted 11.03.2009 | World


William Astore

As we send more troops to stiffen Afghani government forces and to stabilize the state, that high-profile presence will serve to demoralize Afghani troops and ultimately to destabilize the state.

On Don't Ask Don't Tell, Army's Ready, So What's the Hold-up?

Jon Soltz | Posted 10.30.2009 | Politics


Jon Soltz

Here's an idea: Let's just keep our best troops, no matter what their background or orientation. Momentum is picking up in Congress behind that notion, but we still need the President to make his move.

Commander in Chief: Yes He Is

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 10.22.2009 | World


Lorelei Kelly

Obama and his team (and an increasing number of voices on Capitol Hill) know that, in today's world, security problems are beyond the purview of the military acting alone.

The Winner of the Afghan Election: Electoral Fraud

Derrick Crowe | Posted 10.21.2009 | World


Derrick Crowe

We can now stand back in awe as the unpunished perpetrators of massive election fraud vie for control of the criminal enterprise called the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

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.

The Explosion of the Afghan Insurgency: Utterly Predictable, Yet Hotly Debated

Derrick Crowe | Posted 10.13.2009 | World


Derrick Crowe

Recently leaked intelligence assessments reportedly show that Al-Qaida and the jihadist Taliban groups account for only 10 percent of the insurgents in Afghanistan.

Reflections on Suicide

Christopher Lukas | Posted 10.12.2009 | Books


Christopher Lukas

The rate of death by suicide in the armed forces is increasing at alarming rates. Death is terrible, no matter how it comes. But death by suicide leaves those left behind, asking Why? How?

Eight Years of War. Take Care of Them. They Are Us.

Michael D. Brown | Posted 10.07.2009 | Denver


Michael D. Brown

You see them in the mall, airport, and restaurants. They are the men and women who serve our nation as Army reservists. We pass them cavalierly, occasionally saying thanks for their service.

Woodstock Film Fest -- The Messenger

Stewart Nusbaumer | Posted 10.04.2009 | New York


Stewart Nusbaumer

Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play servicemen tasked to inform relatives of soldiers killed in action. For good reason, this is called the worst job in the Army.

Relationship Between Ambassador, Top US Commander In Iraq Deteriorating Rapidly

Foreign Policy | Tom Ricks | Posted 09.29.2009 | Politics


American insiders in Baghdad say the relationship between the top U.S. commander there, Gen. Raymond Odierno, and the top civilian official there, Amb...

Meet the Afghan Army: Is It a Figment of Washington's Imagination?

Ann Jones | Posted 11.20.2009 | Politics


Ann Jones

The big Afghanistan debate in Washington is not over whether more troops are needed, but just who they should be: Americans or Afghans -- Us or Them.

Army Officer Who Said Blacks Were Better Off as Slaves Promoted with Obama's Blessing

Chris Rodda | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


Chris Rodda

The president can't be expected to personally vet every military officer who is up for promotion, but I have to wonder how the president would feel about having rubber stamped the promotion of this particular officer.

Pinon Canyon: Judge Rules Army Failed To "Adequately Assess Environmental Impacts"

AP | Posted 11.09.2009 | Denver


DENVER (AP) - A federal judge has thrown out an environmental review of the Army's plan to increase operations at a training site in southeast Colorad...

More US Troops Won't Necessarily Curb Terror: Analysis

nytimes.com | ERIC SCHMITT and SCOTT SHANE | Posted 11.08.2009 | World


Does the United States need a large and growing ground force in Afghanistan to prevent another major terrorist attack on American soil? ...

Why Andrew Krepinevich Is Wrong About US Military Strategy

Antiwar.com | Jeff Huber | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics


The problem with retired Army light colonel Andrew Krepinevich, the self-described "expert on US military strategy," isn't so much that he says silly ...

Ramadan 2009: America and Islam

James Zogby | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics


James Zogby

A primary factor accounting for the change and the growing recognition being given to Ramadan is the presence and vitality of a growing Muslim community.

Gates: It's Not Time To Leave Afghanistan

AP | LARA JAKES and PAULINE JELINEK | Posted 10.19.2009 | World


WASHINGTON — Facing eroding public support for the war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon chief said Thursday that the Obama administration's effort i...

The Exit Strategy We Need at Home

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 10.17.2009 | World


Lorelei Kelly

No matter how much we love and trust the U.S. military, the American face to the world cannot be wearing a uniform.