Pentagon

Stories 581 - 600 | << Prev   Next >>

Justice Memo Backed Torture Interrogations

President's wartime powers override law, document argued

(Newser) - Laws banning torture and assault should not apply to US military interrogators overseas, argues a 2003 Justice Department memo released yesterday. The Defense Department was told not to rely on the memo nine months after it was issued, but it established a legal foundation for controversial interrogations, the Washington Post...

Insignia of Our Secret Armies
 Insignia of Our Secret Armies 
Apr 1, 2008 4:44 PM CDT

Insignia of Our Secret Armies

Classified military world comes to light in new book

(Newser) - The men and women who work in our country’s most classified weapons and intelligence R&D programs—the New York Times calls them "stealthy armies of high-tech warriors"—have developed their own culture, complete with inside humor. That's on display in a new a book by Trevor...

Pentagon Big Guns Late, Way Over Budget

Overruns hit $295B, says GAO report

(Newser) - Some 95 of the Pentagon's biggest weapons systems are a total of $295 billion over budget and arrive an average of 2 years late, according to the Government Accountability Office. But GAO auditors say the Pentagon is getting sloppier, not better, reports the Washington Post. "It's taking longer and...

Former Prisoner to Detail Torture on 60 Minutes

Pentagon rips 'outlandish' claims of shocks, hanging

(Newser) - A former terror suspect will reveal details of tortures he suffered in 5 years of US custody tonight on 60 Minutes, reports CBS News. American authorities seized the ethnic Turk in Pakistan and continued to torture him even after determining he was innocent, he charges. The Pentagon refutes his claims....

Nuke Fluke: US Sent Missile Parts to Taiwan

Defense Dept. didn't realize error through nearly 2 years of Taiwanese queries

(Newser) - The US accidentally shipped components used in nuclear missiles to Taiwan in 2006, CNN reports. Instead of helicopter batteries, the Defense Department sent fuses designed to allow 1960s ballistic missiles to detonate; no actual nuclear material was involved. Taiwan quickly alerted the US to the error, but it wasn’t...

Sun Banks on Lasers to Make Next Speed Leap

Using light, not wires, to connect chips could make computers 1,000 times faster

(Newser) - Sun Microsystems is moving toward connecting computer chips using lasers instead of wires, a move that could make computers 1,000 times faster. The company snagged a $44 million Pentagon contract to continue work that could also mean smaller, more energy-efficient machines. It won’t be easy, though: A Sun...

Saddam's Files Provide No 'Smoking Gun'

Iraqi docs cast doubt on al-Qaeda link and Bush, Sr. murder plot

(Newser) - The Pentagon has rifled through 600,000 pages of Iraqi intelligence docs and found no sign of:
  • a plot to kill George Bush, Sr. in 1993.
  • a Saddam Hussein-al-Qaeda link.
  • a connection between Baghdad and Abdul Rahman Yasin, an alleged Sept. 11 plotter.
In fact, Hussein and his ministers are...

Congress Will Nix Airbus Deal, Boeing Says

US firm blasts 'unfair' award of Air Force contract to Europeans

(Newser) - Boeing isn't taking its loss of a $35 billion military contract to Northrop Grumman and Airbus lying down, Reuters reports. A company vice president said he was "as confident as he could be" that Congress would overturn the Air Force's decision to buy refueling tankers from Boeing's European rival....

Pentagon Delayed Brain Scans for Returning Troops

Brass feared troops would blame health woes on TBI

(Newser) - Seeking to duck controversy, the Pentagon did not screen returning US troops for brain injuries for more than 2 years. Top brass feared that soldiers would blame minor health woes on brain trauma—which could spark another Gulf War Syndrome, Air Force Col. Kenneth Cox told USA Today. But one...

Qaeda Suspect Held by CIA, Moved to Gitmo

Bin Laden aide has been in CIA custody since last year

(Newser) - A top al-Qaeda suspect who has been in secret CIA detention for at least 6 months was moved this week  to Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said yesterday. Muhammad Rahim, described as a "tough, seasoned, jihadist," is said to have been a close associate of Osama bin Laden's who...

