Search Result
Search Tags: J.J. Green
Brennan nomination may be held up
Trouble may be looming for President Barack Obama's pick for CIA director. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Armed Services Committee, says until the administration provides answers on the deadly Sept. 11 assault in Libya that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, he's going to delay the confirmation of John Brennan. Graham said the administration has been stone-walling on Benghazi and it has to stop. At issue is the finger-pointing about who changed the talking points concerning what happened in the attack.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
Concern growing in Mali
The Pentagon is preparing small military teams to send to Africa to help deal with growing insurgencies in the Northern part of the continent. In the meantime, officials in Mali say Islamists who seized the northern half of the country are moving closer to areas under government control. The insurgent advance was noted recently as Al-Qaida linked militants used bulldozers and heavy machinery to construct hideouts in the in Northern Mali. Now there's concern they could take over the whole country.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
Reports of air strikes in Myanmar's Kachin State
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern about reports of air strikes in Myanmar's Kachin State, A 20-month conflict between government troops and rebels has been escalating in recent days. The hostilities have already caused large-scale displacement of civilians who are in need of humanitarian assistance. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma was under military rule for almost a half century until 2011.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
Al Qaida moving into new home
You may find it hard to believe, but Al Qaida elements have been busy the North West Africa country of Mali. They've been using bulldozers, earth movers and other heavy construction equipment left behind by fleeing construction crews to dig an elaborate network of tunnels, trenches, shafts and ramparts into remote desert bases, and in the and cliff faces of northern Mali. US intelligence sources say they're preparing for an attack on their new home by African and Western forces.
Tags: penta , Pentagon & Beyond ,
Ahmadinejad losing standing
A sign of the times in Iran. A top aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was temporarily freed from prison this week. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's press adviser and head of the state news agency IRNA, was sent to Tehran's Evin prison in September to serve a six-month term for publishing an article deemed offensive to public decency. Javanfekr's arrest was regarded as an indication of Ahmadinejad's dwindling clout.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
President Obama calls Army Secretary about Fort Myer Day Care investigation
President Barack Obama placed a call to Army Secretary John Mchugh yesterday. The reason -- concern about abuse at the Fort Myer, Va., day care center. He is said to have made clear that there must be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to protecting the children of service members. The call came after arrests and problems with background checks at that day care center. During call the President asked for a speedy investigation.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
We've turned the corner in Afghanistan
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says the U.S. has turned the corner in Afghanistan. "In my book, the significant turning point in 2011 was that for the first time we saw the transition working, the Afghan Army able to do its job, and violence going down and that continues to be the trend," said Panetta. He said at a National Press Club speech, U.S. troops will be leaving Afghanistan, but the U.S. will still have a presence there.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
F-35 pilot training set to begin
Reuters is reporting that "the U.S. Air Force on Monday approved the formal start of pilot training on the A-model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at a Florida military base, paving the way for 36 expert pilots to be trained next year as instructors for the new stealth warplane." This looks to be a way to stop the automatic budget cuts, the could be brought on by the "fiscal cliff" from digging into the program.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
Obama urges suit dismissal
The Obama administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a damage lawsuit over the drone-strike killings of three U.S. citizens in Yemen last year, including an al-Qaida cleric. The Associate Press is reporting that, In a court filing Friday, the Justice Department said the issue is best handled by the government's political branches, not the judiciary. U.S.-born al-Qaida leader Anwar al- Awlaki (ahn-WAHR' al-aw-LAH'-kee) and al-Qaida propagandist Samir Khan were killed in a drone strike in September 2011. Al-Awlaki's son, Abdulrahman, was killed the following month.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
Karzai coming to Washington
President Hamid Karzai says he will meet President Barack Obama in Washington next month to discuss a postwar U.S. role in his country. At a news conference with visiting Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Karzai said he and Mr. Obama will discuss how many U.S. troops will remain after the Western combat mission ends in December 2014. Immunity from Afghan laws for those remaining Americans is said to be of great importance" to Obama administration, but Karzai said he has his own priorities in negotiating a postwar U.S. role.
Tags: DoD , Pentagon & Beyond ,
