Today, President Obama acknowledged the myriad terrorist threats around the world during his remarks at the National Defense University. Yet his description was much rosier than reality: “Today, the core of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat.” That point is debatable by itself, but it …
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has announced that the 800,000 civilian Department of Defense (DOD) employees scheduled for furloughs will take only 11 days without pay. This amounts to half the originally planned furlough of 22 days for civilians in the DOD. While this reduction may keep the DOD operating …
Fox News’ Allison Barrie lauded the F-35 program recently, saying: Last Friday, the U.S. Marine Corps’ VMFAT-501 training squadron in Florida’s Eglin AFB launched its first F-35B eight-ship, flew a mission, hot-pit refueled and went back up again. This mission is the latest in a series of promising steps forward …
Even as the U.S. withdraws from Iraq and Afghanistan, the world has certainly not become a safer place. North Korea continues to advance its ballistic missile capabilities, the conflict in Syria has grown increasingly violent, and Iran threatens the U.S. constantly with its developing nuclear program and its daily barrage …
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Wednesday that he has ordered the deployment of U.S. troops to work with Jordan’s military to “improve readiness and prepare for a number of scenarios” related to Syria. The Army will send up to 200 personnel, including intelligence and communications specialists, from the headquarters of …
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing this week, U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos admitted that the Marines will be “very, very strained to be a one-MCO [major contingency operation] Marine Corps” under sequestration budget cuts. MCOs refer to the ability to engage in a major war or …
A recent Washington Post op-ed asked the question, “[C]an the U.S. rely on SOF [Special Operations Forces] power?” As the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, and a combination of defense budget reductions and isolationist sentiments reduce America’s military presence, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) intends to expand its “non-kinetic” actions across …
Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave his first major speech since he was confirmed for the job in February. “The Department must understand the challenges and uncertainties, plan for the risks, and, yes, recognize the opportunities inherent in budget constraints and more efficient and effective restructuring,” he said. Secretary …
