Topic: U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services

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Threats to US: Pentagon officials drop three surprises

Pentagon’s key intelligence officials warned of 'current and future worldwide threats' to US national security in a congressional hearing Thursday. Here are three top surprises.
What happens next in Libya? America's five greatest concerns.

The push toward a post-Qaddafi regime in Libya is raising questions in Washington about how far a US commitment extends to ensuring a peaceful transition to democracy. With an eye to lessons from regime change in Iraq, some lawmakers are urging steps now to help shape that transition.
Robert Gates' last day at Pentagon: three reasons he'll be missed

Defense Secretary Robert Gates steps down from his Pentagon post Thursday after 4-1/2 years on the job. If he feels any twinge of wistfulness, it won't last long.
Who will carry out Obama's Afghanistan exit plan? Three new guys.

It will be the duty of three men, all new in their roles, to carry out Obama's plan to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Here are some clues into what priorities these three defense leaders might set and a look at the particular skills each brings to the task of managing America’s longest war.
In Pictures: Robert Gates through the years

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Pakistan jails CIA informant: US Senate panel votes to cut aid to Pakistan

A Senate committee voted on Thursday to cut Pakistan aid by $33 million – one million dollars for each year of a 33-year sentence Pakistan gave a doctor for helping the CIA track down Osama bin Laden.
House reauthorizes Afghan conflict in bipartisan vote

They rejected an amendment that would have required troops to be swiftly withdrawn.
China blamed for multi-continent cyberspying caper in 2011

For six months in 2011, cyberspies infiltrated, undetected, at least 20 commercial and industrial organizations on three continents, states a new report by a US-based cybersecurity firm. Investigators name China as 'most logical' benefactor.
House passes cyber security bill over Obama's objections

The president has threatened to veto the bill, which is designed to empower the private sector to fight electronic attacks. The White House prefers a Senate alternative that vests that power in the Department of Homeland Security.
Downsizing Army may lay off veteran soldiers. Is that a breach of trust?

Thomas Lamont, the assistant secretary of the Army, told lawmakers that the Army may have to lay off as many as 30,000 soldiers in its attempt to trim its ranks and meet budget cuts.
Panetta says US ready on Syria if required

The Secretary of Defense insisted, however, that diplomacy was the best option.
Keeping an eye on China? First US Marines arrive in Australia.

The US is sending 2,500 Marines to Australia – officially to train with troops there and assist in humanitarian efforts. But many experts and diplomats say the real focus is China.
Does Limbaugh belong on armed forces radio? Criticism mounts.

The Armed Forces Network broadcasts the 'Rush Limbaugh Show.' But Limbaugh's 'slut' comment only reinforces negative military stereotypes about women, leading some veterans to start a petition against the show.
'Responsibility to protect': the moral imperative to intervene in Syria

The moral imperative of the international 'responsibility to protect' doctrine, also known as R2P, compels the world to react and respond to the widespread persecution and killings in Syria.
McCain urges air strikes against Syrian forces to protect citizens

US Sen. John McCain of Arizona said on Monday the United States should take the lead in an allied air campaign against Syrian armed forces.
US officials urge 'stay the course' in wake of Afghan violence

As attacks on allied forces in Afghanistan continued Sunday in the wake of Quran burnings, US officials reaffirmed their commitment to preventing Al Qaeda advances.
US military officials urge caution on attacking Iran

The problem is that many of the Iranian targets – buried deeply underground – would be beyond the reach of the Israeli military, in what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey calls a “zone of immunity.”
Top US official: Al Qaeda in Iraq joining fight against Syria's Assad

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper's comments marked the first time a top official publicly confirmed the involvement of AQI in Syria's uprising.
Threats to US: Pentagon officials drop three surprises

Pentagon’s key intelligence officials warned of 'current and future worldwide threats' to US national security in a congressional hearing Thursday. Here are three top surprises.
Why Pentagon, facing 'doomsday' spending cuts, refuses to plan for them

Pentagon brass say they won't even brook the possibility that $487 billion in mandated spending cuts – their 'doomsday' scenario – will actually come to pass. But if Congress doesn't blink, say analysts, the Pentagon will be in dire straits.
Carl Levin calls Romney's defense budget criticism "just a political statement"

The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and senior Senator from Michigan said even with reduced funding, US military has "shown our capabilities, shown our adeptness."
Will Mitt Romney get the military vote in South Carolina?

Ron Paul has the most active-military donors. Mitt Romney say he will increase Navy shipbuilding. Newt Gingrich is surging in the latest poll.
Guantánamo for US citizens? Senate bill raises questions

The National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate this week could allow the US military to detain American citizens indefinitely. Civil libertarians are alarmed, and President Obama says he might veto it.
Deficit 'super committee' flooded with ideas. Will any of them work?

Friday is the deadline for congressional committees to submit ideas to the deficit 'super committee.' But there's little indication that any of the ideas signal an openness to compromise.
Saudi Arabia refrains from fingering Iran in alleged assassination plot

The US continues to ratchet up pressure on Iran over an alleged assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to the US. But Saudi Arabia Wednesday said it was working to determine who was responsible.
What happens next in Libya? America's five greatest concerns.

The push toward a post-Qaddafi regime in Libya is raising questions in Washington about how far a US commitment extends to ensuring a peaceful transition to democracy. With an eye to lessons from regime change in Iraq, some lawmakers are urging steps now to help shape that transition.
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.
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'.
Leon Panetta's first day at Pentagon helm: It's not all grim.

A tough job awaits Leon Panetta at the Pentagon: three wars, budget cuts, Al Qaeda in Yemen, prospects of a nuclear Iran. But some good news awaits the new Defense secretary, too.
Robert Gates' last day at Pentagon: three reasons he'll be missed

Defense Secretary Robert Gates steps down from his Pentagon post Thursday after 4-1/2 years on the job. If he feels any twinge of wistfulness, it won't last long.