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...

From Wasted Ammo to a Runaway Blimp, How the Pentagon Mismanaged $33 Billion

By Martin Matishak

The U.S. Defense Department could save itself a cool $33 billion if Pentagon leaders took a firmer hand with wasteful programs and imposed some basic budget discipline, according to a new think-tank...
Here’s Who ISIS Would Vote for in the US Presidential Election

By Riyadh Mohammed

Since the Paris attacks last November and the San Bernardino shootings a month later – the first directed by ISIS and the latter inspired by the terror group - the 2016 U.S. presidential candidates...
Half a Trillion for the Pentagon? Why Defense Spending Is Only Going Higher

By Martin Matishak

President Obama’s final Defense Department budget request shows that no matter who succeeds him in the Oval Office next year, Democrat or Republican, the Pentagon’s coffers will likely continue to...
How an Italian Air Force F-35 Beat the Pentagon to the Punch

By Martin Matishak

The Italian Air Force stole some of the Pentagon’s thunder last week when the foreign military service’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter made the aircraft’s first ever transatlantic flight.
The $800 Million Weapon the US Wants to Send to South Korea

By Martin Matishak

North Korea’s rocket launch this weekend has prompted the United States and South Korea to revive talks about placing a controversial missile defense system on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang claims...

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