UPDATED Washington: The Army has pushed its iconic Humvee combat truck as far as it can go and needs to press ahead with the Joint Tactical Light Vehicle. The Army cannot load any more armor, communications equipment or other next-generation gear onto the Humvee, according to Lt. Gen Robert Lennox, chief of the Army office… Keep reading →

Washington: They are big. They were bad. But their time is past so the U.S. government has very carefully pulled to pieces the biggest nuclear weapons we ever built. Taking apart the B-53 “is a major accomplishment that has made the world safer and for which everyone involved should be proud,” said Deputy Secretary of… Keep reading →

With news of Muammar Gaddhafi’s death, the U.S., NATO, and the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) deserve a moment to relish in the successes of the democratic movement in Libya. Yet it’s important to understand that despite this success, the story of Libyan democracy is in its infancy. Now begins the difficult part. Can the… Keep reading →

Washington: The Army and Marine Corps have pulled out all the stops to save the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, but those efforts could end up killing the entire program. The Army claims it can buy the JLTV for just over $200,000 per truck, after drastically paring down the vehicle’s requirements. Previous estimates put the truck’s… Keep reading →

Washington: The Navy is a step closer to getting another one of its next-generation warships into the service arsenal. The USS Fort Worth, the third vessel in the Navy’s new class of Littoral Combat Ships wrapped up sea trials this week, according to a statement issued by shipbuilder Lockheed Martin. The sea trials, run jointly… Keep reading →

Washington: It’s only a matter of time before Marines and special operations forces get their piece of the Navy’s newest combat vessel. Mission packages built just for the Marines and special forces will be on the Littoral Combat Ship within the next few years, Rear Adm. James Murdoch, program executive officer for LCS, said yesterday.… Keep reading →

Washington’s handling of the national debt crisis is sounding a lot like a script for a Hollywood action movie with all this talk of sequestration “triggers” and “doomsday.” The thrills will start in a few weeks when the congressional Super Committee will unveil its recommendations to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal budget… Keep reading →

For a century now, “unilateralism” has been a dirty word in international politics. It evokes the raw, interest-based resort to self-help that drives nations to compete in arms races, build fortifications, and even go to war. But unilateralism need not carry the stigma it has borne since the early 20th century (and which deepened after… Keep reading →

San Antonio: The Pentagon’s intelligence leader said today that the U.S. has tracked and killed half of al Qaeda’s top 20 leaders this year, leaving only one of the terrorist group’s original leaders alive. Al Qaeda operatives “feel besieged by the U.S,” said Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Mike Vickers. The persistent U.S counter terror efforts… Keep reading →

Aboard the USS Wasp: The sleek, angular plane pulls up to the flight line. The jet’s single engine rumbles slowly while waiting for the high-sign to takeoff. Once the member of the deck crew threw his thumbs up, the jet’s center fan — which gives the F-35 the ability to take off from smaller carriers… Keep reading →