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...

The $37 Billion Lesson DOD Could Learn from IBM

By David Francis

A group of private sector advisers has urged the Pentagon to make changes similar to the ones that saved IBM in the mid-1990s. It remains unclear whether these private sector principles could apply...
The Relentless Tides of Afghan History

By Andrew L. Peek, The Fiscal Times

In the film Charlie Wilson’s War , there is a scene in which two Afghans, appropriately clumsy and unmilitary-looking, wrestle their new anti-aircraft weapon into position and fire it. The movie cuts...
Cory Remsburg’s Incredible War Story

By Pamela Engel, Business Insider

During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama recognized a U.S. Army Ranger who has been fighting to recover after a roadside bomb nearly killed him in Afghanistan. Sgt...
Turkey aims to scrap special courts in battle over judiciary

By Humeyra Pamuk, Reuters

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish government plans to abolish special courts which tried alleged coup plotters, it said on Wednesday, a move seen as part of the ruling AK Party's efforts to counter...
Israeli ruling coalition wobbles as U.S. peace proposal looms

By Jeffrey Heller, Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A pending U.S. framework proposal to propel stumbling Israeli-Palestinian peace talks forward chipped away on Wednesday at a troubled alliance between Prime Minister Benjamin...

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