Threats
Dempsey Says ‘Zero Option’ on the Table for Afghanistan As Karzai Balks
While the Afghan president continues to play politics with a post-2014 troop deal, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey says the ‘zero option’ is on the table. By Stephanie Gaskell
Business
Hagel to Cut Hundreds of Staff and Contractors for $1 Billion Savings
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says cutting 200 positions from his office -- and a lot of contractors -- will save about $1 billion by 2019. By Stephanie Gaskell
Business
How the Government Is Handling 700,000 Jailed Veterans
Officials hope that specialized courts designed to treat and rehabilitate drug addicted veterans will reduce incarceration rates. By Bob Brewin
Business
Hagel Picks Christine Fox as His Acting Deputy
Christine Fox is named acting deputy defense secretary, temporarily replacing Ash Carter and making her the highest-ranking woman at the Pentagon. By Stephanie Gaskell
Science & Tech
Pentagon Forcing Many Workers Back to BlackBerry
Many employees who had switched to iPhone or Android devices will be reverting back to Blackberrys because of security concerns. By Aliya Sternstein
Policy
Military Justice Reform Is at a Make-or-Break Moment
With a stalled defense policy bill in the Senate, reform supporters fear that the moment to address the force's sexual assault crisis is slipping away. By Stacy Kaper
Science & Tech
Canadian Company Could Support Pentagon's Pivot to Arctic With Fiber Optic Connection
Magnetic and solar phenomena limit existing C4ISR assets near the pole. A hard communications line has the potential to change that. By Bob Brewin
Ideas
The Quiet Americans
John Kerry and Chuck Hagel want their legacies in office to be associated with the foreign policy giants of another era. They must first look back and learn from their predecessors. By Kenneth Weisbrode
Business
How Ash Carter Oversold DOD’s Savings Record and His Role
Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter is right to dismiss sequestration, but don’t buy his ‘Better Buying Power’ defense. Carter was on the watch. By Lawrence J. Korb
Business
Pentagon Biowarfare Effort Seen as Duplicating HHS Work
Health and Human Services has already spent billions on the same kind of countermeasures DOD aims to manufacture. By Global Security Newswire
Business
Pentagon Outlines Stronger Military Presence in the Arctic
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon’s new Arctic Strategy will significantly increase U.S. military resources and attention to the polar region. By Kevin Baron
Threats
Just the Beginning: Afghanistan Troop Deal Prelude to Another Half Decade of War
This is not the end. After the security agreement, U.S. involvement in Afghanistan’s conflict is far from over. By Anthony H. Cordesman
Ideas
Inside the Secret Interior of the Navy’s First Stealth Destroyer
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel climbed aboard the Navy’s first stealth destroyer, the Zumwalt, at Maine’s Bath Iron Works.
Threats
Hagel Warns Afghanistan: Sign Troop Pact Now or Post-War Plans Halt
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says if a troop deal isn’t signed by the end of the year, the Pentagon will have to put its post-2014 planning on hold. By Kevin Baron
Policy
Karzai: No U.S. Troop Deal Before April Elections
After reaching an agreement to keep U.S. troops past 2014, Afghan President Hamid Karzai now wants to wait until April’s presidential election to sign it. By Stephanie Gaskell
Policy
U.S., Afghanistan Negotiators Reach a Deal on Post-2014 Security Agreement
The U.S. and Afghanistan have agreed on a deal to keep coalition troops past 2014. Now comes the hard part -- a group of Afghan elders must approve it. By Defense One Staff
Business
Pentagon Wants Contractors to Protect Industry Secrets From Hackers
Newly finalized regulations would force contractors to take measures to secure unclassified networks while also notifying authorities of any breaches. By Aliya Sternstein
Business
Pentagon Electronic Health Records Not Ready Until 2017... At Least
A Navy SPAWAR official said a single contract award will restart the DOD effort, but it's anyone's guess when it will become fully operational. By Bob Brewin
Business
Pentagon Asks MIT Lab to Study Controversial Power Line
Study aims to find out whether weapons testing at White Sands Missile Range can "adapt to the presence" of the New Mexico based green-energy project. By Bob Brewin
Threats