By Kenneth R. Bazinet Gays and lesbians can finally serve openly in the U.S. military, now that the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that required them to stay in the closet was wiped off the books at midnight. One couple, Navy Lt. Gary Ross, 33, and his civilian partner, Dan Sweezy, 49, wasted no time and [...]
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‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Is Officially No More
President Obama released the following statement on Tuesday to mark the end of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy, which banned homosexuals from serving openly. “Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is finally and formally repealed. As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about [...]
Four U.S. Soldiers Now In Libya
The U.S. now has boots on the ground in Libya, albeit not many. Four members of the U.S. military are accompanying State Department personnel as part of an effort to determine when the American embassy in the country should be re-opened, according to the Defense Department. The four arrived over the weekend and are reportedly [...]
Panetta, Petraeus Mark 9/11 Anniversary, Pay Tribute To Troops
As the nation prepares for a solemn weekend, two of the Obama administration’s top national security officials appeared at the Kennedy Center Friday to pay special tribute to the men and women who served over seas in the decade following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and newly sworn-in CIA Director David Petraeus [...]
Robert Gates Named Chancellor At College Of William And Mary
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be returning to his alma mater. Gates was named Tuesday as the new Chancellor for the College of William and Mary in historic Williamsburg, Va., the university he attended as an undergrad. “In addition to an outstanding education, William & Mary instills in its students a sense of duty [...]
Probe Highlights Wasteful Pentagon Addiction To No-Bid Contracts
By Kenneth R. Bazinet America loves its mercenaries. Competitive-bid Pentagon contracts are a low point since the Sept. 11 attacks, giving way to the military’s addiction to hard-to-trace, fast-track no-bid contracts that have encouraged waste and fraud, according to a new report. Private military contractors, the politically correct name for everyone from hired guns to [...]
Pentagon Prices Libyan Operation At $896 Million
The military operation in Libya has cost the Defense Department approximately $896 million. “This … includes amounts for daily military operations, munitions used in the operation, President-directed drawdown of DoD supplies, and humanitarian assistance,” a statement from a Pentagon official reads. The estimate, which was provided by the Defense Department, only goes up to July [...]
Panetta: Massive Defense Cuts Will Hollow Out Forces
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Tuesday of “devastating effects” if the Congressional supercommittee fails to reach a compromise and the military is required to make large, across-the-board budget cuts. “It would result in hollowing out the force,” Panetta said during a discussion with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the National Defense University in D.C. [...]
U.S. Forces Kill Taliban Fighters Tied To Helicopter Crash
General John Allen, the head of U.S. forces Afghanistan, told reporters Wednesday that American forces killed Taliban fighters involved in Saturday’s deadly helicopter crash. The fighters were killed late Monday in an air strike with F-16 fighter jets in Eastern Afghanistan. According to a statement from ISAF Joint Command, the Taliban fighter who shot at [...]
Panetta Ceremonially Sworn-In
Leon Panetta was ceremonially sworn-in as Defense Secretary Friday, three weeks after he took the reins at the Pentagon. Appearing in the Pentagon’s auditorium before an audience of military, Defense and Congressional officials, Panetta received the oath of office from Vice President Joe Biden, who praised the Defense Secretary as a highly capable public servant [...]
