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The images are repulsive. A group of rogue US Army soldiers in Afghanistan killed innocent civilians and then posed with their bodies. On Monday, SPIEGEL published some of the photos -- and the US military responded promptly with an apology. Still, NATO fears that reactions in Afghanistan could be violent.

A lesbian Army captain sent home from Afghanistan after she was accused of an 'inappropriate relationship' with a sergeant was behaving like a 'love struck teenager' and undermining operations, a tribunal heard today. Karen Tait, 29, who is claiming sexual discrimination against the Ministry of Defence and her commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Poneskis, upset the chain of command with her 'sly and underhand' behaviour, the employment tribunal in central London heard. ... The openly gay soldier, who started a sexual relationship with Sgt Caroline Graham before deployment with 4 Royal Military Police's 160 Provost Company, denies having any intimacy...

The XM-25, Counter Defilade Target Engagement System with 25mm rounds, is semi-automatic, and includes fully integrated day/night, full-solution target acquisition/fire control. Soldiers in the field have given it the nickname “The Punisher.” ... In one engagement, an enemy machine gunner was “so badly wounded or so freaking scared that he dropped [his] weapon” and ran, said Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, Program Manager Individual WeaponsThere were no casualties among units carrying the XM25 in those nine engagements, Lehner said. “No longer can the enemy shoot at American forces, then hide behind something,” said Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller of Program Executive Office...

The same argument has been used to benefit defense by bringing the RAF imagery analysts from [39 Sqdn., operators of the Reaper, and 5 AC (Army Cooperation) Sqdn., which flies the Sentinel R1 Airborne Stand-Off Radar system] into TIW,” Stewart says. “So we have that umbrella organization that can provide far better output and support to operations and the development of capabilities.” The RAF’s operations go beyond fighters and are part of a service-wide focus on combat intelligence, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance (Combat IStar). Since his appointment in July 2009, Air Chief Marshall Sir Stephen Dalton has made refocusing the...

ISLAMABAD – At a time when British and American soldiers are dying in Afghanistan at an alarming rate, the US is unlikely to start withdrawal of troops in 2011. Infact, 2015 would be the year set for this process, diplomatic sources told TheNation, Tuesday. A spokesperson of the US Embassy in Islamabad, Richard Snelsire, was not available for comments, whilst a lady official (using the Spokesperson’s cell phone) advised this correspondent to contact the US Defence department in Washington for answers to queries relating to military activities. She was responding to a question when asked by this correspondent if the...

WASHINGTON -- A military contractor says he'll fight Pentagon accusations that his people went too far in gathering intelligence in Afghanistan that ended up being used to target militants. A high-level Defense Department inquiry concluded that defense contractor Michael Furlong, a retired Army officer, ran what amounted to an illegal spying ring of private military contractors. The 15-page classified report into the matter, obtained by The Associated Press, says Furlong's human intelligence collection program, known as "Information Operations Capstone," amounted to a "violation of executive orders" and Defense Department policy.

The U.S. Army has ordered 3,600 upgrade kits for its M24 bolt-action sniper rifles, which will convert them to the M24E1. This will turn the existing 7.62mm M24 rifles into ones capable of firing the .300 Winchester magnum (7.62x67) round. This is a more powerful round than the NATO 7.62x51 round currently used in the M24. The conversion kit includes a new receiver and barrel, a new scope, a new flash suppressor and a folding buttstock. The conversion will take five years and will cost about $7,800 per rifle. Last year, the army ordered 38.4 million rounds of .300 Winchester...

SCIO, N.Y.—Gunner, a bomb-sniffing dog mustered out of the Marines for canine post-traumatic stress disorder, has found a new home with Deb and Dan Dunham, whose Marine son died in Iraq protecting the men beside him.

What is most disturbing about the coverage of Bob Woodward's "Obama's Wars" is not the juicy bits of conflict and infighting; it is the fact that the White House seems pleased with the image of President Obama that emerges. "I think the president comes across pretty well in the book," says one official, "even if it looks crazy around him." What comes across is a president deeply skeptical about the Afghan war, suspicious of the advice of military leaders and obsessed with finding exits and setting withdrawal deadlines. To a press or political aide in the administration, this must seem...

