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...

Obama Goes on Attack Over Iran Letter

By Rob Garver

The Obama administration stepped up its verbal assault on Congressional Republicans who seem intent on ensuring an international agreement being negotiated with Iran over its nuclear program is...
How to Build a $400 Billion F-35 That Doesn’t Fly

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

T he Pentagon’s embattled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter continues to be plagued with so many problems that it can’t even pass the most basic requi rements needed to fly in combat, despite soaring roughly...
How ISIS Recruiters Target U.S. Immigrants

By Simon Hankinson, The Fiscal Times

In what is starting to seem like a slow, steady drip of ‘foreign fighter’ cases, six U.S. residents of Bosnian origin were arrested in early February and charged with conspiring to provide material...
Why the Military Wants to Restore Your Online Privacy

By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

The average, technologically connected American worker produces some 5,000 megabytes of digital data a day, enough to fill nine CD-ROMs. Only a small fraction of it is stored permanently or is...
DHS Whistleblowers Save $100 Million a Year

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

The Department of Homeland Security saved more than $83 million last year thanks to new reforms put in place after whistleblowers exposed widespread abuse of the agency’s federal overtime, according...

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