US MILITARY FORCES, THE PENTAGON, & INTELLIGENCE :

BBC News, 27 Jul 10, by Gabriel Gatehouse
US 'fails to account' for Iraq reconstruction billions
'The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says the US Department of Defence is unable to account properly for 96% of the money [it received to help rebuild Iraq].'

BBC News, 27 Jul 10
Afghanistan war leak papers will take 'weeks to assess'
'The US military has said it could take weeks to determine the impact of the leak of more than 90,000 classified military records.'

Washington Post, 15 Jul 10, by Greg Miller and Thomas Erdbrink
U.S. paid Iranian nuclear scientist $5 million for aid to CIA, officials say
'The Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed to have been abducted by the CIA before departing for his homeland Wednesday was paid more than $5 million by the agency to provide intelligence on Iran's nuclear program, U.S. officials said.'

New York Times, 26 Jun 10
A Year at War
[video] 'Some 30,000 American soldiers are taking part in the Afghanistan surge. Here are the stories of the men and women of First Battalion, 87th Infantry of the 10th Mountain Division.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jun 10, by Dan Murphy
Afghanistan war: Top three challenges facing General Petraeus
'Topping General Petraeus' to-do list in the Afghanistan war: Making his own counterinsurgency strategy work in Afghanistan where General McChrystal could not.'

Washington Post, 01 Jul 10, by Greg Jaffe and Craig Whitlock
Pentagon recommends Medal of Honor for a living soldier
'The Pentagon has recommended that the White House consider awarding the Medal of Honor to a living soldier for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to U.S. officials.'

Washington Post, 01 Jul 10, by Michael E. Ruane
Army ready to take drastic action to clear up record-keeping at Arlington Cemetery
'The secretary of the Army said Wednesday that officials were prepared to dig up graves, open caskets and take DNA samples from the deceased if it is necessary to sort out the record-keeping chaos at Arlington National Cemetery.'

New York Times, 22 Jun 10, by Dexter Filkins
In Afghanistan, as in Iraq, a New Breed of Commander Stepped In
'Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal modeled himself as one of a new kind of American military leader: intellectual, open with the press and politically savvy.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 10, by Howard LaFranchi
General McChrystal: Rolling Stone story a sign of frustration?
'The remarks by General McChrystal in Rolling Stone magazine reflect mounting frustration all around with an Afghanistan war effort seemingly in growing disarray – although that doesn’t excuse the conduct, experts say.'

Washington Post, 22 Jun 10, by Ernesto Londoño
Top allied commander apologizes for magazine profile
'The top U.S. general in Afghanistan apologized Tuesday for a magazine article that portrays him and his staff as flippant and dismissive of top Obama administration officials involved in Afghanistan policy.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 10, by Tom A. Peter
General McChrystal's Rolling Stone gaffe gets shrugs on front lines
'General McChrystal's comments to Rolling Stone may be rocking Washington, but soldiers in Afghanistan downplay the impact.'

New York Times, 22 Jun 10, by C.J. Chivers
General Faces Unease Among His Own Troops, Too
'As levels of violence in Afghanistan climb, there is a palpable and building sense of unease among troops surrounding one of the most confounding questions about how to wage the war: when and how lethal force should be used.'

Washington Post, 19 Jun 10, by Craig Whitlock
U.S. military criticized for purchase of Russian copters for Afghan air corps
'The U.S. government is snapping up Russian-made helicopters to form the core of Afghanistan's fledgling air force, a strategy that is drawing flak from members of Congress who want to force the Afghans to fly American choppers instead.'

Washington Post, 22 Jun 10, by Eric Athas
Sand flies infect U.S. forces with parasite that leaves them with 'Baghdad Boil'
'... as more U.S. troops make their way into Afghanistan, doctors and military personnel are warning that the number of cases could tick back up.'

PBS NewsHour, 10 Jun 10, by Dave Gustafson
More Tombs of the Unknown? Army Admits Misidentifications at Arlington
'The Army plans a more thorough investigation of the gravesites in question.'

New York Times, 12 Jun 10, by C.J. Chivers
As Afghan Fighting Expands, U.S. Medics Plunge In
'Nearly nine years into the Afghan war, with the number of troops here climbing toward 100,000, the pace for air crews that retrieve the wounded has become pitched.'