On October 6, President Barack Obama will award Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Staff Sergeant Miller will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in Afghanistan on January 25, 2008. He displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor - eventually sacrificing his own life to save the lives of his teammates and 15 Afghanistan National Army soldiers. Staff Sergeant Miller’s parents, Phil and Maureen Miller will join the President at the White House to commemorate their son’s selfless service and sacrifice. PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Robert Miller was born on October...

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SANGIN, Afghanistan—Somewhere in this dusty town, concealed among the cornfields, irrigation canals and mud-walled compounds, is a man the Marines particularly want to kill. They don't know what he looks like. But they know he is a very good shot with a long rifle, and, every day he remains alive, he is drawing Marine blood. In the seven days since the men of Lima Company, Third Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment arrived in town, the Sangin sniper has persecuted them with methodical, well-aimed shots, fired one at a time. His toll so far: two men killed—one American and one British—and one...

Like on so many things, Obama parses. He lies. And now he is trying to explain away the 50,000 troops that he is leaving in Iraq as advisors. Kiplinger understands this: "the 50,000 troops who will remain after Aug. 31 will be advisors in name only. In practice, they’ll be a strong enough force for combat if called to do so." Obama misled America during the elections. And now he is parsing words the way a lawyer does. He cannot be trusted.

My family and I would like to thank everyone for their condolences in this extremely difficult time. Our hearts are broken and we are just trying to cope day to day until Paul can be laid to rest. We know that he gave his life for the freedom that we all enjoy. As some of you may be aware, Paul had worn many hats within Apria as he worked at the Florida Regional Distribution Center at the age of 18 and later the Tampa Billing Center. By the time he turned 21, he worked at the Lakeland, FL branch as...

One of two U.S. Sailors missing in Afghanistan since last week has been confirmed dead and his body recovered, a NATO spokesman said Tuesday. The search continues for the other missing Sailor, said Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The two Navy personnel went missing Friday in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sport utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area. NATO officials were unable to say what they were doing in such a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban have said previously that they killed one of...

The outpouring of tens of thousands of classified military documents by WikiLeaks is not precisely comparable to the publication of the Pentagon Papers-but in at least one crucial respect, it may be more valuable. While the Pentagon Papers revealed the duplicity of American policy makers in the senseless Vietnam War, their release came too late to save many lives or change the course of that conflict. The WikiLeaks disclosures may have arrived in time to influence policy and prevent disaster. * * * The ultimate issue raised by the relationship between Islamabad and the insurgency, as well as the parallel...

7/8/2010 - KABUL, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- In the sky over Kalat, Afghanistan, a C-27 Spartan crew member opened the bay door and two men stepped forward. They surveyed the target zone and with a well-practiced motion pushed the cargo out the back of the plane. Two seconds later the chute opened and the cargo descended under control to the ground. The mission was a success. "This will be our first, full on, no playing around airdrop," said Lt. Col. James Piel, the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron commander, prior to the mission. "We've spent awhile working up to this and...

"As the Karzai administration continues to press ahead with preliminary outreach to insurgents, Pakistan has quietly stepped in to offer their assistance. The Pakistanis have reportedly offered to help reach out to the murderous Haqqani organization in the hopes of bringing the movement’s leader, Siraj Haqqani, to the negotiating table; however, any proposed deal with the Haqqanis is directly at odds with President Obama’s reaffirmed commitment to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Haqqanis rely on Al Qaeda for mass appeal, funding, resources and training, and in return provide Al Qaeda with shelter, protection and...

Considering how much criticism Obama has received concerning his leadership in almost every aspect of his Presidency, you knew he would have to fire Gen Stanley McChrystal in hopes of turning that image around. And after serving 26 years in the US Navy I understand the importance of establishing respect amongst military personnel for our country’s elected civilian leadership. I don’t believe, however that McChrystal needed to be fired from his position at this critical time in the War in Afganistan unless there was evidence he did not support the Presidents policy, and aside from some grumbling at the beginning...

General McChrystal voted for Obama? Holy crap! WASHINGTON – The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has been summoned to Washington to explain derogatory comments about President Barack Obama and his colleagues, administration officials said Tuesday. (Yahoo)Obama gets his Truman-MacArthur moment* I know his advisors think he needs it to increase his stature, but to those who know history, it diminishes him further. Harry Truman was no effete metrosexual unfamiliar with basic military terms.  He was a combat veteran of WW I, serving as an artillary Captain in France. But Obama is the president, as he so often reminds us. McChrystal Earned It He...