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...

40 Percent of “Used” Military Equipment Given to Police Is Brand New

By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

Republicans and Democrats in Congress have finally found something they agree on – attacking a Pentagon program that is approved yearly by lawmakers as part of the National Defense Authorization Act...
Dick Cheney: Build Up the Military, Get Aggressive Overseas

By Rob Garver

In a speech at the American Enterprise Institute, former Vice President Dick Cheney blasted President Obama for the existence of multiple global crises, and called for a build-up of the U.S. military...
‘Do Nothing Congress’ Wants In on Obama’s War on ISIS

By Rob Garver and Eric Pianin

A day before President Obama delivers a major speech laying out his strategy for defeating ISIS, members of Congress seemed torn between wanting to assert their authority on when the U.S. goes to war...
Why China is the Real Winner in Ukraine and Iraq

By David Francis

China is quietly benefiting from the crises in Ukraine and Iraq.
20 Facts About Baghdadi, the Elusive ISIS Leader

By Maureen Mackey, The Fiscal Times

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has emerged from the shadows of the Middle East to run ISIS, the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq. Yet this elusive 43-year-old man, “the most wanted man in the Middle East” as...

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