America’s OTHER Largest Army in the World

The hunters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia alone would comprise the largest army in the world.

3 of 4 Service Chiefs Oppose DADT Repeal

The commander-in-chief, secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all support removing the ban on gays in the military without further delay. A long-awaited Pentagon study showed no reason not to do so. But three of four Service chiefs disagree.

PFC Bradley Manning’s Charge Sheet

Michael Yon provides a digital copy of PFC Bradley Manning’s Charge Sheet, dated 29 May. It makes for interesting reading.

John McCain and DADT

Despite the Defense Department releasing its study showing that the effects of allowing gays to serve openly would be minimal, Senator John McCain isn’t convinced.

Pentagon: We Could Have Taken WikiLeaks Down

The Pentagon could have taken down WikiLeaks but decided not to. Out of kindness, I suppose.

A Simple Question on DADT

Is there really anyone who can credibly argue at this point that the policy regarding homosexuals openly serving in the armed services is anything other than basic discrimination?

Pentagon: DADT Repeal Would Pose No Threat To Military Readiness

The Pentagon has spoken. Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would not cause any real harm to the military, they have said. Now, the ball is in the court of the United States Senate.

Public Service and Skin in the Game

Thomas Ricks laments that the combination of the all-volunteer military and lower top marginal rates mean that the wealthy have “checked out of America and moved into physical and mental gated communities.” To solve this problem, he proposed bringing back the draft.

Republicans Against The Military

Conservative Republicans who are typically deferential to the military are ignoring the advice of the military leadership on the new START Treaty.

NATO’s New Strategic Concept: Active Engagement, Modern Defense

The long awaited new strategic concept, launching what has been termed “NATO 3.0,” has been published under the banner “Active Engagement, Modern Defense.”

Repeal Of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell May Happen After All

Democrats are now confident that they have the votes in the Senate to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but do they have enough time?

TSA Body Image Scanners: Cui Bono

Is the TSA groping passengers to force them into using intrusive scanners for which they’ve committed $173 million?

Report: 70% Of Soldiers Support DADT Repeal

New details are out about the upcoming Defense Department report on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

DADT Repeal Unlikely Thanks To Election Results

The odds that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will be repealed anytime in the near future are fairly close to zero thanks to the results of last Tuesday’s elections.

Majority Of Active Duty Military Don’t Oppose Gays In Military

One of the last arguments against allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military — that active duty military would be unable to serve alongside them — appears to have no empirical support.

Medal of Honor: The Hard Way or the Hard Way

To earn a Medal of Honor commit a multi-part act of near comic-book-style heroism and, more often than not, die. Pentagon committees then convene to determine whether your valor merits an award traditionally given for acts so brave that no one would have even thought to complain if the soldier had neglected to do them.

Iraq War Not Fun

Michigan Iraq War veteran gets NOT FUN vanity plate.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Reinstated, But Discharges Will Be More Difficult

The Pentagon has reinstated Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell under procedures that will make the discharge process more difficult. Which is good because it doesn’t look like DADT will be repealed any time soon.

Jim Moran: Military Not Public Service, Just Government Paycheck

Virginia’s answer to Joe Biden has put his foot in his mouth once again. It won’t prevent him from getting an 11th term.

Military Gay Ban Reinstated

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is once again the law of the land.

War: The Missing Campaign Issue

Tom Brokaw notices something peculiar about the campaign debates: Nobody’s talking about Iraq or Afghanistan.

Wikileaks Didn’t Reveal That Many Secrets, SecDef Says

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates acknowledged in a newly released letter that the Wikileaks Afghan War document dump wasn’t as damaging as the Pentagon initially claimed. So what was the uproar all about?

Military Ordered Soldier To Delete Video Of Fort Hood Attack

A US soldier who captured a deadly 2009 rampage at Fort Hood with his cell phone camera testified Friday that he was ordered to erase the video by his commanders.

Obama Administration Asks For Delay In DADT Injunction

Only days after a Federal Court Judge issued an injunction preventing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy from being enforced, Obama Administration has asked for a stay and announced that it will be appealing the case.

Federal Judge Enjoins Military From Enforcing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

A Federal Judge in California has struck another blow to the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Now, the ball is in President Obama’s court.

VFW Endorses Non-Vet Over Allen West, Retired LTC

The Veterans of Foreign Wars has endorsed Ron Klein, who never served a day in uniform, over retired LTC Allen West, a decorated veteran of several foreign wars. Is this an outrage?

Flying Cars!

In news that will no doubt please the estimable Glenn Reynolds, DARPA has taken a big step toward the long-awaited flying car: Flying Humvees

Is NATO Relevant?

Yesterday’s NATO Beyond Afghanistan conference was a depressing day for fans of the most successful military alliance in history.

Federal Judge Orders Flight Nurse Discharged Under DADT Be Reinstated

While Congress continues to refused to act, another Federal Judge has struck a blow against the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Are We Run By A**holes ?

Senate Fails To Invoke Cloture On Defense Bill, DADT Repeal

The effort to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell suffered a setback in the Senate today that likely delays any further moves on the issue until after the midterm elections.

Allegations Of Murder Mar American Mission In Afghanistan

A US military platoon was apparently able to target innocent Afghans for murder. Without senior commanders suspecting a thing.

McCain Filibuster Threat Puts “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal In Doubt

The prospect of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell before the November elections is in doubt thanks to a threatened filibuster led by Arizona’s John McCain.

Medal Of Honor Awarded To First Living Recipient Since Vietnam War

Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta is the first living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

Burying The Lede on NATO

Lost amidst the welcome news of British-French cooperation on military cost-sharing in some tough talk from their ministers of defense on NATO.

General Petraeus: “Burn A Koran” Day A Threat To U.S. Troops

The plan by one fringe church in Gainesville, Florida to burn copies of the Koran on September 11th is igniting fires of protest across the Muslim world.