U.S. probe cites mistakes in deadly Pakistan air strike: report

2011-12-22T07:01:24Z

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A U.S. military investigation has found American and Afghan commandos wrongly concluded there were no Pakistani forces in a border area where an air strike killed 24 Pakistani troops last month, the President Barack Obama on Tuesday solemnly watched as US armed forces colors lowered in Iraq last week were returned to American soil in a ceremony marking the end of the near nine-year war.

Obama, the US commander-in-chief, traveled to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington to watch the colors along with 26 air force, navy and arm...

North Korea test-fired missile on Monday: report

2011-12-19T04:00:14Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea test-fired a short-range missile on its eastern coast on Monday, the day its leader Kim Jong-il's death was announced, South Korean media reported.

An unnamed South Korean official was quoted by ...

US Congress votes to boost National Guard role

2011-12-15T20:30:28Z

Lawmakers voted to elevate the head of the National Guard to a seat on the military's top council, granting unprecedented status to the country's part-time militia.

The proposed change was strongly opposed by all the chiefs of the armed services and the Pentagon's civilian leadership, who voiced concerns about creating possible friction...

US Defence Secretary visits key ally Turkey

2011-12-15T13:30:24Z

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta arrived Thursday in "key ally" Turkey from Iraq, for an official visit that will focus on the developments in the Middle East, especially Syria.

"It's important for us to work closely with Turkey at this critical tim...

US faces more headaches with F-35 fighter jet

2011-12-14T21:30:17Z

The US military's F-35 fighter program, already suffering repeated delays, faces a spate of technical problems that the Pentagon expects will slow the pace of production, officials said Wednesday.

The latest troubling revelations for the Joint Strike Fighter -- the most expensive weapons program in history -- emerged from a leaked internal Pentagon report that o...

Defense cuts could cost 1.5 million jobs: lawmaker

2011-12-13T16:31:00Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense cuts that begin in the 2012 budget will ultimately cost up to 800,000 jobs, and additional spending reductions could push that figure to 1.5 million over the next decade, a top Republican lawmaker testified on Tuesday.

Representative Buck McKeon, chairman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

You don't think of the nuclear warheads on top of Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missiles as going bad. But in fact, the weapons, located in hardened silos through the American West, do have an expiration date: 2091.In a 2006 report to Congress, an independent scientific advisory group estimated that's about when the plutonium in the c...

Top woman at Pentagon to step down: Panetta

2011-12-12T20:30:47Z

The most senior woman to have ever served at the Pentagon, Michele Flournoy, plans to step down from her policy post to spend more time with her family, officials said Monday.

Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, "has today announced her intention to step down and return to private life," Defense Secretary Mauritania on Sunday urged that no ransom be paid for European hostages held in the Sahel region by Al-Qaeda's North African wing, at a meeting of European and African defence ministers.

Twelve Europeans, six of them French, are now being held hostage in the arid and poor region south of the Sahara by

New Yemen cabinet meets; Nobel winner says Saleh wants war

2011-12-10T12:30:11Z

SANAA/OSLO (Reuters) - Fighting overshadowed the first meeting on Saturday of Yemen's new unity government, which is trying to avert civil war after a deal brokered by the country's Gulf neighbors for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step...

Yemen fighting challenges new unity government

2011-12-10T07:30:05Z

SANAA (Reuters) - Fighting overshadowed the first meeting on Saturday of Yemen's new unity government, tasked with trying to avert civil war after a power transfer brokered by the country's Gulf neighbors.

Clashes in the southern province of Abyan killed 11 militants and two soldiers while a soldier was killed in overnight fighting in the capital Reuters) - Continued fighting shadowed the first meeting on Saturday of Yemen's new unity government, tasked with trying to avert civil war after a power transfer brokered by the country's Gulf neighbors.

Clashes in the southern province of Abyan killed 11 militants and two soldiers while a soldier was killed in overnight fighting in the capital

Lockheed in $4 billion U.S. F-35 fighter deal

2011-12-09T17:00:20Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp is being awarded a $4 billion fixed-price U.S. Navy contract for 30 F...

Defense secretary to discuss strategic review

2011-12-09T16:00:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will begin talking publicly next month about the results of a U.S. strategic review undertaken this year to guide the Pentagon as it cuts hundreds of billions of dollars in military spending.

...

