Defense

Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...
The Mysterious Threat to Pilots That the Pentagon Can’t Solve

By Ciro Scotti

Episodes of oxygen deprivation affecting the pilots of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet — and other military aircraft including the F-35 — are on the rise and remain an unsolved mystery.
What Game Theory Tells Us About Trump’s ‘Madman’ Approach to North Korea

By Rob Garver

Is Donald Trump out of his mind? Maybe he wants North Korea to think so.
Does the Army’s $580 Million Handgun Have a Fatal Flaw?

By Ciro Scotti

Last January, the Army made a $580 million decision: It would replace its longstanding sidearm, the M9 Beretta, with a new modular handgun made by the U.S. arm of the German-controlled gunsmith Sig...
Why the Escalating Threats Between Trump and Kim Won’t End in War

By Patrick Smith

The supercharged threats volleyed between President Trump and Kim Jong Un this week bring us closer to war with the North Korea than at any time since Pyongyang tested its first nuclear device in...

Here’s the Real State of the $1 Trillion U.S. Nuclear Upgrade

By David Francis

The American nuclear arsenal is just about the same as it was when Trump took office.
Here’s Why North Korea Put Guam in Its Crosshairs

By David Francis

Hours after President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never known, Pyongyang announced it is "examining the operational plan" to attack Guam, a tiny U.S...
Why the Price of the F-35 Keeps Soaring

By Ciro Scotti

The most costly fighter ever built is getting even more expensive. A new General Accounting Office report says the Pentagon will spend an additional $3.9 billion over the next five years on “...
The Media Has to Stop Provoking Trump’s Worst Instincts

By Rob Garver

For a man constantly boasting about his extraordinary negotiating prowess, President Trump made a pretty obvious rookie mistake on Tuesday, with his apocalyptic-sounding promise to deliver “fire and...
Five Things You Need to Know About Plans to Privatize the Afghan War

By David Francis

The White House is actively considering a plan to turn a big chunk of the war in Afghanistan over to private contractors. That’s according to Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater security firm, who...

3 Reasons North Korea Is a Bigger Threat Than a Month Ago

By Ciro Scotti

In the past week or so, there are growing indications that the missile and nuclear capabilities of the gleefully belligerent North Korean regime are moving forward at a faster clip than Western...
Super Soldiers? Special Ops Troops May Get Performance-Enhancing Drugs

By Ciro Scotti

The military is looking at ways to pump up the performance of elite soldiers through nutritional supplements and performance-enhancing drugs.
The US Prepares a New Weapon in the Fight Against ISIS: ‘Algorithmic Warfare’

By Ciro Scotti

A project launched by the Pentagon just last month is looking to employ machine learning technology and advances in other forms of artificial intelligence to speed up the analysis of battlefield data...
Game of Drones: The Army Is Testing Lasers to Shoot Drones Out of the Sky

By Ciro Scotti

One way to bring down a drone is to target it with a laser, and the Army reported this week that recent tests of powerful lasers at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, were highly successful.
A Military Surge Would Push US War Costs in Afghanistan Over $2.16 Trillion

By Ciro Scotti

Faced with a resurgent Taliban, the Trump Administration is considering a ramp-up of the long-running war in Afghanistan.

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