http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pentagon/ en-us Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:42:50 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394798/posts Hundreds of thousands of electronic messages from 9/11 – including panicked exchanges from the Pentagon and the NYPD – were released today by a nonprofit activist group. The riveting pager texts include messages from people at the fiery scene, brave first responders and worried, desperate onlookers just trying to get a word about a loved one. "We're under another 'terrorist' attack in new york city at the world trade buildings!!!" said one message recorded at 9:11 a.m. "It's horrible. two planes crash into the top floors of each building." Another message reads: "Please don't leave the building. One of the... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394798/posts#comment Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:42:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390802/posts If there was ever a more irresponsible decision by a U.S. attorney general than Eric Holder's decision to try the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attack and four others as common criminals in a civilian court in New York City, I can't recall it. He is gambling with the nation's security and providing a platform that will give aid and comfort to the enemy at a time of war. And he is doing so with no discernible benefit, least of all to showcase the strength of our judicial system. Does Eric Holder remember the most infamous criminal trial of the... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390802/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:39:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390318/posts WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced the Defense Department will conduct a broad review of the Nov. 5 Fort Hood, Texas, shooting that left 13 dead and dozens injured. Former Army Secretary Togo West and retired Navy Adm. Vernon Clark, former chief of naval operations, will head the initial 45-day review, which will inform a follow-on investigation expected to last four to six months. “The shootings at Fort Hood raise a number of troubling questions that demand complete but prompt answers,” Gates said during a Pentagon briefing. “It is prudent to determine immediately whether... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390318/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:27:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2389918/posts http://c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/11/19/HP/R/26172/congressional+investigation+into+Fort+Hood+Shooting.aspx CSPAN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2389918/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:03:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389639/posts THE CASE FOR SPACE-BASED DEFENSE The growing interest in nuclear technology by countries such as Iran presages the possibility that one or more nations may attempt to harness such a capability in the form of an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack against the United States, a prominent political scientist has warned. Such a scenario, writes Brian Kennedy of the Claremont Institute in the November 24th edition of the Wall Street Journal, is not far-fetched. "It would require the Iranians to be able to produce a warhead as sophisticated as we expect the Russians or the Chinese to possess. But that is... American Foreign Policy Council http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389639/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:08:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388588/posts Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is joining Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., in publicly declaring that the attack on Fort Hood is likely an act of Islamist terrorism. Cornyn wrote a letter to President Barack Obama today urging the White House not to let "political correctness" get in the way of investigating the Nov. 5 massacre that left 13 people dead and more than 30 wounded. STAR=TELEGRAM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388588/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:04:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388623/posts As Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent, officially begins his inquiry this week into the disturbing failures that enabled Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan to stay in uniform, it must go beyond the normal excuses related to bureaucratic bungling. With the discussion this week devolving into interagency finger-pointing, lost has been the simple fact that the failures were systemic. Although the military has done valiant work fighting in Muslim lands, it doesn't seem to grasp how to assess when Muslim personnel could pose an internal threat. It's easy to rely on hindsight to second-guess after the fact, but based... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388623/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:53:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385378/posts While Israel is interested in purchasing the fifth-generation stealth Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin, it will likely hinge its order on US acceptance of its demand that Israeli defense industries be allowed to participate in the aircraft's production, senior defense officials said Thursday. On Monday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and discussed potential Israeli involvement in the production of the JSF, also known as the F-35. In the past, Israeli aerospace companies have been integrated into the production of aircraft purchased by the IAF. During their meeting, as well as a meeting... The Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385378/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:23:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2384628/posts The federal government at all levels has hired and promoted Muslims to influential positions. It requires “sensitivity training” for federal employees, including those who work at the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FOXnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2384628/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:43:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384568/posts President Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday. That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official. In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership... CBS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384568/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:06:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383416/posts I think this is new information, but honestly, the sheer volume of missed red flags has led me to lose track. We already knew that the FBI shrugged off Hasan’s e-mails to jihadbot preacher Aulaqi, but did we know that a Pentagon investigator operating as part of the joint terrorism task force did the same thing? If we didn’t, we do now. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case on the record said the Washington-based joint terrorism task force overseen by the FBI was notified of communications between Hasan and a... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383416/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:48:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383361/posts WASHINGTON – The Pentagon said it wasn't notified that U.S. intelligence agencies had intercepted emails between suspected Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan and an extremist imam until after last week's bloody assault, fueling new questions about whether the government missed warning signs that could have helped prevent the incident. A senior defense official said that federal investigators didn't tell the Pentagon that they were investigating months of communication between Maj. Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, who knew three of the Sept. 11 hijackers and hailed Maj. Hasan as a "hero" after the Army officer allegedly killed 13 people and wounded... