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...

Special Report: Left to fight alone, Afghanistan battles to save wounded

By Krista Mahr, Reuters

LASHKAR GAH Afghanistan (Reuters) - Omar Gul was on duty at a remote police checkpoint in Helmand's restive district of Sangin when the station came under fire. It was a warm night in mid-September...
West African bloc presses Burkina for civilian leader

By Kwasi Kpodo, Reuters

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Three West African presidents urged Burkina Faso on Wednesday to appoint a civilian transitional leader within days to guide the country to elections next year following the...
Global court says will not investigate Israeli raid on Turkish flotilla

By Thomas Escritt, Reuters

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - International prosecutors believe Israeli soldiers may have committed war crimes during a raid that killed nine Turkish activists in 2010, but have decided the case is beyond...
Senior al Qaeda operative killed in U.S. strike in Yemen: sources

By Mohammed Ghobari, Reuters

SANAA (Reuters) - A senior al Qaeda leader wanted by the United States and an area commander of its local affiliate, Ansar al-Sharia, were killed in U.S. drone strikes in central Yemen overnight, the...
Britain says will send more army trainers to Iraq to help fight Islamic State

By Ilona Wissenbach and Saif Hameed and Michael Georgy, Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Britain will boost the number of its army trainers in Iraq in the coming weeks to support the Iraqi armed forces' battle against Islamic State militants, the British defense...

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