Japan PM tested as ministers censured

2011-12-09T04:31:06Z

Two Japanese ministers were censured Friday, a move that could cost them their jobs and deal a major blow to the premier barely three months after he stepped through the revolving door of leadership.

Yoshihiko Noda was in danger of losing two of his cabinet less than 100 days after being sworn in as prime minister, as the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament admonished the two over separate issues.<...

Exclusive: U.S. defense firms blast Pentagon on contract changes

2011-12-06T21:00:44Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Over 100 U.S. aerospace and defense industry executives are urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to hold off on proposed changes to Pentagon contracts with industry, warning they would dampen competition, raise costs and lead to further layoffs at a...

U.S. foreign arms sales reach $34.8 billion

2011-12-05T16:30:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Foreign sales of U.S. weapons rose to $34.8 billion in fiscal year 2011 and should hover around $30 billion this year, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency...

Pentagon, Lockheed move forward on F-35 contract

2011-12-05T14:00:14Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Monday said it had reached a tentative agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp on key aspects of a new contract for F-35 fighter jets, allowing Lockheed to start building a fifth batch of planes and bil...

Lockheed F-35 output should slow: program chief

2011-12-02T16:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Production of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the costliest arms purchase in history, should be slowed because ...

U.S. official: Lockheed F-35 production should slow

2011-12-02T14:00:19Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Production of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 joint strike fighter, the costliest arms purchase in history, should be slowed because of the potential number of cracks and "hot spots" turning up in fatigue testing and analysis, Reuters) - General Electric Co and Rolls Royce dropped their drive to build an alternate engine for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 joint strike figh...

Senate Defense Bill Dumps Measures Banning Gay Marriage On Military Installations

2011-12-02T08:30:29Z

The U.S. Senate late Thursday approved a $662 billion defense authorization bill that excludes two proposed anti-gay amendments

The Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate late Thursday overwhelmingly (93-7) approved a $662 billion defense authorization bill that excludes two proposed anti-gay amendments.

The amendments, which were earlier approved in the House-passed bill, would overrule Pentagon guidance th...

Pentagon F-35 chief calls for slower production

2011-12-01T21:00:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Navy admiral who runs the Pentagon's biggest weapons program is calling for slower production of the radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter built by

US military salutes Iraq veteran turned dance champ

2011-12-01T20:30:16Z

A US army veteran wounded in the Iraq war who danced his way to fame in a television contest was hailed as a hero Thursday when he paid a visit to the Pentagon.

JR Martinez, who suffered severe burns in a roadside bombing, was crowned the winner of ABC television's popular "Reuters) - U.S. weapons makers told investors this week they are doing all they can to prepare for leaner and more uncertain U.S. defense budgets, including redoubling their efforts to cut costs, drum up export sales and sell more goods to commercial clients.

Industry executives and Pentagon officials say they are still sort...

Libyan Islamist commander endorses new government

2011-11-28T04:30:23Z

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The Islamist who commands one of Libya's most powerful militias, Abdel Hakim Belhadj, said on Monday he will back the interim national government despite his supporters being overlooked for top posts.

But he would not commit to a date for the forces under his control to hand over their weapons to the government, a crucial test of whether Libya...

Officials say plan on al Qaeda detainees would harm probes

2011-11-24T10:30:37Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate plan requiring that all foreign al Qaeda suspects found in the United States be turned over to the military instead of civilian law enforcement could gravely damage U.S. counter-terrorism investigations, the Reuters) - Failure of a special congressional committee to strike a deficit-reduction deal is expected to unleash desperate lobbying by U.S. arms makers to get lawmakers to block $600 billion in automatic cuts.

It would also likely erode the unified front that Lockheed Martin<...

U.S. says giving, not selling, F-16s to Indonesia

2011-11-21T08:00:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is giving, not selling, two dozen second-hand F-16 fighter planes to Indonesia to strengthen security ties with an "important U.S. partner," the Defense Department said on Monday,

Elaborating on an announce...

US, Canada reaffirm commitment to F-35 jet program

2011-11-18T14:30:49Z

Canadian and US defense chiefs Friday reaffirmed their commitment to fund the F-35 fighter program despite shrinking military budgets, saying it was crucial to safeguarding North America's air space.

Canada and the United States both face budget pressures "but we are not wavering on our commitment to this progra...

