All Security
- Cover StoryFallujah anniversary: Tracking down the US Marine 'Death Dealers'Embedded with US Marines in the battle for Fallujah in 2004, Monitor staff writer Scott Peterson tracks down the 鈥楧eath Dealers鈥 of Charlie Company on the 10th anniversary of that pivot point in the Iraq War. They are winning the聽after-war聽back home in the US, one battle at a time.
- Who shot Osama bin Laden? Dueling SEAL Team Six narrativesNews reports identify the US Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden as Robert O'Neill, scheduled to appear in a Fox News interview next week. Leaders of Navy SEALs warn that disclosing classified information could result in 'judicial consequence.'
- Civil War hero to receive Medal of Honor, 151 years delayedFirst Lt. Alonzo Cushing will receive a Medal of Honor Thursday for his gallantry at the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. The tale of his heroism 鈥 and a family's long memory of it 鈥 punctuate a remarkable story.
- Why Islamic State threat is 'unprecedented,' but doesn't change much for USThe Islamic State is a unique hybrid of terrorist group and nation-state that has shown remarkable strategic clarity and organization. But its threat to America 鈥 and America's options for dealing with it 鈥 remain limited.
- Why is Pentagon quarantining troops who had no contact with Ebola patients?Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday signed off on a policy of 21-day quarantines for all troops deployed to West Africa on Ebola-related missions. It speaks to the military's 'ultra-cautious' culture.
- With US women soon eligible for combat, the draft could be nextThe US Supreme Court decided that it's constitutional to exclude women from registering for the draft because they're banned from combat units. That ban ends in 2016.
- Three pioneering women in Marine infantry course are asked to leave. Why?The three women who qualified for the Marine Corps's Infantry Officers Course were physically disqualified last week. No woman has successfully completed the course.
- Why bikini shoot cameo may land National Guardsmen in hot waterThe Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah National Guard are both investigating, after a risque video for a calendar was shot in part on military property in Utah and featured at least two National Guardsmen in their uniforms.
- US airstrikes have 'minimal effects' on Islamic State. Why that's not all bad.The number of US airstrikes against the Islamic State are 'very, very low,' but the goal is not just a military one, as Tuesday's meeting of the 22-member coalition highlighted.
- Pentagon backlash: Why are top military leaders attacking Obama鈥檚 foreign policy?Gen. Ray Odierno, the US Army Chief of Staff, is the latest Pentagon official to criticize President Obama's foreign policy. Is that unusual?聽
- How hard would it be to weaponize Ebola? Pretty hard.The Ebola outbreak has sparked concerns that terrorists could attempt to use the virus for nefarious purposes. However, Pentagon officials maintain that such risk is extremely low.
- Leon Panetta's Top 10 revelations Leon Panetta's book, 鈥淲orthy Fights: a Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace,鈥 comes out Tuesday.
- In a first, 3 women pass Marines Combat Endurance Test, toting 80-lb. packsA Monitor exclusive: Marines training to be infantry officers must pass a grueling physical test to lead Marines into combat. This week, that included three women 鈥 the most ever.聽
- Navy searches for missing MV-22 Osprey crew memberTwo crew members jumped out of a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft that had experienced engine difficulties while operating in the North Arabian Gulf. One crew member was rescued. A search is underway for the second.
- 1,400 US troops to Liberia: building hospitals, not treating Ebola patientsAfter announcement of first Ebola case in US, Pentagon aims to tamp down fears that US troops are at risk in Liberia, the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic in Africa. US troops are getting trained on 'personal protective equipment.'
- Army opens Ranger School to women, a historic leap toward equalityThe Army is now inviting women to join Ranger School, the proving ground for its elite force. It's a 'promising development' toward equality for male and female soldiers.
- Is Khorasan a real threat 鈥 or a way to avoid a vote on US military action?Some experts see a real threat from Khorasan, but the previously unnamed group also gives the White House more flexibility in dealing with Congress.
- Fight against Islamic State: what Pentagon officials say are challenges aheadAirstrikes alone will not be enough, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday. The fight in Syria against the Islamic State promises to be particularly complex, with a need for as many as 15,000 trained rebel fighters.
- Pentagon says it will take years to retrain Iraqi forces. Why so long?The assassination and intimidation campaign waged by Islamist militants, as well as the cronyism practiced by the former Iraqi prime minister, have led to an erosion of confidence, says the retired general who took command of the training effort for Iraqi security forces in 2007.
- Fighting Islamic State: Why US training of Iraqi forces will be harder this timeFully half of all current Iraqi security forces 'are not trainable,' because they are too sectarian, says Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno. And it could take years to win back the trust of Sunni tribes.