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...

U.S.-Saudi diplomatic tension unlikely to fracture business ties

By Angus McDowall, Reuters

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's frustration with its main ally the United States over Middle East policy will not harm business relations or oil sales, despite a threat from its spy chief of a "...
Fearing retribution, Syrian minorities keep low profile in exile

By Humeyra Pamuk, Reuters

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - In a small park on the edge of old Istanbul's Eminonu square, women sit begging, Syrian passports in their outstretched hands, "Please help in the name of God" on sheets of paper...
Manila backtracks on South China Sea accusation against China

By Reuters

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino said on Wednesday the concrete blocks found on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea are "very old", backtracking on Manila's earlier...
Insight: French investigation into Kurdish murders eyes Turkey connections

By Nicholas Vinocur, Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) - French investigators trying to solve the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris have collected evidence about the chief suspect's connections to Turkey, four sources with...
Lawyer for accused al Qaeda figure says case will take months to prepare

By Luke Swiderski, Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The defense attorney for an alleged senior al Qaeda figure captured in Libya earlier this month said on Tuesday it will take several months to sort through hundreds of thousands...

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