US military

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Post-2014 Plan: Keep 10K Troops in Afghanistan

But Karzai must still agree

(Newser) - The White House has settled on the number of troops it wants to leave in Afghanistan post-2014: 10,000. Gen. John Allen had recommended keeping between 6,000 and 15,000 troops there after formal combat ends to train Afghan troops and fight terrorism. The Obama administration's final choice...

Petraeus Scandal Reveals 4-Star Generals' Swanky Lives

It's like being Jay-Z, says one expert

(Newser) - Huge mansions, private jets, drivers and security guards and gardeners and aides and chefs, presidential-size police convoys: These are the perks that come along with being a four-star general. The David Petraeus scandal shines a light on the swanky lifestyle he and other top military leaders enjoy—including benefits that,...

Securing Syria&#39;s Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops
Securing Syria's Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops
pentagon says
Nov 16, 2012 8:07 AM CST

Securing Syria's Chemical Arms Will Take 75K Troops

White House worries terrorists, Syrian gov't eyeing chemical stores

(Newser) - As Syria's brutal civil war beats on, the White House is growing ever more concerned about the country's large chemical weapon stash falling into terrorist hands—especially Hezbollah, which has set up training camps close to some storage sites. But if the United States wants to secure those...

Army Suicides Hit Dismal Milestone

As of October, 2012 numbers higher than 2011

(Newser) - As of October, there were 166 suspected Army suicides this year; that's already one more than the total number for 2011. October itself saw 20 suspected suicides, up from 15 in September. That month, an increasingly concerned Army had soldiers suspend their duties to talk about suicide prevention, the...

Afghanistan Vets' Silent Killer: Fungus in Soil

It gets into their bodies in IED blasts

(Newser) - Doctors are struggling to deal with a fungal infection that's complicating the recovery of some of the most severely wounded US veterans. The fungus is thought to exist in the Afghan soil and to infect troops when they're wounded by IEDs, USA Today explains. Often, such explosions result...

Top General Emailed Woman in Petraeus Scandal

Pentagon investigating John Allen's links to Jill Kelley

(Newser) - David Petraeus' sex scandal just got a lot bigger. The Pentagon has revealed that it is investigating Gen. John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, for allegedly sending "inappropriate communications" to Jill Kelley, Petraeus' other other woman. The FBI referred the matter to the Pentagon on Sunday, Leon...

US Nears Decision on Post-2014 Afghan Presence

Gen. John Allen's recommendations under review as scandal grabs him

(Newser) - In the coming weeks, the US will make a decision on the number of troops to remain in Afghanistan after the planned drawdown in 2014, Reuters reports. "My hope is that we'll be able to complete this process in the next few weeks," says Defense Secretary Leon...

Number of Homeless Vets Down Sharply

But can administration make it zero by 2015?

(Newser) - The Obama administration has vowed to end homelessness among military veterans by 2015 and while some advocates call that pledge unrealistic, there has been undeniable progress made over the last few years, the AP finds. Veterans Affairs officials estimate the number of homeless vets has dropped by 15,000 since...

Obama: &#39;It Falls to Us&#39; to Care for Vets
 Obama: 
 'It Falls to Us' 
 to Care for Vets 
VETERANS DAY
Nov 11, 2012 12:33 PM CST

Obama: 'It Falls to Us' to Care for Vets

President hails servicemembers at Arlington

(Newser) - Speaking at the final resting spot of thousands of America's servicemembers, President Obama paid tribute to Veterans Day today with a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and a vow to do more to take care of those who have served. "No ceremony or parade, no hug...

Vital Field Records Missing From Iraq, Afghan Wars

ProPublica: It slows down vets' claims, worries historians

(Newser) - Historians might have a hard time piecing together the battles of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars because huge swaths of military field records are missing, reports ProPublica . What's worse, those lost records make it harder for vets to claim medical benefits. The Army is the worst offender, but the...

