US Army

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600K Lose Power in Icy Storm
600K Lose Power in Icy Storm
Dec 10, 2007 6:55 PM CST

600K Lose Power in Icy Storm

15 fatalities reported; weather service warns of more storms tomorrow

(Newser) - An icy storm plunged more than 600,000 Midwesterners into freezing darkness today, crippling power and causing about 15 fatalities on slippery roads, the AP reports. Oklahoma fared worst, declaring a state of emergency as schools shut down and hospitals ran on backup generators. More is on the way, according...

Uncle Sam Wants You (But He'll Talk to Mom First)

New bonuses offer help on mortgages, business startups

(Newser) - Army recruiters will soon promise recruits hefty bonuses to buy a home or start a business in a bid to sway their parents that enlisting is a good investment, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We know most 18-year-old kids don't think about mortgages yet," says a Pentagon official....

Confident Marines Cut 'Bombproof' Truck Orders

Cite fewer attacks, changing mission

(Newser) - The Marines are cutting orders of a nearly "bombproof" Hummer replacement from 3,700 to 2,225, reflecting a more peaceful Iraq and the success of the vehicle, reports the Christian Science Monitor. “Combine the reduction in attacks with the fact that we're not losing as many vehicles...

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US
6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US
Nov 29, 2007 7:44 AM CST

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

Iraqi civilian forces help decrease violence as refugees return home

(Newser) - Almost 6,000 Sunni Arab civilians in Iraq turned against Al-Qaeda yesterday and signed a pact to help US forces police possible insurgent escape routes. As insurgents seek to gain a foothold in the semi-autonomous north, American officials hailed the alliance, which is the Iraq war’s largest single volunteer...

Army Uniforms Aren't Making the Grade
Army Uniforms Aren't Making the Grade
Nov 27, 2007 12:15 PM CST

Army Uniforms Aren't Making the Grade

Soldiers report 'crotch durability problems'; 1 million repairs on order

(Newser) - Army uniforms have an embarrassing problem—they’re tearing open at the crotch. New uniforms rolled out in 2005 use single stitching at the inseam, and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan report "crotch durability problems" in combat. The troops are “literally sliding down steep hills and mountains,"...

Petraeus Comes Home to Pick New Generals

Army needs his help finding innovative leaders—like him

(Newser) - David Petraeus is returning to Washington this week to help select the next generation of generals, an unusual move highlighting the Army’s desperation to inject Petraeus-style unconventional thinkers into its leadership, the Washington Post reports. “It's unprecedented for the commander of an active theater to be brought back...

Army Desertion Rate High and Getting Higher

Multiple lengthy deployments lead to 80% jump over 2003

(Newser) - The Army desertion rate for 2007 is up 43% over last year and a whopping 80% since the 2003 Iraq invasion, figures out today show. The rate is the highest since 1980, the AP reports. Moreover, it's increasing: Nearly two-thirds of this year's desertions were in the second half of...

Army, Told to Grow, Focuses on Retention

With new recruits ever-harder to come by, keeping soldiers is key

(Newser) - Ordered to expand its forces, the US Army is shifting its strategy from recruitment to keeping the soldiers it already has. One reason is the decreasing number of suitable applicants. "We have to retain more soldiers if we're going to grow the Army [in full] by 65,000,"...

Panel Rips Army Fraud 'Crisis'
Panel Rips Army Fraud 'Crisis'
Nov 1, 2007 4:51 AM CDT

Panel Rips Army Fraud 'Crisis'

Raps military on wasted contract billions

(Newser) - The Army is under fire for failing to train enough officers to supervise billions of dollars in contracts and allowing waste and fraud to flourish, reports the New York Times.  The problems have "created a crisis," according to an independent six-member panel appointed by Army Secretary Pete...

US Troops Get Look at Film on Insurgency

Documentary 'Meeting Resistance' explores motives of Iraqi fighters

(Newser) - A new documentary features interviews with Iraqi insurgents, all of whom stress the humiliation of US occupation. “Meeting Resistance” will be released this week, but CNN sat in on a preview in Baghdad, where US troops heard tales of citizens turning to violence. "It tells us a lot...

