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...

Pakistani Taliban splits as divisions grow within insurgency

By Javed Hussain and Saud Mehsud, Reuters

PARACHINAR/DERA ISMAIL KHAN Pakistan (Reuters) - The Pakistan Taliban split into two groups on Wednesday, highlighting growing divisions within the movement and diminishing the government's chances...
Voters Now Rate GOP Ahead of Dems on Foreign Policy

By Eric Pianin

A new Zogby Analytics poll reveals that Republicans are now considered to be superior to the Democrats in handling both national security – by 36 percent to 25 percent – and foreign affairs/diplomacy...
Despair and dread grip Syrian refugees on elections eve

By Alexander Dziadosz, Reuters

ANJAR Lebanon (Reuters) - A little over a week ago, Syrian refugees began to notice men going around the camps in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, asking who wanted to vote for president and taking down names...
Chemical weapons team in Syria attacked but safe: OPCW

By Anthony Deutsch and Dominic Evans, Reuters

AMSTERDAM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - A team of international experts investigating the alleged use of chlorine bombs in Syria came under attack on Tuesday but all members of the team were safe and returning...
Egypt's Sisi wins election, faces economic challenges

By Stephen Kalin and Maggie Fick, Reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Former Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a landslide victory in a presidential election on Thursday but a low turnout threatened to deprive him of the strong mandate he...

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