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Behind Obama’s Big ‘No!’ on Syria
It's too generous to say President Obama is "leading from behind" on Syria. A better description might be that he's getting dragged in by the ear. Yet bit by bit, pressured mainly by France but also by shifting opinion in Washington, the administration is sending signals that it knows it can't avoid involvement in the Syrian civil war forever/.../
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Iraq Invasion, Occupation Forged New US War Strategy
Some estimates now put the cost of the war in Iraq at about two trillion dollars and the number of dead, both military and civilian, at nearly 200,000. The conflict, whose first concussive blasts were felt at 02:30 UTC on March 20, 2003, forever reshaped the way the United States armed forces conduct war/.../
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With Drone Warfare, America Approaches The Robo-Rubicon
Over the next two to three decades, far more technologically sophisticated robots will be integrated into U.S. and European fighting forces. Given budget cuts, high-tech advances, and competition for air and technological superiority, the military will be pushed toward deploying large numbers of advanced weapons systems—as already outlined in the U.S. military's planning road map through 2036/.../
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GCV And Beyond: How The Army Is Gettin’ Heavy After Afghanistan
America's Army has developed a bit of a split personality of late. On the one hand, the top brass has very publicly embraced the administration's January 2012 strategic guidance that emphasizes "innovative, low-cost, and small-footprint approaches" and "building partner capacity" in lieu of large ground force deployments. Leaders from Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno on down talk up the Army's capabilities in cyberspace, missile defense, seaborne operations, and small advisor teams.
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Budget Cuts Should Not Compromise Safety, Naval Officers Told
The head of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command told naval officers on Wednesday to maintain operational safety even as they begin to execute and manage across-the-board budget cuts from sequestration./.../
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Too Many Troops May Doom U.S. In Budget War
Pension reform can save money and improve fairness. Currently, those who serve for less than 20 years -- 83 percent of those who join the military -- get nothing, while those who do the full hitch can retire in their late 30s and get decades of benefits. The Pentagon’s Defense Business Board in 2011 proposed a better system for future troops that would introduce 401(k) plans, raise retirement ages, limit annual payouts to younger retirees and benefit all those serving more than five years. This could save $70 billion a year by 2034. The Pentagon would also do well to cut a head-scratcher of a program that gives $1 billion a year in unemployment checks to people who left the armed forces voluntarily.