NPR, 08 Jun 10, by T. Christian Miller and Daniel Zwerdling
Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries
'Officially, military figures say about 115,000 troops have suffered mild traumatic brain injuries since the wars began. But top Army officials acknowledged in interviews that those statistics likely understate the true toll. Tens of thousands of troops with such wounds have gone uncounted, according to unpublished military research obtained by NPR and ProPublica.'

New York Times 'Home Fires', 10 Jun 10, by Michael D. Fay
Drawing Fire: Remains of the Day
'In 2005, then Chief Warrant Officer Michael D. Fay traveled to Iraq in his capacity as official Marine Corps artist. There he fought with Marines engaged in Operation Steel Curtain against insurgents along the Euphrates River, and documented the events in sketches, photographs and audio recordings.'

Washington Post, 13 Jun 10, by Greg Jaffe
'Don't ask, don't tell' law's expected repeal creates strange state of limbo
'Although it seems unlikely that changes to the policy will go into effect before next year, front-line troops, their commanders and others are already preparing themselves for the law's demise.'

Washington Post, 04 Jun 10, by Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe
U.S. 'secret war' expands globally as Special Operations forces take larger role
'Beneath its commitment to soft-spoken diplomacy and beyond the combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Obama administration has significantly expanded a largely secret U.S. war against al-Qaeda and other radical groups ...'

Washington Post, 03 Jun 10, by Peter Finn
U.N. official urges U.S. to stop CIA drone attacks on al-Qaeda and Taliban
'... charging that the secrecy surrounding the strikes violates the legal principle of international accountability.'

The Telegraph, 03 Jun 10
How drones work
'Under President Barack Obama, the CIA has stepped up its drone strikes in the tribal zone of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, raising questions about their usage.'

Washington Post, 26 May 10, by Walter Pincus
Pentagon will seek bids to supply jet fuel at air base in Kyrgyzstan
'The Defense Energy Support Center, which buys fuel for the Defense Department, said it would need roughly 120 million gallons of Russian jet fuel a year to be delivered to Manas air base ...'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 10, by Howard LaFranchi
Obama to West Point grads: Success in Iraq, progress in Afghanistan
'President Obama told graduating cadets at the West Point military academy that America’s security abroad must be matched by a revitalized US economy.'

Washington Post, 09 May 10, by Joshua Partlow
Tensions between Eikenberry, McChrystal will be focus of their Washington visit
'... they have had significant disagreements over the course of the Afghanistan war and have struggled to align their visions for how to work with Karzai's government, according to interviews with U.S., NATO and Afghan officials. Few critics suggest that those differences have harmed U.S. interests in Afghanistan.'

Asia Times, 12 May 10, by Peter J Brown
US satellites shadow China's submarines
'The next wave of United States spy satellites will likely include advanced technology to detect newer, quieter Chinese submarines that are difficult to track with sonar. By linking its powerful space-based sensors with those mounted on warships, submarines and underwater and airborne drones, the US could form a frighteningly clear picture of the traffic under the world's oceans.'

New York Times/AP, 13 May 10
Warrior Games Give Injured Vets Kinship, Strength
'... the U.S. military's first Warrior Games for wounded servicemen and women at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.'

New York Times, 07 May 10, by Julia Preston
Illegal Status of Army Spouses Often Leads to Snags
'Immigration lawyers and Department of Homeland Security officials say that many thousands of people in the military have spouses or close relatives who are illegal immigrants. Many of those service members have fought to gain legal status for their family members — only to hit a legal dead end created in 1996, when Congress last made major revisions to the immigration laws.'

New York Times, 27 Apr 10, by Mark Mazzetti
U.S. Begins Inquiry on Spy Network in Pakistan
'Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has opened an inquiry into whether a top Defense Department official violated Pentagon rules by setting up a network of private contractors to gather intelligence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.'

BBC News, 29 Apr 10
US releases damning Afghan report ahead of Karzai visit
'The US defence department has said that only a quarter of what it regards as key regions in Afghanistan support the government of President Hamid Karzai.'

New York Times, 24 Apr 10, by James Dao and Dan Frosch
Feeling Warehoused in Army Trauma Care Units
'Created in the wake of the scandal in 2007 over serious shortcomings at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Warrior Transition Units were intended to be sheltering way stations where injured soldiers could recuperate and return to duty or gently process out of the Army.'

New York Times, 20 Apr 10, by Elisabeth Bumiller
Gates Calls for Easing Limits on Exports
'The defense secretary’s call for an overhaul of the nation’s export control system was well received at a gathering of military contractors.'

