Rowan Scarborough

Obama’s defense budget reneges on base closure promise

President Obama is backtracking from his campaign promise that "I don't think now is the time" for another round of military base closures across the country.

April 10, 2013

Drones replace ‘The Right Stuff’: Fighter pilots make way for remote warfare

A key symbol of the jet fighter culture vanished in 2011 from Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base, the hub of air-war strategy and tactics, when senior Air Force officials ordered the "Home of the Fighter Pilot" sign to be taken down to be more welcoming for drone operators.

April 10, 2013

Fighter pilots make way for remote warfare

A key symbol of the jet fighter culture vanished in 2011 from Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base, the hub of air-war strategy and tactics, when senior Air Force officials ordered the "Home of the Fighter Pilot" sign to be taken down to be more welcoming for drone operators.

April 9, 2013

U.S. would seek regime change in North Korea if attack occurs

The U.S. would oust the communist regime in North Korea if it uses its nuclear weapons or launches an all-out invasion on South Korea and the 28,500 American troops stationed there, national security sources say.

April 4, 2013

Two female Marines fail to pass all-male infantry course

Two female Marine lieutenants have failed in their bid to complete the Corps' grueling, all-male Infantry Officer Course (IOC).

April 3, 2013

Air Force One: Pricey ride for a service saving money

The jet that ferries President Obama on his "sequestration" budget campaign, gun-control appearances and vacations is one of the Air Force's most expensive to fly by the hour.

April 2, 2013

Pentagon’s budget fears fall on media’s deaf ears

The Pentagon's intense public relations campaign is designed to sell Congress and the public on how the first year of "sequester" budget cuts is leaving the U.S. military unable to train or deploy overseas. Public warnings generally have garnered media sympathy, but there have been signs in recent weeks of a backlash from the Washington press corps.

March 31, 2013

Rep. Duncan Hunter takes Army to task over requests for IED finder

Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, has accused the Army brass of maintaining a bureaucratic sabotage on requests for the Palantir intelligence processor.

March 28, 2013

She has the right stuff: Female combat pilots have been flashing their skills for 20 years

Retired Air Force Col. Martha McSally, who logged more than 300 combat flying hours, today is recalling how she took part in the Pentagon's last gender revolution, as the U.S. military prepares to open a new frontier for women — direct ground combat.

March 25, 2013

General cites ‘Seinfeld’ to explain ground war strategy

One of the Army's more famous combatants and intellectual lights turned to a new guidance Wednesday when explaining how to fight a ground war — "Seinfeld."

March 20, 2013

U.S. missile defense plans will raise Korea tensions, China warns

President Obama's decision to deploy additional missile interceptors at Alaska's Fort Greely reverses a decision he made in 2009 to scale back the number of active silos approved by President George W. Bush to blunt long-range nukes.

March 18, 2013

Pentagon has spent billions on doomed programs; cash looms large with budget cuts

The Pentagon has squandered billions of dollars over the past two decades on weapon systems it never produced and on rosy cost estimates that ballooned to sizes that ate up funds for other projects, according to government reports and defense analysts.

March 17, 2013

House bill calls for congressional medal for heroes in Benghazi attack

A House Republican introduced a resolution Thursday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the two former Navy SEALs who were killed as they defended American diplomats and CIA officers from Islamic extremists in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11.

March 14, 2013

Unlike White House, Pentagon keeps up public tours

The Defense Department is keeping only one aircraft carrier in the strategically important Persian Gulf, but unlike the White House, the Pentagon is keeping its doors open for public tours.

March 13, 2013

Two Americans killed in ‘insider attack’ in Afghanistan

Two U.S. special forces personnel were killed Monday in a so-called "insider attack" in Afghanistan — shattering a lull in Afghan security forces firing on their American allies this year.

March 11, 2013

Revolving door of generals takes Afghanistan command

When Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford took command of the war in Afghanistan on Feb. 10, he succeeded a line of hard-luck officers who had succumbed to scandal or felt the White House's sting over requests for more troops.

March 10, 2013

Prices soar, enthusiasm dives for F-35 Lightning; pilots worry about visibility problem

The Pentagon's top brass are second-guessing the F-35 Lightning — the most expensive weapons system in history — as spending cuts tighten the military's budget and a new report says F-35 pilots can't see that well out of the cockpit.

March 6, 2013

Attacks by Afghan ‘insiders’ double in past year; NATO recalculation leads to new numbers

Afghan security personnel attacks against U.S. and NATO troops rose sharply last year despite a NATO command overhaul of how local army and police recruits are screened.

March 3, 2013

Military brass marching to Obama’s beat

The military leadership is proving to be a solid ally of President Obama in political Washington, adopting his social revolution and willing to serve as backdrops to the White House's campaign-style drive to win the budget battle with Republicans.

February 28, 2013

Decline for insurgent Afghan attacks was misreported

An officially reported downward trend in insurgent attacks that has underpinned President Obama's decision to pull 34,000 troops from Afghanistan did not actually happen last year.

February 26, 2013