Defense Department
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Last week the International Monetary Fund cautioned the government on spending. So how bad are federal finances? We ask GAO\'s Jeanette Franzel
February 21, 2011 -
People whose military service was involuntarily extended or whose retirement was suspended between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009, have until March 4 to file for retroactive payments of $500 for each month of their extended service under the \"Stop Loss\" policy.
February 21, 2011 -
The Defense Department\'s deputy chief financial officer said Friday that the department believes it will achieve the 2017 deadline to produce auditable financial statements. DoD is approaching the problem in way that makes clear that clean books are not only the responsibility of its accountants, he said.
February 21, 2011 -
Is the U.S. considering movement of forces in the Middle East to respond to Iran\'s plans to send two warship through the Suez Canal? A spokesman for Secretary Defense Robert Gates says, \"we do not discuss the future movement of forces. We do have numerous assets in the region that are prepared to respond to contingencies if necessary.\" An Israeli official described the Iranian announcement as a public relations stunt.
February 18, 2011 -
CIA Director Leon Panetta told senators yesterday if the U.S. captures top al-Qaida leaders Osama Bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri, they would likely be sent to the Guantanamo Bay military prison. What does that say about President Obama\'s plan to close Gitmo? White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president remains committed to closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Carney would not speculate on what would happen in the unlikely event Osama Bin Laden were captured alive.
February 18, 2011 -
It may comes as a surprise to some, but the man who helped train the London suicide bomber whose attacks killed 52 people in 2007 has been free for two years. According to court documents Mohammed Junaid Babar, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, faced a 70-year prison sentence, but he cooperated with British and U.S. authorities and was released after five years. Some experts say his level of cooperation since his agreement has been extraordinary.
February 18, 2011 -
What kind of military relationship will the U.S. have with Egypt now that Hosni Mubarak is gone? President Barack Obama says the Egyptian military has served patriotically and responsibly and now must ensure a transition of power that is credible to the Egyptian people. For the next seven months the military will essentially be a caretaker of the Egyptian government. The ruling council has been charged with preparing the country for elections in September.
February 18, 2011 -
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the House Intelligence Committee, the United States believes North Korea has the capability to produce nuclear weapons, but is unlikely to use them unless the Pyongyang government is on the close to defeat. He said the Obama administration regards North Korea as a \"serious threat\" to security in East Asia, and believes it may well have built other uranium enrichment facilities beyond the known Yongbyon nuclear complex.
February 18, 2011 -
It\'s going to happen. The head of the U.S. Joint Forces Command says that 2,300 people in Virginia will lose their jobs as part of the Pentagon\'s plan to cut costs. Another 36 positions in Nevada will be cut while an in Tampa, Fla., are going to be eliminated. Gen. Ray Odierno says the cuts are expected to save about $400 million a year. The command employs nearly 6,000 military and civilian personnel.
February 18, 2011 -
Fort Meade, the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland, Virginia\'s Fort Belvoir, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, Florida\'s Eglin Air Force Base and Fort Bliss, Texas all need traffic management makeovers. That\'s what a new congressionally mandated traffic study says. It also says the Pentagon needs to pay for those traffic improvements. Traffic around those six locations are absorbing large numbers of personnel as a result of the Base Re-alignment Commission recommendations.
February 18, 2011 -
Cambodian and Thai troops are engaging in some of the fiercest fighting in years over a disputed part of their shared border. Tensions between the neighbors have been exacerbated in recent days by pressure from powerful Thai nationalist groups, which have been staging protests in Bangkok urging the government to reclaim the land.
February 18, 2011 -
A report from the Senate Homeland Security committee said the Defense Department did not inform or train commanders about how to recognize a radicalized Islamic extremist or how to see the difference between that and the peaceful practice of Islam. In addition, the FBI was harshly criticized for not totally sharing information with the military about Major Nidal Hasan and his views and beliefs. the FBI did not pass on some of the initial information up the chain about Hasan\'s connections because they said it wasn\'t clear he was connected to terrorists.
February 18, 2011 -
Billions of dollars in weapons deals with Egypt are probably going to be put on hold until the situation clears up there. No one from the Pentagon has said things have been shutdown, but one thing is clear, U.S. arms firms may notice a downturn in the near term. Egypt is due to get $1.3 billion in military aid from the U.S this year. Experts say while the deals may not be on the fast track, they won\'t disappear, because regardless of who comes to power in North African and Middle Eastern countries facing crises, there will be a demand for U.S. weapons
February 18, 2011 -
The Air Force will ask Congress to fast-track additional authorities to allow the service to bring its uniformed service back into the statutory boundaries, Air Force leaders said Thursday.
February 18, 2011 -
The Navy\'s cyber command will soon be able to see a real-time view of penetration attempts into the service\'s IT systems, the command\'s number two officer said Thursday.
February 17, 2011