military news stories on Newser

Board: Ax Marine Who Put Obama on Jackass Poster

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:10:00 CDT

A military board has determined that a Marine sergeant committed misconduct and should be dismissed because he posted derogatory comments and Facebook photos of President Obama. Marine Sgt. Gary Stein launched a Facebook page called the Armed Forces Tea Party , in which he slammed Obama, violating Pentagon rules banning criticism...

Leaked Memo: India's Military Decimated, Obsolete

Kevin Spak — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:40:34 CDT

India's military is desperately low on supplies, the world learned today, in a major embarrassment for the country. In a leaked memo, the country's military chief tells its prime minister that India's tank fleet lacks ammunition, its elite forces are "woefully short" on essential weapons, and its air defenses are...

Pentagon Opens More Jobs to Women

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:11:15 CST

Defense Department rules are entering the 21st century. The Pentagon will recommend to Congress today that women in the military should be allowed to serve in a greater number of positions close to front lines. The AP notes that the rule shift would formalize a practice that has already been...

'Sensitive' Military Gear Missing From Base

Mark Russell — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:59:58 CST

An infantry unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington has been locked down since last week after "sensitive" equipment was found to be missing, reports AP . Equipment, including laser-targeting gun sights, night-vision goggles, and weapons scopes in "the six-figure range" were missing and "definitely stolen," said an Army spokesman. A...

Gay Kiss Is Milestone, but Military Must Do More

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:37:05 CST

When Marissa Gaeta stepped off the USS Oak Hill after a three-month deployment and gave her girlfriend the "first kiss" , it was just one example of the "exemplary progress" the US military has made in "modernizing its culture," declares the Los Angeles Times in an editorial. But while the gay...

That 'War' Thing? So Passé

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:53:03 CST

Not to jinx anything, but massive wars between world powers are really going out of style. "These prototypical wars have become increasingly rare, and the world hasn’t seen one since the three-week invasion of Iraq in 2003," argue Joshua S. Goldstein and Steven Pinker in the New York Time s....

Australia Opens Combat Jobs to Women

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:35:45 CDT

Another step for women's equality : Australia's military has become the fourth in the world to allow women to take on front-line combat roles. Announced today, the move opens some of the country's most dangerous combat jobs to women, including Special Forces positions in Afghanistan and some army artillery slots. Australian...

Rhode Island Rep. Lied About Military Service

Kevin Spak — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:30:05 CDT

Let's add this one to the Big Book Of Scandal Management: If you have a run-in with the law, do not explain it away by pretending to have fought in a war you didn't fight in. Rhode Island State Rep. Daniel Gordon is learning that one the hard way; Gordon...

Breathing Trouble Dogs Middle East Vets

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:05:05 CDT

Why do so many young, previously healthy soldiers come back from the Middle East with respiratory problems, some so bad they can no longer pass a physical required for active duty? The question was made more urgent with the results of a new study showing that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans...