US military news stories on Newser

Female Soldiers Sue Over Combat Ban

Mark Russell — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:42:53 CDT

Two female army reservists filed suit against the US military yesterday, claiming the policy preventing women from serving in combat is unconstitutional, reports Reuters . Being banned from combat "solely on the basis of sex" violates their Fifth Amendment rights and "restricts their current and future earnings, their potential for promotion...

US Aircraft Riddled With Fake China Parts

Kevin Spak — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:28:48 CDT

The US military's planes and helicopters are full of counterfeit electronic parts, most of which originated in China, according to a new Senate report. The year-long Armed Services Committee probe identified 1,800 cases of fake parts being found in aircraft, particularly in Navy helicopters, cargo planes, and Poseidon jets....

More Than 90 Killed in Attack on Yemen Capital

Matt Cantor — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:19:23 CDT

A suicide bombing targeting the Yemeni military killed more than 90 people today, and injured another 222, a government official announced. Reportedly dressed as a soldier, the attacker set off the blast near the presidential palace in Sanaa as troops trained for a military parade. An al-Qaeda source tells the...

To Keep Eye on Its Oil, Iraq Buys US Drones

Matt Cantor — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:57:09 CDT

Iraq is looking to America to help it monitor its oil interests—sort of. The country is buying unarmed surveillance drones from the US that will scour Iraq's Persian Gulf waters, which Iran has spoken of blockading in the past and which the majority of Iraq's oil exports flow through,...

US 'Ready' to Strike Iran: Ambassador

Kevin Spak — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:25:28 CDT

The US has all the planning in place to launch a military strike on Iran should diplomacy fail to curb its nuclear ambitions, the US ambassador to Israel said today, just days before nuclear talks are set to resume. "It would be preferable to resolve this diplomatically," Ambassador Dan Shapiro...

Army Training Missile Falls on Texas Town

Rob Quinn — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:45:05 CDT

The Army is investigating how a dummy Hellfire missile managed to become detached from an Apache helicopter to fall in a Texas neighborhood on Tuesday. A soldier's kids spotted the missile as it fell into a field around 8pm and told their dad, who contacted the military. Some 100 homes...

2 Navy Ships Collide Off California

Rob Quinn — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:52:24 CDT

Two Navy ships were damaged in a collision in the Pacific Ocean 120 miles off the coast of California—but there were no injuries or fuel spills, according to military officials. The amphibious assault vehicle USS Essex hit the USNS Yukon oiler as it was approaching the Yukon to be...

Panetta Limits F-22 Flights After Pilot Blackouts

Rob Quinn — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:40:00 CDT

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the Air Force to take extra steps to protect F-22 pilots while officials investigate reports of dizziness and fainting spells in the cockpit. Panetta has ordered the service to keep all F-22 flights close enough to landing strips so that pilots will be able...

Obama Winning Among Veterans

Kevin Spak — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:24:42 CDT

After a decade of war, America's troops aren't feeling very war-like. President Obama currently leads Mitt Romney among veterans who have served since the Gulf War by seven points—a wider lead than he has among the general populace—according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll , and many say it's because...