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Dakota Meyer, a Marine who disregarded orders, is awarded Medal of Honor

Dakota Meyer, a former Marine Corps corporal, was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of 36 US and Afghan troops pinned down in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan in 2009.
3 questions US forces must answer before declaring victory in Libya

Even as fighting in Libya continues, Pentagon officials and US commanders overseeing operations on the ground are wrestling with tough questions about the future of the campaign – and what military forces still need to do before they can consider it a victory.
US Embassy attack raises concerns of a shift in Taliban strategy

The US Embassy attack and others around Kabul cause few casualties but may signal the Taliban's desire to engage in a politically and psychologically effective war of attrition.
Battle for Afghanistan's Gambir Jungle: What was it all for?

After days of upheaval, the troops of Operation Hammer Down finally got their bearings before the mission ended. But afterward they wondered, did they accomplish anything?
Five ways 9/11 has transformed the US military

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, fundamentally transformed the way the United States military wages war, forcing the Pentagon to rethink some of its basic tenets. Here are the Top 5 changes since 9/11.
Battle for Afghanistan's Gambir Jungle: A race against daybreak

As night fell on Day 2 of Operation Hammer Down, a new plan to help the stricken 1st Platoon took shape. But when 3rd Platoon got the call, the Taliban were close on its tail.
Battle for Afghanistan's Gambir Jungle: 1st Platoon's 'last stand'

By the end of Day 1 of Operation Hammer Down, 1st Platoon needed help. But when reinforcements arrived, they found they had more than enough of their own troubles.
Battle for Afghanistan's Gambir Jungle: Into the 'Valley of Death'

The first, furious hours of Operation Hammer Down took a heavy toll on 1st Platoon. As the Taliban picked off platoon leaders, there was little the Americans could do but wait for nightfall.
Battle for Afghanistan's Gambir Jungle: Soldiers' tale of an epic fight

Operation Hammer Down was supposed to clear out insurgent camps in Afghanistan's fabled Pech Valley. Instead, for three Army units, it became a five-day struggle for survival.
Will US exit strategy work in Afghanistan? Brutal valley emerges as test.

US forces have had to return to a key outpost they left to Afghan forces in March. Now, the US commander there is trying to forge a new partnership to bring the Afghans up to speed.
Biggest threat to Iraq? Iran-backed militias, not Al Qaeda, US official says

The series of bombings that hit Iraq Monday bear the markings of Al Qaeda, but in the long term, Iran-backed militias are a greater problem, says a top US military official.
In Afghanistan war, Navy SEALs and special ops playing more central role

Navy SEALs and special operations forces are not being withdrawn from Afghanistan war at the same rate as other forces, meaning their duties in the region will only grow. With the Aug. 6 helicopter shoot-down, the SEALs lost 1 percent of their operational population.
Afghanistan helicopter crash: Why Army has used Chinook for half a century

The rugged CH-47 Chinook helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan flies fast and has double the lift capacity of its Vietnam-era forebears. But it is loud, and vulnerable, while preparing to land.
Deadly helicopter crash shows danger of Osama bin Laden-style raids [VIDEO]

A NATO helicopter was shot down while on a nighttime raid in Afghanistan, killing 31 US special-operations troops. Nighttime helicopter raids are an essential tool of counterterrorism.
Accused Fort Hood plotter got bombmaking recipe from Al Qaeda

Army Pfc. Naser Abdo had a bombmaking article by a branch of Al Qaeda, which had been posted online, according to court documents. In a court appearance Friday, Abdo yelled the name of the man charged with killing 13 peple at Fort Hood in 2009.
Another Fort Hood terror plot? Army Pfc. Naser Abdo arrested.

Army Pfc. Naser Abdo was arrested with weapons and bombmaking explosives in his motel room near Fort Hood in Texas. It is raising suspicions about a 'lone wolf' terror scenario.
How Afghanistan civilian deaths have changed the way the US military fights

Civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan rose by 20 percent between the spring of 2010 and the spring of 2011, according to a UN report. Training and technology are two ways to address that.
In Afghanistan, US military officials say it's now or never

In the weeks ahead in eastern Afghanistan, US commanders expect violent clashes between Taliban and US soldiers. It could be a key time for American forces, before US troops start exiting.
The end to 'don't ask, don't tell' follows shifting public attitudes

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” – the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the US military – comes to end September 20. Public attitudes have shifted dramatically since it came into force 18 years ago.
You hack, we shoot: Pentagon discusses armed counterstrikes to cyberattacks

Lawmakers and some Pentagon officials argue that the US should shift cyberdefense from 'How to build the next best firewall' to an offensive message: Those who attack US computers risk 'land-based attack'.