Aide: General Threatened to Kill Me if I Revealed Affair

Army captain testifies against Jeffrey Sinclair

(Newser) - The military hearing for an Army general accused of sex crimes involving female subordinates began this week, and an Army captain who allegedly had a 3-year affair with Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair testified yesterday that Sinclair threatened to kill her if she revealed the relationship. She admitted that, "in...

US Servicemen Arrested in Japan Rape
 US Sailor 
 Admits Rape: 
 Japan Police 
UPDATED
Oct 17, 2012 11:16 AM CDT

US Sailor Admits Rape: Japan Police

Tensions already high over American aircraft deployment

(Newser) - A US sailor has confessed to rape, Japanese police say, after he and a fellow sailor were arrested early yesterday on the southern island of Okinawa. Seaman Christopher Browning and Petty Officer 3rd Class Skyler Dozierwalker were arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting and robbing a 27-year-old local woman, who...

Our Military Muscle Is a Wasteful Trap
 Our Military Muscle 
 Is a Wasteful Trap 
OPINION
Oct 9, 2012 12:05 PM CDT

Our Military Muscle Is a Wasteful Trap

But US leaders can't seem to think outside the box: Tom Englehardt

(Newser) - Our leaders in Washington—and this applies to Democrats and Republicans—are stuck on "militarized autopilot," writes Tom Englehardt in the Los Angeles Times . Consider that America "spends as much on its military as the next 14 powers (mostly allies) combined," he writes. With that kind...

19 in Military File Suit Over Alleged Rapes

Lawsuit targets defense secretaries for 'ignoring' cases

(Newser) - Nineteen US military service members have filed suit over rapes they say were ignored by the military, the Daily Beast reports. Following a lawsuit in March by eight women—and the conviction of an Air Force instructor this summer—the new lawsuit targets past and present secretaries of defense for...

Army General Charged With Sex Crimes

Sinclair faces possible court-martial on charges including forcible sodomy

(Newser) - An Army general who served as deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division has been charged with sex crimes and with having inappropriate relationships with female subordinates in Afghanistan, reports CNN . Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, who was relieved of his command and returned home to Fort Bragg in May, faces...

Ex-Generals: This Generation Is 'Too Fat to Fight'

Recruits weigh in, wash out

(Newser) - Lean, mean fighting machines are a thing of the past when it comes to America. Fat is currently where it's at, and that's not a good thing for the US military, a group of 100 retired generals and admirals conclude in a new report. "Being overweight or...

Canada Deports Iraq War Objector to US

Kimberly Rivera faces years in jail for desertion

(Newser) - A soldier who fled the US to avoid serving a second tour in Iraq has lost her fight to stay in Canada. Kimberly Rivera complied with a deportation order yesterday and was arrested and transferred to military custody as soon as she crossed the American border, reports the Globe and ...

US Ends 26-Year Ban on New Zealand Warships

Panetta pledges closer ties with Kiwis

(Newser) - Leon Panetta has patched up a Reagan-era rift between the US and New Zealand. The defense secretary announced that the US is lifting a ban on Kiwi warships in its ports that has been in place since 1986, reports the BBC . The ban was introduced after New Zealand declared itself...

Last US 'Surge' Troops Leave Afghanistan

33K that went over 2 years ago are now out of the country

(Newser) - Nearly two years after President Obama ordered 33,000 more US troops to Afghanistan to tamp down the escalating Taliban violence, the last of those surge troops have left the country, US officials said today. The withdrawal leaves 68,000 American forces in the war zone. The number peaked at...

Military Drinking a &#39;Public Health Crisis&#39;
 Military Drinking a 
 'Public Health Crisis' 
study says
Sep 18, 2012 6:56 AM CDT

Military Drinking a 'Public Health Crisis'

New study finds 20% of troops drank heavily in 2008

(Newser) - Substance abuse in the US military has escalated to the point that it is now a "public health crisis," according to a new report. The Defense Department requested the analysis by the Institute of Medicine, which found that:
  • Around 20% of active-duty troops said they drank heavily in
...

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