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...

Civil War at 150: Debt Lessons from Lincoln

By Sarah Stodola, The Fiscal Times

150 years ago, the United States entered into war with itself, embarking on what would become a four-year-long conflict and one of the country’s early major fiscal tests.
Pentagon Budget Becomes Major Bargaining Chip

By Elaine S. Povich, The Fiscal Times

Republicans are urging the Democrats to immediately agree to final defense spending levels for the remainder of the fiscal year, even as talks drag on over billions of dollars of cuts in domestic...
Libya: What’s Really Behind the U.S. Action

By Liz Peek

Self interest is at the core of diplomacy. Therefore, the acknowledged lack of apparent U.S. self interest in containing Gaddafi’s troops in Libya has led some to question our military intervention...
Obama: 'Our Interests and Values' at Stake in Libya

By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times

President Obama argued in a major speech that U.S. “interests and values” were at stake in his decision nine days ago to join with allies in a military intervention in Libya, but vowed that this...
Gaddafi's Forces Dig into Populated Areas

By SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN, The Washington Post

OUTSIDE AJDABIYA, Libya — An American fighter jet participating in the U.S.-led airstrikes in Libya malfunctioned on Monday, and both its crew members ejected safely before it crashed on Libyan soil...

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