US military

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Petraeus Hands Off Iraq Reins Next Week

Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno to take commander's place

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus will step down as the top US commander in Iraq on Sept. 16, handing the reins to Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 commander there until recently, Reuters reports. Petraeus, who led the troop surge that ushered in a major decline in Iraq violence, will become...

Analysts: Mac Win Likely to Hit Defense Firms Harder

He's got the clout and the will to slash budgets

(Newser) - The defense industry is generally wary of Democratic wins, but this time around it's a Republican victory that may give military industries—and their investors—a complex, MarketWatch reports. A President Obama would be unlikely to give critics of his foreign policy cred ammunition by slashing defense spending, analysts say,...

Iraq Looks to Buy F-16s From US

Advanced weaponry could speed American pullout

(Newser) - Iraq’s military wants to buy 36 F-16 fighter planes from the US in an effort to cut its dependence on American air power, the Wall Street Journal reports. The multi-billion-dollar purchase could speed the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, but neighboring nations may worry about the presence of...

Pentagon May Prevent Petraeus From Testifying

General's views may not gel with brass' assessment

(Newser) - When David Petraeus next comes to Washington, he won’t be speaking on Capitol Hill, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Pentagon officials have denied requests for more hearings with the Iraq commander because they’re not sure they’ll agree with his recommendations. Petraeus has been criticized for being too...

US Ground Forces Raid Pakistan Outposts

Angry Pakistan protests first incursion by American commandos

(Newser) - American commandos raided al-Qaeda encampments inside Pakistan yesterday, the New York Times reports. The US has carried out air strikes in the region before but this is the first acknowledged ground raid inside Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, long suspected of being the hideout of Osama Bin Laden. The commandos were...

US Hands Anbar Province to Iraqis

Military cedes control of largest region in Iraq

(Newser) - The American military is finally handing over control of Anbar province, once the center of the Sunni insurgency, to Iraqi forces today. Once one of Iraq's most dangerous regions, Anbar was transformed as Sunni militants allied themselves with the US. The transfer of Anbar, delayed several times, brings the number...

Bush Ordered Troop Surge Over Internal Opposition

State Dept., Pentagon, military leaders were split over plan

(Newser) - President Bush’s 2007 addition of 20,000 troops in Iraq helped stabilize the country —but advisers didn’t support the idea until the situation there looked like “civil war,” in the CIA’s words. Instead, the Pentagon wanted to shift responsibilities to Iraqi troops; the State...

US, Pakistan Hold Secret Security Meet

Army officials hash out border problems

(Newser) - A group of top US and Pakistani military officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and David Petraeus, met in secret aboard an aircraft carrier Tuesday to discuss the deteriorating situation along the Afghan border, the New York Times reports. The US has been frustrated lately by the Taliban’...

Army School Gets Dropouts Ready to Serve

Military needs more eligible recruits to fill its ranks

(Newser) - The US Army today opened its first prep school to prepare high school dropouts for military service, the AP reports. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not enough eligible recruits, the Army wants unqualified prospects to earn their GEDs. "Only three out of every 10 people of military...

Troop Brain Injuries Often Overlooked

Wounded suffer blast affects that stump medical experts

(Newser) - An alarming number of US veterans are returning home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering long-term effects from concussions, the New York Times reports. Half of those who have suffered concussions quickly recover, but others have symptoms—including memory loss and mood swings—that can resurface months after the...

US Will Be Out of Iraq by 2011, PM Says

Maliki firm on 'fixed date,' though US says deal isn't finalized

(Newser) - The US has agreed to a timeline that forces all foreign troops out of Iraq by 2011 as part of a proposed pact, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said today. "There is an agreement actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date, which is the end...

Iraq Security Deal Has US Troops Out of Cities By July

Legal immunity remains sticking point in pact yet to be approved by either side

(Newser) - Negotiators for the US and Iraq have completed a draft security agreement that plans to have US forces out of Iraqi cities by June 30, and out of the country completely by the end of 2011, the AP reports. Negotiators also reached accord on the contentious issue of legal immunity...

Navy Accuses Sailors of Abusing Detainees

Six guards in Iraq face charges

(Newser) - The US Navy will court-martial six sailors who are charged with abusing detainees at a US prison camp in Iraq, Reuters reports. The sailors are accused of beating prisoners and confining them in an unventilated room with pepper spray, a Navy statement says.

US Contractor Bills in Iraq to Hit $100B

Workers outnumber troops, account for 20% of war spending

(Newser) - By the end of the year, the US will have spent $100 billion on private defense contractors in Iraq, a congressional report finds, showing more private-sector reliance than any previous wartime. Some 20% of funds spent on the war have gone to contractors, whose numbers are now greater than the...

Gates Plans to Double Size of Afghan Army

(Newser) - Robert Gates is backing a plan to pump $20 billion into Afghanistan’s army and restructure the command of NATO and US forces, in an effort to revamp the struggling war effort there. With American troops tied up in Iraq, Gates intends to almost double the size of the Afghan...

Osama Driver Gets 66 Months
 Osama Driver Gets 66 Months 
Aug 7, 2008 3:32 PM CDT

Osama Driver Gets 66 Months

But Hamdan will be eligible for release in about 5 months

(Newser) - Salim Hamdan, the driver for Osama bin Laden convicted of providing material support for terrorism, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison today, Reuters reports. The military jury's sentence takes into effect time served at Guantanamo Bay, making him eligible for release in about 5 months. The...

500th US Death a Troubling Omen in Afghan War

'Other' war claims 500 lives, now deadlier than Iraq conflict

(Newser) - The 500th American died in Afghanistan last month and the grim milestone has helped bring the conflict back to the forefront of the nation's consciousness, the New York Times writes. Afghanistan has long been overshadowed by the Iraq war, but enemy action killed over three times as many Americans in...

Iraqi Troops: 'We're Not Ready to Go It Alone'

Officers decry lack of equipment; US pushes independence

(Newser) - Iraq’s army has taken strides toward independence—but it still needs the help of American forces, say Iraqi troops and officers interviewed by the New York Times. “We are too many years behind other countries. We need the coalition forces until 2015,” said one officer. But American...

US Sending Foreign Inmates Home From Iraq

Repatriation 'in the works' for some of 200 fighters still in detention

(Newser) - Seeking to cut the number of detainees it holds, the US military has begun releasing foreign fighters captured in Iraq to their home countries, USA Today reports. The past two months have seen the first such releases, with some 15 detainees heading to Saudi Arabia and five to Egypt. The...

Retirement Plan Hurting US Military: Study

'Inequitable, inefficient' system handcuffs brass, needs overhaul

(Newser) - The retirement plan for the US military is "inequitable, inflexible, [and] inefficient," says a study released today by the Pentagon. It recommends the current system be swapped for a combination of cash and deferred compensation that kicks in with as few as 10 years of service, the Military...

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