Wounded Warriors Saluted at Pentagon

Quiet indoor ceremony honors injured

(Newser) - A poignant and little-known ceremony featuring wounded vets is held privately indoors at the Pentagon every six weeks, reports the Wall Street Journal. It's called the "Wounded Warrior March." Hundreds of Defense Department employees line the corridors of the Pentagon to applaud, cheer, shake hands, or hug servicemen...

McCain Sucked Into Boeing Battle
McCain Sucked
Into Boeing Battle
Mar 12, 2008 4:30 AM CDT

McCain Sucked Into Boeing Battle

Campaign boss lobbied against Boeing for European Airbus

(Newser) - John McCain is being dragged into the feud between Boeing and the Air Force, reports AP. A firm headed by McCain's campaign finance chairman, Tom Loeffler, was paid $220,000 to lobby on behalf of the Airbus, the successful European rival to Boeing's 767 fuel tanker. McCain had helped block...

US General: China Is Hacking Us
US General: China Is Hacking Us
Mar 11, 2008 6:05 PM CDT

US General: China Is Hacking Us

Commander follows up on report that China has denied

(Newser) - Following up on a Pentagon report, a US commander said today that Chinese hackers increasingly target American military networks, the Wall Street Journal reports. Kevin Chilton, the general in charge of cyberspace, fell short of accusing Beijing but said, "You can kind of connect the dots." China has...

Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals
Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals
Mar 11, 2008 9:05 AM CDT

Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals

Pesticides and nerve agents cause syndrome, says researcher

(Newser) - Exposure to chemicals and pesticides during the first Gulf War is the likely cause of widespread illnesses suffered by its veterans, a new study concludes. Some 250,000 veterans of the conflict—a third of the troops who served— suffer fatigue, muscle and joint pain, memory lapses, intestinal problems, and...

US Bases Block Google Camera Crews
US Bases
Block Google
Camera Crews
Mar 7, 2008 4:07 AM CST

US Bases Block Google Camera Crews

General warns of security breach after base photos go online

(Newser) - Google camera teams have been banned from US military installations after panoramic views of the inside of a Texas base ended up on the internet, the AP reports. The street-level images show "where all the guards are, how the barriers go up and down, how to get in and...

Repeat Combat Tours Zap Troops' Mental Health

Survey finds steep rise in mental problems among soldiers on third, fourth tours

(Newser) - Cutting the time soldiers have between tours of duty helped the Pentagon boost troop numbers in Iraq—but has taken a heavy toll on soldiers' mental health, Reuters reports. An Army survey found a steep rise in mental health problems among soldiers returning for their third or fourth combat tour,...

China's Military Boost Angers US
China's Military Boost Angers US
Mar 4, 2008 12:00 PM CST

China's Military Boost Angers US

Beijing eyes space, cyberspace and Taiwan

(Newser) - The US and China are clashing over Beijing's increasing defense expenditures, its posture toward Taiwan and its threat to US space hardware, reports the BBC. Beijing officials say they plan to up defense spending by 18% to $59 billion—but a Pentagon report claims the true amount of Chinese military...

US, Euro Alliance Landed Air Force Deal for Airbus

$40B contact took years of careful planning

(Newser) - Years of careful strategy and an alliance between executives was the key to Airbus nailing a $40 billion deal to build Air Force planes, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Pentagon’s decision last week is “a transformational shift in the way weapons systems are acquired. It’s an...

US to Stall Troop Cuts Over Iraqi Elections

But Baghdad vetoed plan for the ballots earlier this week

(Newser) - US troop cuts in Iraq will stall after July to ensure security for local elections, a Washington official said yesterday. "You can actually increase your own risk if you pull out too many simultaneously," the official said. "This is not a stall tactic." But Baghdad officials...

Air Force Picks Foreign Bid to Build Tankers

Northrop Grumman and Airbus will build $40B fleet in France

(Newser) - The Air Force shocked observers yesterday by handing a $40 billion contract to build aerial refueling tankers to a foreign company, the Los Angeles Times reports. Northrop Grumman and Airbus—which plan to build the 179 tankers in France—beat out Washington state's Boeing. Outraged lawmakers from Washington state called...

Stories 581 - 600 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser