US military

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US Surge Troops See First Combat in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Close to 3,000 American soldiers who recently arrived in Afghanistan to secure two violent provinces near Kabul have begun operations in the field and already are seeing combat, the AP reports. The new troops are the first wave of an expected surge of reinforcements this year. The process began...

Should We Allow Coffin Pics?
 Should We Allow Coffin Pics? 
analysis
Feb 15, 2009 4:26 PM CST

Should We Allow Coffin Pics?

(Newser) - President Obama is reviewing a media ban at Dover Air Force Base, where dead soldiers arrive in flag-draped coffins, but "in truth, it's not an easy issue," John Barry writes in Newsweek. There is widespread support for raising the ban "as a way of reminding the...

US Military Woos Recruits With Citizenship Offer

Armed forces to recruit temporary immigrants

(Newser) - Aiming to swell its ranks as it fights two wars, the US military will offer skilled temporary immigrants who enlist a shot at becoming citizens in just six months, the New York Times reports. Immigrants with temporary visas who have been in the US at least two years will now...

Inquiry Into Iraqi Graft Expands to Top US Officers

(Newser) - The United States' poor track record on rebuilding Iraq has long been chalked up to lousy planning by Pentagon brass. But an expanding investigation by federal authorities adds another element to the mix: possible corruption by the military commanders who oversaw reconstruction in the Wild West days after the invasion,...

Roomba Maker Actually a Big-Time Defense Contractor

(Newser) - It’s common knowledge that the Defense Department is the progenitor of modern conveniences like the Internet. But would you, for a minute, think it has a $286 million contract with the company that makes your Roomba automated vacuum? That fact surprised Owen Thomas, who writes about it on Valleywag,...

Obama Challenges Troop Surge in Afghanistan

Asks for clear strategy before sending more troops

(Newser) - President Obama has called for a review of the planned deployment of up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, a nation that some fear will become his “Vietnam,” the Times of London reports. Some 17,000 more troops were poised to head there last week, but defense...

US Funded Failed Attack on Ugandan Rebels

LRA escaped 'poorly planned' attack, massacred civilians

(Newser) - The US military helped fund and plan a disastrous attack on a Ugandan rebel group that resulted in reprisals against civilians, the New York Times reports. Uganda had hoped to rout the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army from the Congolese national park it was hiding in, but it failed to...

Kyrgyzstan Calls Closure of US Base 'Final'

Russia offers help to US with transport to Afghanistan

(Newser) - The decision to close an American air base in Kyrgyzstan was "final," the Kyrgyz government said today, contradicting claims from Washington that discussions are ongoing. The Manas Air Base is a vital stopover for US and NATO flights to Afghanistan, but this week Kyrgyzstan suddenly decided to shutter...

Army Suicides in January Surpass Combat Deaths

(Newser) - As many as 24 US Army soldiers took their own lives in January, an enormous rise over previous years, the Army Times reports. The deaths of seven soldiers have been confirmed as suicides, while 17 pending cases will likely get the same designation, the AP reports. If that happens, the...

Pentagon to Send 30K New Troops to Afghanistan

Heartland strategy seeks to cut off Taliban's supply of fighters, drug money

(Newser) - US commanders are finalizing plans to beat back the resurgent Taliban with tens of thousands of extra American troops in Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reports. As part of Barack Obama's emerging strategy, reinforcements will be deployed in rural areas where Kabul's grip is weak, including along the border with...

NATO Chief OKs Attacks on Afghan Drug Producers

(Newser) - NATO's top commander has authorized coalition troops “to attack directly drug producers and facilities throughout Afghanistan,” saying they “are inextricably linked to the Opposing Military Forces,” Der Spiegel reports. The order from US General John Craddock is not going over well with commanders on the ground....

How to Fix Afghanistan
 How to Fix Afghanistan 
OPINION
Feb 2, 2009 11:44 AM CST

How to Fix Afghanistan

Four ways to improve strategy in misdirected war

(Newser) - The war in Afghanistan is going poorly, but there’s still time for the US to hone its strategy, Fareed Zakaria writes in Newsweek. We must keep in mind our chief aim, well-put by Defense Secretary Robert Gates: “to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorists...

Iraq Vote Marks Fading US Power
 Iraq Vote Marks 
 Fading US Power 
analysis
Feb 1, 2009 7:26 AM CST

Iraq Vote Marks Fading US Power

Iraqis taking over

(Newser) - As Iraqis headed to the polls yesterday, it was clear that American sway over the country is fading fast, the New York Times reports. Some 140,000 US troops remain in the country, but their presence is far less visible, and Iraqis have made bold strides in setting a firm...

What's in the Box? Dad, Home From Iraq

(Newser) - An Army mechanic stationed in Iraq surprised his son by popping out of an oversize present at the boy’s 6th birthday party, the Nevada Appeal reports. Casey Hurles hadn’t seen son Gabriel since June; when he learned his leave would coincide with the birthday, he hatched a plan...

War, Not Nation-Building, Will Be Obama's Top Afghan Goal

Objectives could strain, even break, US ties with President Karzai

(Newser) - In a departure from Bush policies, the Obama administration intends to ramp up military operations in Afghanistan at the expense of reconstruction, the New York Times reports, shifting the burden of civil work to NATO allies. “If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of Central Asian...

2 US Choppers Crash in Iraq, Killing 4 Troops

Disaster 'does not appear to be by enemy action'

(Newser) - Two US helicopters crashed today in northern Iraq, killing four American troops, the military said. The military said the crash happened at about 2:15am local time and it "does not appear to be by enemy action." Iraqi officials said the crash site was located about 180 miles...

Gitmo Was Actually Humane —Until Rumsfeld Took Over

Camp's ills began when Rumsfeld weighed in

(Newser) - If Guantanamo Bay has become a symbol of torture, a place where prisoners' screams echo in our national psyche, it wasn’t always so, writes Karen Greenberg in the Washington Post. Though told the Geneva Conventions wouldn't technically apply, the military officials who set up the camp skirted Bush administration...

US Airstrikes Signal Tough Approach in Pakistan

(Newser) - US airstrikes on suspected terrorist camps in Pakistan yesterday signal that the Obama administration will continue the aggressive US strategy against extremists in the region, the Washington Post reports. In fact, early signs suggest a tougher approach—and less patience—with the Pakistani government. The attacks, carried out by Predator...

China Military Welcomes Obama Era
China Military Welcomes Obama Era
Jan 20, 2009 4:57 PM CST

China Military Welcomes Obama Era

Timed with inaugural, Beijing defense report urges cooperation

(Newser) - China has called for better military relations with the US in its biannual report, whose release analysts say was timed with President Obama’s inauguration, the Financial Times reports. The relationship between the two was strained by the US decision to sell $6.5 billion in arms to Taiwan. “...

9/11 Accused Admit Guilt at Tribunal

(Newser) - Two suspected Sept. 11 planners calmly declared their guilt today at what could be the final military tribunal session at Guantanamo Bay, the Miami Herald reports. "We are proud of 9/11," said Ramzi bin al Shibh, who announced his plan to plead guilty, the AP reports. Another...

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