Defense

Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...
The Mysterious Threat to Pilots That the Pentagon Can’t Solve

By Ciro Scotti

Episodes of oxygen deprivation affecting the pilots of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet — and other military aircraft including the F-35 — are on the rise and remain an unsolved mystery.
What Game Theory Tells Us About Trump’s ‘Madman’ Approach to North Korea

By Rob Garver

Is Donald Trump out of his mind? Maybe he wants North Korea to think so.
Does the Army’s $580 Million Handgun Have a Fatal Flaw?

By Ciro Scotti

Last January, the Army made a $580 million decision: It would replace its longstanding sidearm, the M9 Beretta, with a new modular handgun made by the U.S. arm of the German-controlled gunsmith Sig...
Why the Escalating Threats Between Trump and Kim Won’t End in War

By Patrick Smith

The supercharged threats volleyed between President Trump and Kim Jong Un this week bring us closer to war with the North Korea than at any time since Pyongyang tested its first nuclear device in...

Here’s the Real State of the $1 Trillion U.S. Nuclear Upgrade

By David Francis

The American nuclear arsenal is just about the same as it was when Trump took office.
Here’s Why North Korea Put Guam in Its Crosshairs

By David Francis

Hours after President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never known, Pyongyang announced it is "examining the operational plan" to attack Guam, a tiny U.S...
Why the Price of the F-35 Keeps Soaring

By Ciro Scotti

The most costly fighter ever built is getting even more expensive. A new General Accounting Office report says the Pentagon will spend an additional $3.9 billion over the next five years on “...
The Media Has to Stop Provoking Trump’s Worst Instincts

By Rob Garver

For a man constantly boasting about his extraordinary negotiating prowess, President Trump made a pretty obvious rookie mistake on Tuesday, with his apocalyptic-sounding promise to deliver “fire and...
Five Things You Need to Know About Plans to Privatize the Afghan War

By David Francis

The White House is actively considering a plan to turn a big chunk of the war in Afghanistan over to private contractors. That’s according to Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater security firm, who...

The $3,000 Rifle That Could Make the US Marines Even More Lethal

By Ciro Scotti

The Marines are considering arming more of its infantry with a lightweight, highly reliable automatic weapon, but there’s one catch: It costs about three times more than the rifle that is currently...
Trump Is Using Deadly Drone Strikes More Than Obama Ever Did

By Ciro Scotti

President Trump has given the go-ahead to targeted drone strikes and special ops missions at least 75 times in his first 74 days in office, or about once a day.
Why Swarms of Cheap, Disposable Drones Could Be the Future of Warfare

By Ciro Scotti

It is widely believed that the air warfare of tomorrow will rely even more heavily on killer drones – but in a twist that could lessen the need for wildly expensive weapons systems, swarms of those...
How Many US Soldiers Are in Iraq? The Pentagon Will No Longer Answer That Question

By Paul Szoldra , Business Insider

The Pentagon is no longer going to disclose how many troops are in Iraq and Syria, a sharp departure from an Obama administration policy that kept the public abreast of increased troop deployments to...
Top Pay for Top Guns: Fighter Pilots Could Get $455,000 in Bonuses

By Ciro Scotti

To keep Air Force pilots from jetting off to more lucrative careers with commercial airlines, the service is considering passing out enlistments bonuses that could go as high as $455,000 in total.

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