Blackwater Shot Fleeing Iraqis, US Soldiers Say

First on scene found no evidence private guards were in danger

(Newser) - Some of the Iraqis killed by Blackwater guards in the Baghdad shootings last month were "fleeing the scene when they were engaged," say the first US soldiers on the scene in an Army report obtained by the Washington Post. Worse, says one commander, there was no indication that...

Army Pulls Out Checkbook to Keep Officers

Defense Dept. offers up to $35K to retain young specialist officers

(Newser) - An acute shortage of young officers trained in aviation, intelligence, and other key specialties has prompted the Army to offer cash bonuses—up to $35,000—to persuade more to re-enlist, the Washington Post reports. The move is an effort to combat  a shortage of 3,000 captains and majors...

US Marines Want Out of Iraq
US Marines Want Out of Iraq
Oct 11, 2007 3:15 AM CDT

US Marines Want Out of Iraq

Commander calls for lead Afghan role instead

(Newser) - The US Marine Corps is lobbying to be withdrawn from Iraq and instead be given the lead role in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times. The move would leave the Army with primary responsibility for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. Supporters believe it would allow the branches to operate...

Radiation Weapon Plot Comes to Light

Cold War scheme included assassination, broad contamination

(Newser) - Newly declassified Army documents reveal the US mulled the use of a radioactive weapon to assassinate “important individuals” and contaminate “critical areas for long periods of time.” The heavily censored records date to 1948 and show the weapon was approved for development at the highest levels, reports...

Snipers Felt Pressured to Deliver Kills

Soldiers on trial: Army encouraged 'baiting' to increase body counts

(Newser) - Army commanders pressured their elite “Painted Demons” sniper unit to up the body count, say members standing trial for murder, leading them to plant evidence and “bait” Iraqis. “It felt like, ‘What are you guys doing wrong out there?’” one sniper told the LA Times....

Gates Eyes $3B Army Expansion
Gates Eyes $3B Army Expansion
Sep 28, 2007 9:42 AM CDT

Gates Eyes $3B Army Expansion

Gates ready to approve major recruitment campaign to boost ranks

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he's likely to approve spending nearly $3 billion over the next four years to accelerate an expansion of the US Army, stretched thin by punishing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the AP reports. The Pentagon believes the Army and Marine Corps need to grow to...

Bureaucracy Played Role in Veteran's Death

Man, called up despite stress diagnosis, killed in standoff with police

(Newser) - Deployment to Afghanistan markedly changed Sgt. Jamie Dean, and the news that the Army was calling him out of reserve and sending him to Iraq—despite a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder—helped send him into a fatal standoff with Maryland police in December 2006. As his family prepares lawsuits,...

Helicopter Goes Down, Killing 14
Helicopter Goes Down, Killing 14
Aug 22, 2007 5:56 AM CDT

Helicopter Goes Down, Killing 14

Black Hawk crashes north of Baghdad, killing 14

(Newser) - An American helicopter crashed in northern Iraq today, killing all 14 soldiers aboard, reports CNN. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was one of two performing a night operation when it went down in the area around Tikrit, north of Baghdad, the US military said in a statement.

Army Can't Sustain Troop Demand in Iraq

Not enough soldiers to support surge through spring

(Newser) - With nearly all its forces exhausted, the US Army will have to break some promises to sustain the current troop buildup through spring, according to new documents acquired by AP. The Army would have to extend tours, reduce rest, or accelerate use of National Guard members to maintain current levels—...

Military Battles for Drone Control
Military Battles for Drone Control
Aug 20, 2007 1:45 AM CDT

Military Battles for Drone Control

Branches vie with each other for high-tech craft

(Newser) - New enemies are hovering over America's unmanned drone aircraft—branches of the US armed forces battling each other for control of the high-tech flyers. The Air Force is lobbying Congress for exclusive control over purchasing and developing the spy planes, a move opposed by the Army, Navy and Marines. 

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