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...

$100 Billion in Aid Squandered in Afghanistan

By David Francis

Two U.S. backed-projects in Kandahar show how tens of billions of U.S. development dollars have been wasted in Afghanistan.
Can the Dow’s Record Rally Continue?

By Suzanne McGee, The Fiscal Times

Warren Buffett is buying. Investors are socking money into equity mutual funds. Even the Federal Reserve wants you to buy stocks – or at least, their policy of keeping interest rates at absurdly low...
Sixteen men given jail time in Afghan bank scandal

By Hamid Shalizi, Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan court handed down jail time on Tuesday to 16 of 22 men accused of involvement in a multi-million dollar bank fraud in sentences that will likely be seen as an affirmation...
Budget Breakthrough? Or Government Shutdown!

By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have ruled out the possibility of a government shutdown later this month, but they have been wrong before. In the latest chapter of Washington’s budget...
France says 15 militants killed overnight in Mali fighting

By Catherine Bremer, Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) - About 15 Islamist militants were killed by French and Chadian troops in fighting overnight in northern Mali's Ametetai valley, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on...

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