All Security
Is US vulnerable to EMP attack? A doomsday warning, and its skepticsFormer CIA Director Woolsey tells Congress of a doomsday scenario in which a nuclear-blast-triggered electromagnetic pulse takes down the US power grid, leading to starvation and death. Some experts decry 'hysteria' over EMPs.
As Iraq crisis deepens, veterans wonder: Was it worth it?Veterans of the Iraq war are troubled by the advance of the Islamic State. Some feel their sacrifices were all for naught, others say it's time for Iraq to stand on its own.
What’s going wrong with rebuilding Afghanistan? Inspector general has a list.The office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, in its latest report on the $104 billion project, takes the Pentagon and Afghanistan government to task for a broad range of questionable policies.
Three ways Middle East fighting threatens US national security Pentagon analysts are grappling with what this growing unrest in the Middle East means for US national security. Here are the top three ways the advance of the insurgent group the Islamic State in Iraq and violence in Gaza could endanger US national security.
US is no safer after 13 years of war, a top Pentagon official saysThe outgoing head of the Defense Intelligence Agency says that new players on the scene are more radical than Al Qaeda, and the core Al Qaeda ideology has lost none of its potency.
Survey: many combat vets worried about exposure to ‘burn pits’Burn pits are open-air areas where the US military burned water bottles and plastic-foam cups, as well as human and medical waste. The VA has set up a registry for troops to detail their concerns.
Survey: A third of Iraq, Afghanistan vets have considered suicideSome 2,000 combat vets surveyed by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America reported 'the crisis with suicide' as their number one concern.
The march of ISIS in Iraq: Can Pentagon advisers help stop it?Despite the collapse of Iraqi defenses in June, there are still 'extremely capable' units in Iraq that the US 'should not write off,' a top State Department official tells Congress.
Nominee Robert McDonald: VA can be fixed with 'urgent action'Former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald says he aims to use his experience digitizing that company to help the embattled VA free up people to take better care of veterans.
Medal of Honor: Wounded and alone, 'one American held the line'Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts was awarded America’s most revered military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his remarkable valor in one of the bloodiest battles of the 13-year war in Afghanistan.
Drones in the hands of Hamas: How worrisome is that?Hamas this week showed it has drones at its disposal, forcing Israel to use a Patriot missile to shoot down one that had entered its airspace. Its drones are low-tech, but they have the attention of US defense analysts.
If Ukrainian rebels hit Malaysian plane, where'd they get the missile?Some defense experts say it's likely Russia has provided Ukrainian rebels with surface-to-air weapons capable of taking down the Malaysian passenger plane. Pentagon officials say they cannot confirm that.
US commander in Afghanistan sees 'significant' risk of Al Qaeda returningGen. Joseph Dunford, the top US commander in Afghanistan, tells senators he is 'not confident' the Afghan security forces will be able to sustain themselves after US troops leave.
Military ramps up use of underwater drones. What do they do?Underwater drones have scientific and civilian uses, like the search for the missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370. Militaries, too, see them as an increasingly useful tool.
Bowe Bergdahl hires lawyer, investigators to question him in 'near future'Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who is under investigation for the circumstances surrounding his capture by the Taliban, has reached out to Eugene Fidell, a full-time lecturer on military justice at Yale Law School.
Michelle Howard: Navy's first four-star female admiral a trailblazerMichelle Howard has set many firsts during her 32-year career and was involved with the famous operation to free the crew of the Maersk Alabama from Somali pirates.
New VA chief Bob McDonald: West Point grad with strong business backgroundPresident Obama is expected to name Bob McDonald Monday as the new head of the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs. McDonald has a military background, but it is his experience as a corporate CEO that likely will prove most useful.
Report: VA had 'corrosive culture' and 'chronic systemic failures'The latest in a series of investigations into scandal at the US Department of Veterans Affairs finds “significant” failures and a culture leading to long wait times for treatment.
- US drone killings: 'a secret war governed by secret law'?
A task force of former top Pentagon officials concludes that US 'heavy reliance' on targeted killings for counterterrorism 'risks increasing instability and escalating conflicts.'
Pentagon clarifies what could happen to Bowe Bergdahl if he went AWOLThe Pentagon has not yet begun its investigation into the circumstances that led to the capture of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. But the Pentagon explained what it will be looking into and how that could affect the sergeant.
