Topic: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
-
Cuban Missile Crisis: the 3 most surprising things you didn't know
Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union within a hair’s breadth of nuclear war. Here are three things that many Americans don’t know about what historians routinely call “the most dangerous moment in human history.”
-
In Pictures: Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks Scandal
-
Brazil's President Rousseff meets with Obama: 5 topics for talks
As the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, Brazil and the US have a lot of shared interests, but there are still areas of contention. Here are 5 possible topics on today's presidential agenda:
-
Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers
In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
-
In Pictures: Speakers in support of the MEK
All Content
-
Decoder Wire Chuck Hagel sworn in as Defense secretary. Will he be sorry? (+video)
The office for Chuck Hagel is palatial, his responsibilities extraordinary, his staff vast. But his job is also probably the second most difficult in the executive branch after the presidency itself.
-
John Kerry hints at more aid for Syria rebels. Does that mean arming them? (+video)
The answer could come Thursday, when Secretary of State John Kerry and other Western officials are to gather in Rome for a meeting with at least some of Syria’s divided opposition groups.
-
Focus How US military plans to carry out Obama's 'pivot to Asia'
A US policy shift toward Asia means a greater role for the Navy. Even pre-'pivot to Asia,' it already stationed half its ships in the region, and it is developing a new 'afloat forward staging base' in the Pacific.
-
Outgoing general predicts an Afghanistan liberated from foreign intrigue
The remarks from Gen. John Allen came at a change-of-command ceremony. American Gen. Joseph Dunford now leads NATO's mission in Afghanistan.
-
The Monitor's View: Obama's hidden nonplan to arm rebels in Syria
News that Obama vetoed a plan by his senior security staff to arm Syrian rebels reveals the extent of his humanitarian impulse. But he must also protect the new UN doctrine of a 'responsibility to protect' by being more open about his Syrian strategy.
-
Pentagon leaders: We support plan to arm Syrian rebels
Senator John McCain (R) of Arizona has championed greater US involvement and chided the Obama administration at a hearing, pressing Panetta and Dempsey about whether they backed the recommendation by the State Department and CIA chiefs last year to arm the Syrian rebels.
-
Did 'sequester' backfire? Obama calls for 'smarter solution.'
President Obama asks Congress to pass limited spending cuts and tax reforms to avoid the March 1 sequester – and buy time for a long-term deal on deficit reduction. Republicans aren't impressed.
-
Cybersecurity: how preemptive cyberwar is entering the nation's arsenal
In addition to authorizing the use of cyberweapons, the White House is preparing an executive order to beef up cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, such as the electric grid, refineries, and telecommunications.
-
Iran says US offer of direct talks a 'step forward, but...'
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi responded positively to the US offer, but blamed previous negotiation failures on the US.
-
Women in combat units: Could it reduce sexual assault in the military?
Ending the ban on women in combat removes a barrier to gender equality and could create more respect for women within the ranks, some say. Sexual assault is a major problem for the military.
-
Pentagon lifting ban on women in combat, opening new opportunities
Chiefs of the individual service branches are being told to submit a plan to implement the new policy to the secretary of Defense by May.
-
Senate 'old boy' network is misfiring on Hagel nomination (+video)
While senators typically support their own in confirmation hearings, that is not the case for former Senator Hagel, whose nomination to be secretary of defense is under heavy fire.
-
US 'fully committed' in Afghanistan, Panetta says. But no troops after 2014?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets with President Obama Friday in the wake of a 'zero option' being floated for US troops. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Mr. Karzai met at the Pentagon Thursday.
-
Stinging Benghazi report leads to three resignations (+video)
An independent panel faults two State Department offices for the security shortcomings that contributed to the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11.
-
The Monitor's View: Pentagon can recover from Petraeus and Allen scandals
The Petraeus affair and the 'inappropriate' e-mails of Gen. John Allen push defense chief Leon Panetta to demand changes in the military's ethical culture. But conduct by the book also needs conduct by a conscience that knows right from wrong.
-
Obama's new foreign-policy and security team: Could Colin Powell be on it?
With President Obama likely to begin his second term with a sharp domestic focus, he’ll need a trusted foreign-policy and security team to handle sensitive, and pressing, global challenges.
-
Benghazi attack: Urgent call for military help ‘was denied by chain of command’
Fox News and others report that military help was available during the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, but denied. CIA and Pentagon officials strongly deny the claim.
-
Should military veterans endorse presidential candidates?
A provocative new study examines some potential pitfalls when retired military veterans wade into political campaigning. Endorsements could erode trust in the military, the report finds.
-
Cuban Missile Crisis: the 3 most surprising things you didn't know
Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union within a hair’s breadth of nuclear war. Here are three things that many Americans don’t know about what historians routinely call “the most dangerous moment in human history.”
-
Robert Reich Why Biden won
Overall, Thursday night's presidential debate was Joe Biden's night. He not only trounced Paul Ryan, but also, in the process, trounced Mitt Romney.
-
Cybersecurity bill: Why senator is taking his case straight to top CEOs
Amid opposition from business groups to a cybersecurity bill, Sen. Jay Rockefeller is writing CEOs of the nation's top 500 companies for their views 'without the filter of Beltway lobbyists.'
-
Joint raids suspended: NATO's Afghanistan strategy hits hurdle
The new policy is likely to put even more distance between NATO and Afghan forces, stressing relations at a time when NATO has been working to hand over security to the Afghans.
-
Are insider attacks in Afghanistan a 'last gasp' of the Taliban? (+video)
US officials say that three recent incidents where Afghan troops are thought to have turned their weapons on their NATO allies represent a serious threat, but will not affect the timeline of US troop withdrawal.
-
In violence over anti-Muslim video, a new world disorder
Welcome to our new world, where no one is in control – neither the West of its social media nor Arab rulers of their liberated subjects. This is a combustible mix that goes beyond the recent anti-Muslim video to the overall message of Western-shaped globalization.
-
9/11: US troops today feel more appreciated, but still poorly understood
Eleven years after 9/11 there are more frequent overt expressions of support for US troops. But with so few Americans in uniform, military families say, the true cost of service is little understood.
Previous
Become part of the Monitor community