Christian Science Monitor, 20 Apr 10, by Gordon Lubold
Air Force to launch X-37 space plane: Precursor to war in orbit?
'The Air Force is to launch the first test flight of the X-37 pilotless space plane Wednesday. It's meant to stay aloft for months, but its mission is secret, leading some to worry about its purpose.'

PBS NewsHour, 21 Apr 10
Pentagon's F-35 Fighter Under Fire in Congress
'The Defense Department is waging a battle over the increasing price of its new stealth aircraft program. Kwame Holman reports on why the Joint Strike Fighter program, which was supposed to save the military money, is taking fire in Washington.'

Voice of America, 21 Apr 10, by Meredith Buel
US Admiral: Commercial Ships Need Armed Guards to Fight Pirates
'U.S. Admiral Mark Fitzgerald ... "It is up to the commercial industry to figure out how to deal with this. But I do not think that we can give them a 100 percent guarantee that we can protect them, nor should we."'

New York Times, 15 Apr 10
Attacks on Military Computers Cited
'... that one crucial reason that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates created a Cyber Command was “the amount of attacks that we’re seeing coming into the Defense Department gateways every day.”'

Washington Post, 22 Apr 10, by Craig Whitlock
Plans to allow women and gays, ban smoking shake world of Navy submarines
'Navy and Pentagon officials said the timing of the changes was coincidental but necessary.'

Washington Post, 08 Apr 10, by Craig Whitlock
U.S. looks to nonnuclear weapons to use as deterrent
'As the White House pushes for cuts in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, the Pentagon is developing a weapon to help fill the gap: missiles armed with conventional warheads that could strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour.'

Washington Post, 01 Apr 10, by Dana Hedgpeth
Extension of bidding would give European firm shot at Air Force contract
'The Pentagon said Wednesday it would extend the deadline by 60 days for submitting bids to build the U.S. Air Force a fleet of new aerial refueling tankers, giving European Aeronautic Defence and Space a chance to enter the competition if it chooses.'

New York Times, 31 Mar 10, by Stephen Farrell and Elisabeth Bumiller
When Military Moves a War, There Are No Shortcuts
'In trying to speed 30,000 reinforcements into Afghanistan while reducing American forces in Iraq by 50,000, American commanders are orchestrating one of the largest movements of troops and matériel since World War II.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar 10, by David R. Francis
Defense budget: After Afghanistan and Iraq withdrawal, a peace dividend?
'An Afghanistan and Iraq withdrawal could trim billions of dollars from the US defense budget.'

Washington Post, 21 Mar 10, by Peter Finn and Joby Warrick
Under Panetta, a more aggressive CIA
'Stepped-up drone strikes and assaults on al-Qaeda operatives earn agency director praise, criticism.'

New York Times, 16 Mar 10, by Thom Shanker
Obama Restores Former Pentagon Line of Succession
'White House and Defense Department officials said the new executive order was intended to restore Pentagon succession to its traditional pattern and to render a sequence based on the office, not on the personality in that position at any given time.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar 10, by Allan Richarz
To win the war in Afghanistan, the US military has to beat the Taliban at the propaganda game
'With effective PR, the US military could win the war in Afghanistan.'

Washington Post, 09 Mar 10, by Craig Whitlock
Pentagon resists Army's desire to stop development of MEADS missile system
'Another battle is brewing at the Pentagon over a costly weapons program that many military leaders do not want but that so far has proven difficult to kill.'

Government Executive, 03 Mar 10, by Robert Brodsky
Army awards KBR more work in Iraq
'Days after the Army announced that KBR Inc. would not receive $20 million in award fee bonuses because of poor performance in Iraq, the Defense Department contractor has won a multimillion-dollar task order to care for U.S troops as they begin the process of exiting the war-torn country.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar 10, by Gordon Lubold
Decades later, women pilots from World War II get their due
'WASPS – Women Airforce Service Pilots – received the Congressional Gold Medal for the missions they flew during World War II.'

Washington Post, 14 Mar 10, by Carrie Johnson
Critics: Military trial of terror suspects could open cases to legal uncertainty
'Using a military commission to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants for their alleged role in the Sept. 11 attacks could open the case to significant legal uncertainty and expose fresh details of detainee abuse in a proceeding that might not get underway for two years or longer, national security experts and plan critics say.'

• Veterans History Project
• NewsHour : Base Realignments and Closures
• Knight Ridder : Veterans Issues

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