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...

Putin’s Dead Soldiers Are Evidence of His Deceit

By Rob Garver

As NATO estimates that thousands of Russians troops are serving in Ukraine and are dying there in “large” numbers, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to keep pretending Russia has no...
Why Congress Thinks Obama Isn’t a War President

By Rob Garver

Congress can’t seem to come together behind a plan authorizing the use of force against ISIS while, at the same time, members are annoyed with President Obama for not acting on the authority they...
Why Obama’s Iran Deal Could Die in Congress

By Rob Garver

As members of Congress call for immediate new sanctions on Iran and look for ways to scuttle a deal any nuclear deal they dislike, one arms control expert worries that they are damaging the ability...
Most Americans Want Obama to Send Ground Troops to Battle ISIS

By Eric Pianin

Public support appears to be growing for a greatly enhanced U.S. role in combatting ISIS jihadists. A new Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday shows that Americans by a margin of two-to-...
$65 Billion Later, U.S. Hands the Reins to a Weak Afghan Army

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

Since 2002, the United States has poured at least $65 billion into building up, training and equipping Afghan National Security Forces so they could stand up against insurgents once U.S. soldiers and...

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