No alternative to F-35 fighter jet, US, Canada say

2011-11-18T13:30:44Z

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) - Defense chiefs from the United States and Canada said on Friday that budgetary pressures would not derail development of the

No alternative to F-35 fighter jet, U.S., Canada say

2011-11-18T09:30:26Z

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) - Defense chiefs from the United States and Canada said on Friday that budgetary pressures would not derail development of the

Rival Libyan rebel groups jostle over defense posts

2011-11-18T09:00:17Z

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's incoming prime minister Abdelrahim al-Keib is to announce his cabinet in coming days and former rebel factions who fought to oust Muammar Gaddafi are jostling for influence over who will get the top posts in the new defense forces.

Although few have...

Rival Libyan rebel commanders beat chests

2011-11-18T08:31:05Z

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's incoming prime minister Abdelrahim al-Keib is to announce his cabinet in coming days and former rebel factions who fought to oust Muammar Gaddafi are jostling to influence who will get the top posts in the new defense forces.

Although few have publi...

MoD spent £564 mn of equipment budget on consultants

2011-11-18T08:30:58Z

Defence officials have spent £564 million earmarked for equipment on consultants, it emerged on Friday.

An internal audit of defence contracts since 2009 found that civil servants made little attempt to seek value for money and that control of Ministry of Defence budgets was "poorly developed or non-existent", the Guardian reported.

The newspaper obtained data under the Reuters) - The U.S. military now has a legal framework to cover offensive operations in cyberspace, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday, less than a month after terming this a work in progress.

"I do not believe that we need new...

U.S. military better prepared for cyber warfare: General

2011-11-16T17:30:15Z

(Reuters) - The U.S. military now has a legal framework to cover offensive operations in cyberspace, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday, less than a month after terming this a work in progress.

"I do not believe that we need new...

Germany Afghanistan

2010-12-18T04:31:20Z

Picture provided by the press department of German Government, shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel left, and German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttennberg, right, in front of a Christmas tree, as they adress German soldiers in Kunduz northern

Obama Afghanistan Pakistan

2010-12-16T12:32:24Z

President Barack Obama, accompanied by, from left, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, obscured, and Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Marine Gen. James Cartw...

Obama

2010-12-16T10:33:12Z

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing room in the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010, on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Annual Review . From left are

Gates Gays in Military

2010-12-10T02:01:11Z

This undated image provided by the Department of Defense shows Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. Gates Friday Dec. 10, 2010 said the military should not begin preparing troops for a possible repeal of the ban on gay service until Congress takes action. (AP Photo/Monica King - U.S. Army)

Adm. Mike Mullen, right, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, talks with Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, left, through an interpreter during a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo...

Military Defense Policy

U.S. probe cites mistakes in deadly Pakistan air strike: report

North Korea test-fired missile on Monday: report

US Congress votes to boost National Guard role

US Defence Secretary visits key ally Turkey

US faces more headaches with F-35 fighter jet

Defense cuts could cost 1.5 million jobs: lawmaker

Top woman at Pentagon to step down: Panetta

New Yemen cabinet meets; Nobel winner says Saleh wants war

Yemen fighting challenges new unity government

Lockheed in $4 billion U.S. F-35 fighter deal

Defense secretary to discuss strategic review

Japan PM tested as ministers censured

Exclusive: U.S. defense firms blast Pentagon on contract changes

U.S. foreign arms sales reach $34.8 billion

Pentagon, Lockheed move forward on F-35 contract

Lockheed F-35 output should slow: program chief

U.S. official: Lockheed F-35 production should slow

Senate Defense Bill Dumps Measures Banning Gay Marriage On Military Installations

Pentagon F-35 chief calls for slower production

US military salutes Iraq veteran turned dance champ

Libyan Islamist commander endorses new government

Officials say plan on al Qaeda detainees would harm probes

U.S. says giving, not selling, F-16s to Indonesia

US, Canada reaffirm commitment to F-35 jet program

No alternative to F-35 fighter jet, US, Canada say

No alternative to F-35 fighter jet, U.S., Canada say

Rival Libyan rebel groups jostle over defense posts

Rival Libyan rebel commanders beat chests

MoD spent £564 mn of equipment budget on consultants

U.S. military better prepared for cyber warfare: General

Germany Afghanistan

Obama Afghanistan Pakistan

Obama

Gates Gays in Military