All Security

President Obama's aggressive campaign of drone strikes has generated controversy overseas and among terrorism experts. But Americans seem fine with it, according to a Monitor/TIPP poll.

The judge in the Nidal Hasan murder trial ruled Monday that he can represent himself at trial. Hasan's only motivation is likely a desire to use the trial as an ideological platform, legal experts say.

In the latest in a string of sexual assault cases in the military, US Naval Academy football players are accused of assaulting a female midshipman. More such victims are publicly telling their stories, and in Congress, women are leading the way to prevent such attacks.

After long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, analysts say, the military justice system may well be primed to offer lenient sentencing for crimes when post-traumatic stress disorder is seen as a factor.

Reports suggest the Pentagon is preparing no-fly zone plans for Syria, but experts and Pentagon officials say such a strategy might not accomplish much.

A new report suggests that many advanced US weapons systems have been hacked, and experts say China was behind the cyberattacks. If there were a war with China, the weapons might not be reliable.

The number of Americans who serve in the US military – especially those sent to combat – has gone down dramatically in recent years. Critics say civilians need to assume more responsibility for the moral burden of war as well as for the other costs of fighting.

President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have stressed to graduates of the US military academies that rampant rates of sexual assault could corrode the force.

Sexual assault is growing in the US military, addressed by President Obama and Defense Secretary Hagel in speeches to young officers. 'This scourge must be stamped out,' Hagel said.

President Obama this week tentatively opened the door to the establishment of a drone court, to provide greater accountability for drone strikes on Al Qaeda affiliates abroad. The idea is drawing mixed reviews.

In a speech Thursday, President Obama acknowledged some of the complexities involved in the drone war. A new presidential directive released this week says that the Pentagon, rather than the CIA, should ‘have the lead for the use of force.’

For the second time in two weeks, a military official tasked with combating sex assault has been accused of sexual assault. All military sex assault counselors must now undergo retraining.

The sequester budget cuts have led the Pentagon to force the majority of its civilian workers to take unpaid leave – but the blow isn't as bad as it could have been.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says that sexual assault allegations in the military are so alarming that they could hurt the Pentagon's ability to recruit and retain 'the good people we need.' Critics are pushing for reform.

Even as the Pentagon prepared to report a dramatic increase in sexual assaults in the military, the officer in charge of the Air Force prevention program was alleged to have groped a woman.

Some US lawmakers want the US to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, questioned Tuesday whether that would do much to reduce Syrian attacks on civilians, never mind that it won't be easy.

Once again, the Pentagon wants to scrap a weapon – in this case, the Abrams tank – that Congress has an interest in preserving. But with 'sequester' cuts, the tradeoff will be civilian furloughs.

Pentagon officials say they are still trying to confirm reports that Syria has used chemical weapons against civilians, but that they are preparing a military option for any outcome.

Belligerence by North Korea, coinciding with Kim Jong-un's ascent as leader, is likely to continue for a 'prolonged' period, Gen. Martin Dempsey said Wednesday after a trip to China. He believes China's military to be as 'concerned' as the US about North Korea's actions.