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383361/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:44:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381386/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is wrapping up deliberations on war strategy in Afghanistan and is considering final Pentagon options that include sending about 30,000 more troops, officials said on Saturday. A deployment of that size would be less than the 40,000-troop increase recommended by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, but more than many of Obama's Democratic allies may support. Record combat deaths have eroded U.S. public support for the war, and a decision to expand troop levels could become a political liability for the president ahead of congressional elections next... (Reuters) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381386/posts#comment Sun, 8 Nov 2009 08:21:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378971/posts The U.S. military said on Tuesday it is now tracking 800 maneuverable satellites on a daily basis for possible collisions and expects to add 500 more non-maneuvering satellites by year's end. The U.S. Air Force began upgrading its ability to predict possible collisions in space after a dead Russian military communications satellite and a commercial U.S. satellite owned by Iridium collided on Feb. 10. General Kevin Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, called the collision the "seminal event" in the satellite industry during the past year and said it destroyed any sense that space was so vast that collisions were... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378971/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:58:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378774/posts More than one-third of Americans ages 17-24 are unqualified for military service because of physical and medical issues, U.S. military officials said. Curt Gilroy, the Pentagon's director of accessions, said the United States has "an obesity crisis." "There's no question about it," Gilroy told the Navy Times. "Kids are just not able to do push-ups, and they can't do pull-ups. And they can't run." The Pentagon figures -- 35 percent of the roughly 31.2 million Americans ages 17-24 are ineligible for military service -- are drawn from data from the Centers for Disease Control. In a study scheduled to be... UPI.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378774/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:41:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375736/posts There've been satellites orbiting Earth for half a century. But getting information to and from them is still a pain. Which is why Pentagon research arm Darpa is looking to finally hook the orbiting spacecraft up with reliable broadband connections. It's part of a larger movement to extend terrestrial networks into space, and eventually build an "Interplanetary Internet." In the meantime, we might even get less-than-crappy satellite internet service - if the project works out, of course. Darpa recently issued a request for information about supplying "persistent broadband ground connectivity for spacecraft in low-Earth orbit." The idea would be to... Space Mart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375736/posts#comment Sun, 1 Nov 2009 07:03:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2374123/posts The hits just keep on coming, while you wait in line, Gitmo detainees will have their vaccines delivered,...these are the fools running our country...(Story here) hotairpundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2374123/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:55:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370822/posts The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of the faltering Afghanistan war, senior military officials said. The exercise, led by Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, examined the likely outcome of inserting 44,000 more troops into the country to conduct a full-scale counterinsurgency effort aimed at building a stable Afghan government that can control most of the country. It also examined adding... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370822/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:57:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370398/posts You would think that an unpiloted space plane built to rocket spaceward from Florida atop an Atlas booster, circle the planet for an extended time, then land on autopilot on a California runway would be big news. But for the U.S. Air Force X-37B project — seemingly, mum's the word. There is an air of vagueness regarding next year's Atlas Evolved Expendable launch of the unpiloted, reusable military space plane. The X-37B will be cocooned within the Atlas rocket's launch shroud — a ride that's far from cheap. While the launch range approval is still forthcoming, SPACE.com has learned that... Space.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370398/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:32:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2369342/posts A new shapeshifting chemical robot being developed for Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Army has been unveiled by Pentagon researchers. ChemBot is a small mobile device that looks like a gelatinous blob, it can change shape to navigate through tight spaces and will be used by the army for intelligence gathering, and search and rescue missions. The chemical robot moves from place to place by way of a process called 'jamming' which causes the material to transition between semi-liquid and semi-solid states with only a slight change in volume. Jamming technology allows the scientists to make... Army Technology http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2369342/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:34:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368153/posts <p>WASHINGTON — Only nine months ago, the Pentagon pronounced itself reassured by the early steps of a new commander in chief. President Obama was moving slowly on an American withdrawal from Iraq, had retained former President George W. Bush’s defense secretary and, in a gesture much noticed, had executed his first military salute with crisp precision.</p> New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368153/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:07:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2367933/posts WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2009 – A military institution designed to provide emergency communications has moved to new quarters in the Pentagon. Gary Sessums, left, Navy Capt. Rick Low and John Grimes discuss communications capabilities at the new Military Affiliate Radio System office in the Pentagon, Oct. 21, 2009. DoD photo by Sally Sobsey  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. John G. Grimes, the former assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration, cut the ribbon on the new Military Affiliate Radio System office on the fifth floor of the Pentagon today. The facility is packed with shortwave radios, radio-telephone... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2367933/posts#comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:23:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2367573/posts Also missing from the vague accusations leveled at the general is some sort of motive for his behavior. No one has accused him of racism yet... Here's why I said "yet": *** The army is also "in a war against the White House -- and they feel they have [President] Obama boxed in," Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh told several hundred people in Duke University's Page Auditorium on Tuesday night. "They think he's weak and the wrong color. Yes, there's racism in the Pentagon. We may not like to think that, but it's true and we all know it." ***... Mudville Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2367573/posts#comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:20:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364845/posts WASHINGTON (Oct. 17) -- More than 3,000 U.S. troops scheduled to deploy to Iraq won't go after all, as the military tries to draw down troop levels in the war-torn country, a Pentagon spokesman said Saturday. The 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division will not replace a North Carolina National Guard unit already in Iraq, Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh told CNN. The 3,500-troop combat team, based in Fort Drum, New York, was to leave in January, he said. "[The cancellation] reflects a thorough assessment of the security environment in Iraq and continued improvement in the ability of the... CNN via AOLNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364845/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:54:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2364484/posts The Pentagon has missed the deadline set by the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review for the retirement of the W62 nuclear warhead. Retirement of the warhead, which arms a portion of the 450 U.S. Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, was scheduled for completion in Fiscal Year 2009, which ended on September 30th. But the Department of Defense has been unable to confirm the warhead has been retired, saying instead earlier today: “The retirement of the W62 is progressing toward completion.” The 2001 Nuclear Posture Review decided that, “the W62 will be retired by the end of Fiscal Year 2009.” The schedule... Security Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2364484/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:54:48 GMT