Defense

Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...
The Mysterious Threat to Pilots That the Pentagon Can’t Solve

By Ciro Scotti

Episodes of oxygen deprivation affecting the pilots of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet — and other military aircraft including the F-35 — are on the rise and remain an unsolved mystery.
What Game Theory Tells Us About Trump’s ‘Madman’ Approach to North Korea

By Rob Garver

Is Donald Trump out of his mind? Maybe he wants North Korea to think so.
Does the Army’s $580 Million Handgun Have a Fatal Flaw?

By Ciro Scotti

Last January, the Army made a $580 million decision: It would replace its longstanding sidearm, the M9 Beretta, with a new modular handgun made by the U.S. arm of the German-controlled gunsmith Sig...
Why the Escalating Threats Between Trump and Kim Won’t End in War

By Patrick Smith

The supercharged threats volleyed between President Trump and Kim Jong Un this week bring us closer to war with the North Korea than at any time since Pyongyang tested its first nuclear device in...

Here’s the Real State of the $1 Trillion U.S. Nuclear Upgrade

By David Francis

The American nuclear arsenal is just about the same as it was when Trump took office.
Here’s Why North Korea Put Guam in Its Crosshairs

By David Francis

Hours after President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never known, Pyongyang announced it is "examining the operational plan" to attack Guam, a tiny U.S...
Why the Price of the F-35 Keeps Soaring

By Ciro Scotti

The most costly fighter ever built is getting even more expensive. A new General Accounting Office report says the Pentagon will spend an additional $3.9 billion over the next five years on “...
The Media Has to Stop Provoking Trump’s Worst Instincts

By Rob Garver

For a man constantly boasting about his extraordinary negotiating prowess, President Trump made a pretty obvious rookie mistake on Tuesday, with his apocalyptic-sounding promise to deliver “fire and...
Five Things You Need to Know About Plans to Privatize the Afghan War

By David Francis

The White House is actively considering a plan to turn a big chunk of the war in Afghanistan over to private contractors. That’s according to Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater security firm, who...

U.N. hopes to retrieve peacekeepers from Syrian rebels on Saturday

By Dominic Evans and Michelle Nichols, Reuters

BEIRUT/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations hopes to retrieve 21 peacekeepers from Syrian rebels on Saturday during a two-hour truce agreed to by Syrian troops and opposition groups after a...
Exclusive: Brazil likely won't have new jets for World Cup

By Brian Winter and Anthony Boadle, Reuters

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has again delayed choosing a provider for 36 new Air Force jets, meaning the country likely won't have any next-generation fighters...
Beechcraft to protest U.S. Air Force decision on planes for Afghanistan

By Reuters

(Reuters) - Beechcraft Corp said it will formally protest to the U.S. Government Accountability Office the U.S. Air Force's decision to award the light air support contract to its Brazilian...
Sequestration: A Fiscal Diet That Won’t Fix the Deficit

By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

Every budget expert I know thinks the sequester is just about the stupidest way of cutting spending imaginable, because it cuts equally from fat, muscle and bone. I certainly agree, but today I want...
Senseless Federal Budget Cuts Can Hurt Innovation

By Blaire Briody, The Fiscal Times

As of the nation’s top science agencies and research universities are facing tough decisions on how to handle sequester cuts and reduced research grant opportunities, we take a look at 10 world-...

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