Topic: The Pentagon
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4 ways Chuck Hagel can improve cyber security
Newly sworn-in Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel must guide the Department of Defense through a few key challenges to better secure the nation’s cyber networks. His focus at the Pentagon should be on these four key areas.
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If not 'sequester,' then what? Five ideas from left and right.
Few in Washington believe that "the sequester,” $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit the federal budget as of March 1, is a good idea. But what's the alternative? Here are five proposals, from the right, the center, and the left, to replace the sequester. Which do you like?
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Sequester 101: What happens if $85 billion in cuts hit on March 1
The sequester is a complex concept with a tortuous history. Here are the basics on the automatic spending reductions set to kick in March 1.
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5 reasons why Africa is not ready to meet its own security needs – yet
Africa’s experiment in a regional approach to security is serious and laudable, but it will take time to build credible capacity. Here are five reasons why Africa is not ready to meet its own security needs – yet.
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Pentagon's budget nightmare: How each branch would handle sequester cuts
With the threat of a mandatory, across-the-board series of cuts known as sequestration looming over the Pentagon, each of the services has begun its worst-case-scenario planning. Here is where the cuts stand now:
All Content
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North Korea missile threat? North Korea 'closer' to nuclear threat, says Pentagon
North Korea missile threat: Intelligence agencies disagree on how great a missile threat North Korea poses, despite North Korea's recent threats against South Korea, Japan, and the US.
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Decoder Wire Paul Ryan gay adoption: Is his support a big deal?
Paul Ryan: Gay adoption is an idea he now supports, although the former GOP VP candidate still opposes gay marriage. His change of heart is another indication that the political ground on gay rights is shifting rapidly in the US.
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USA Update Top general: 5 bad habits for the Pentagon to fix (+video)
The Pentagon has not had to do any serious belt-tightening for years, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the nation's top military officer, says some budget discipline could be beneficial.
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Lawyers who defend terror suspects have thankless task. Why do they do it?
The defense team for Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev includes several lawyers experienced in terrorism cases. It takes a certain kind of lawyer, it seems, to represent accused terrorists.
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Obama 'red line' on Syrian chemical weapons gets a bit grayer
President Obama has said Syria's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line.' Evidence is mounting, but Obama's desire for an international response throws prospects for action into doubt.
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A no-fly zone over Syria? Harder to do than in Libya, warns top US general (+video)
Some US lawmakers want the US to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, questioned Tuesday whether that would do much to reduce Syrian attacks on civilians, never mind that it won't be easy.
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Focus
Was Shane Todd murdered over high-tech secrets?Shane Todd, a US citizen working in Singapore, believed he had access to restricted tech. His death in 2012 was by suicide, say local authorities. But his family, suspecting murder, wants the FBI to take part in the investigation.
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Pentagon budget woes: furlough civilians, buy tanks you don't want
Once again, the Pentagon wants to scrap a weapon – in this case, the Abrams tank – that Congress has an interest in preserving. But with 'sequester' cuts, the tradeoff will be civilian furloughs.
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Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays
Once again, the prospect of missing flights home helped Congress resolve a standoff, this time over sequester cuts that had furloughed air traffic controllers and caused flight delays this week.
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Syria chemical weapons: Pentagon weighs evidence, plans response
Pentagon officials say they are still trying to confirm reports that Syria has used chemical weapons against civilians, but that they are preparing a military option for any outcome.
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Can a blimp curb drug trafficking in Latin America? The US hopes so.
After sweeping US budget cuts, the Pentagon is testing new tools to stop drug trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean: a blimp tethered to the back of a boat and a hand-launched drone.
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John McCain: focus on flight delays shows 'upside down' sequester concerns
Sen. John McCain, speaking at a Monitor breakfast Thursday, said it is 'criminal and scandalous' that Congress is ignoring the effect of the 'sequester' on national defense.
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US military chief in Beijing warns of North Korea 'miscalculation'
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey is in China looking for help on North Korea. Though Beijing indicated it was 'working on' it, there are a number of reasons why China might be reluctant to push the North too hard.
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US general aims to ease China's concerns over Obama 'pivot' to Asia
China is deeply suspicious of US intent in its 'pivot' to Asia, and US Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is in Beijing this week to try to reassure China's military – and its people.
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In US-China talks on cyber conflict, a top Chinese general owns to dangers
At a press briefing in Beijing with Martin Dempsey, chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Fang Fenghui offered some agreement on the damage of cyberattacks, a 'friction point' in US-China relations.
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North Korea: US military braces for heightened readiness
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey says 'we’re in a period of prolonged provocation' with North Korea and its young dictator, Kim Jong-un. The US will continue holding military exercises with South Korea, Dempsey says.
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Pentagon sends troops to Jordan to counter Syria chemical weapons threat
The Pentagon said this week it would send a small number of troops to Jordan to help forces there deal with Syria's chemical weapons threat and to prevent the civil war from spilling over.
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Global News Blog Pakistan won't have Musharraf to kick around anymore
General Musharraf was a somewhat benign autocrat who wanted to be like Ataturk; but his return from exile to get elected in the top job, smacks of miscalculation.
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Could mining bonanza be Afghanistan's next source of funding?
Afghanistan is weighing new regulations to extract its natural resources worth nearly $1 trillion. As foreign aid declines with the NATO forces withdrawal in 2014, this could bring the Afghan government new sources of income.
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John Kerry to Congress: Middle East peace effort is urgent
In his first congressional hearing as secretary of State, John Kerry tells lawmakers that, after the Benghazi attacks, the US must fortify security for diplomats, press for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
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Modern Parenthood Childhood as a garden: Don't let Boston Marathon bombings spread weeds
The Boston Marathon bombings may foster helplessness, despair, but they don't have to. Be proactive in helping others, says Dr. David J. Schonfeld. And allowing your child to express their feelings – in the comment section below, in private, or as Lisa Suhay suggests through gardening – can be salutary.
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Time for a preemptive strike against North Korea? Some say yes.
A University of Texas professor argues for a strike against North Korea in a New York Times op-ed. Some US military planners are sympathetic to the idea, while others accuse him of being a warmonger.
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North Korea nuclear missiles: How startling is Pentagon assessment? (+video)
A new Pentagon intelligence report claims that North Korea has the ability to make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a ballistic missile – not that it's been fully tested or is set to fire.
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Lawmaker drops bombshell: North Korea may have nuclear missiles
An unclassified Pentagon report not yet released to the public suggests that North Korea can arm missiles with nuclear warheads, a lawmaker revealed Thursday.
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Story changes? Diplomat now said to be on foot when killed in Afghanistan (+video)
A witness contradicts the story told to relatives of the young diplomat Anne Smedinghoff that her group was traveling in an armored vehicle.
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