Threats

ISIL Is Now a ‘Full Blown Army’ in Iraq

House lawmakers grilled State and Pentagon officials to find out why the Obama administration has failed to stop ISIL from carving up Iraq and Syria. By Ben Watson

Threats

Biden Warns of 'Repercussions' Over Ukraine Crash

Vice President Joe Biden said a passenger airliner bound for Malaysia was 'blown out of the sky' near the Russian border with Ukraine on Thursday. By Ben Watson

Policy

Special Operations Commander Says Burden On Elite Troops Is Here to Stay

Obama’s nominee to command special operations troops said more should be done to help alleviate the stresses on families of more than 13 years of frontline combat. By Ben Watson

Threats

Hagel Declares ISIL Clear and 'Imminent Threat’ To U.S.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warns Americans – and skeptical lawmakers – that the extremists carving up Iraq and Syria threaten ‘every stabilized country on Earth.’ By Ben Watson

Policy

Afghans Will Learn Who Their New President Is, Probably, In Two Weeks

Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani looks to be leading, but 30 million Afghans will have to wait at least two weeks to learn who succeeds President Hamid Karzai. By Ben Watson

Threats

Pentagon Urged to Focus on ‘Great Power Conflict’ to Save Budget

A panel of experts crunched the numbers on the Pentagon’s ‘least bad’ options for coping with sequester-driven cuts into the next decade. The results will surprise you. By Ben Watson

Business

Army's Gen. Campbell Picked To Lead Afghanistan War

President Obama nominated Army Vice Chief Gen. John Campbell to take over in Kabul for the final stage of America’s 13-year Afghan war. By Ben Watson

Policy

Obama Picks Dunford as Next Marine Corps Commandant

The question now is who will replace Gen. Joseph Dunford as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan to oversee the end of the war? By Ben Watson

Threats

U.S. Special Ops Adds to African Presence for 'Secret' Price Tag of $70 Million

Increasing fears about the spread of al-Qaeda across Africa have the Pentagon sending its Green Berets back to their original mission. By Ben Watson

Threats

After Benghazi, Specialized Crisis Response Teams Are Now the ‘New Normal’

In the wake of the Benghazi attack, the Pentagon realized it needed a smaller, more agile footprint in North Africa. By Ben Watson

Threats

Don't Blame China for Territorial Disputes, Says Top General Visiting Pentagon

China is 'a peaceful, cordial and civilized lion,' argued Gen. Fang Fenghui, the People's Liberation Army’s top officer, during a Pentagon visit on Thursday. By Ben Watson

Threats

Why the U.S. Has Few Options To Help Find Kidnapped Girls in Nigeria

Finding more than 270 kidnapped girls will be a challenge in Nigeria’s lawless northeast. By Ben Watson and Kedar Pavgi

Policy

House Committee Votes to Keep A-10 Funding Through 2015

Despite pleas from Air Force officials, lawmakers are refusing to let the A-10 become a casualty of sequestration. By Ben Watson

Science & Tech

Check Out This Video of a Helicopter Transforming Into a Truck

Through adverse weather or in contaminated hotspots, this 'multi-copter' can traverse land or air for a variety of purposes. By Ben Watson

Policy

Smith Tries for BRAC, McKeon Shoots Him Down

The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee says his proposal would avoid the costly mistakes of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure. By Ben Watson

Policy

It’s Too Soon to Cut Funding for A-10s, Lawmakers Say

The A-10’s capabilities are too great to pass off to jets and too cheap for the Pentagon to turn its back on the fleet just yet, according to eight senators. By Ben Watson

Threats

Veteran Unemployment Rate Drops, But Still Outpaces the Rest of the Country

Despite an overall jobless rate decline of nearly half a percentage point in April, recent vets are still having a harder time finding work than the general public. By Ben Watson

Threats

Terrorist Attacks Have Increased By 43 Percent in the Last Year

A decentralized al-Qaeda focused on less global objectives, while Syria honed its reputation as both factory and battleground for new fighters. By Kedar Pavgi and Ben Watson

Policy

To Fight Russia, Ukraine Must Also Fight Corruption, Biden Says

Ukraine’s upcoming vote is a chance for the former Soviet republic to turn its back on the ‘corrosive’ former Soviet republic ways. By Ben Watson

Threats

Kerry: NATO Members Must Increase Military Spending

Secretary Kerry, claiming Russia has ‘escalated the crisis even further’ in Ukraine, tells under-spending NATO member states it’s time to pay up. By Ben Watson