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...

Forget Trump and Clinton: 5 Big Stories You May Have Missed

By Rob Garver

As we focus ever inward on who will be sitting in the Oval Office a few short months from now, the world keeps on spinning. Here are some of the major stories you missed while reading about Trump’s...
House Leaders Promise to Fight Pentagon on Vets’ Bonus Clawbacks

By Rob Garver

In an election season that hasn’t exactly been marked by bipartisan unity, members of the House of Representatives appeared to come together Monday in the face of news reports detailing an effort by...
Why Thousands of Combat Vets Have to Repay Their Enlistment Bonuses

By Ciro Scotti

The watchdog charged with monitoring how American money is spent in Afghanistan has in recent years identified projects in which hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted or gone...
US Special Ops Targeting ISIS Leadership in Mosul: Pentagon

By Kevin Baron, Defense One

U.S. special operators in northern Iraq and Syria are killing Islamic State leaders at a faster pace, disrupting the organization’s defense of Mosul and, more importantly to Pentagon leaders, their...
How Big Data Is Joining the Fight Against ISIS in Mosul

By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

As Iraqi troops and their U.S. and coalition supporters move on ISIS-held Mosul, they can expect to face homemade bombs and booby traps. But they will have something that U.S. troops patrolling the...

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