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...

Clinton backs drones after al Qaeda figure killed

By Arshad Mohammed, Reuters

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday implicitly defended Washington's use of drone strikes to kill suspected militants, just days after one of the aircraft killed...
Swimming off Mogadishu, a sense of hope

By Richard Lough, Reuters

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean were too much to resist. I jumped out of my clothes, hopped over the crumbling sea wall and waded out into the frothing waves. After all...
Panetta calls for deep U.S.-India defense ties, more arms trade

By David Alexander, Reuters

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Defense Secretary Leon Panetta promised on Wednesday to let India buy America's best weapons technology and jointly produce and develop equipment in a bid to increase trade...
CBO Warns of Looming Fiscal Crisis as Debt Soars

By Eric Pianin

A new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office projects that the federal debt will reach nearly 70 percent of GDP by the end of the year – the highest percentage since shortly after World War II,...
Wisconsin a big setback to unions in benefits battles

By James B. Kelleher, Reuters

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker's recall election victory and votes to curb pensions in two California cities are set to embolden political leaders across the United...

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