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...

Obama at War with His Own Argument over Syria

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

President Obama’s case for punishing Syria for the use of chemical weapons is at war with itself. Supporters will applaud the nuanced reasoning in his prime time White House address on Tuesday night...
Would You Buy a Used Car from Putin the ‘Peacenik'?

By Eric Pianin

Lawmakers are pondering the unthinkable now: Trusting Vladimir Putin. Just a few weeks ago, the surly Russian president was a Super Bowl ring-stealing kleptocrat who offered safe haven to National...
The True Costs of Striking Syria – and of Fracking

By Steven Brill, Reuters

This article in Defense News estimates that if President Obama attacks Syria the cost would likely be "hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons," including $1.4 million for each Raytheon Tomahawk...
Syrian forces responsible for Banias massacres: U.N. report

By Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. rights investigators have established that Syrian government forces were almost certainly responsible for two massacres last May in which up to 450 civilians were killed, a...
US Airways, American defend planned merger in court filing

By Diane Bartz, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US Airways defended its proposed merger with American Airlines on Tuesday, arguing that the deal would create $500 million in savings to consumers annually by building a...

Search form