On AlterNet: department of defense

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "department of defense"

5 Things You Should Know About the FBI's Massive New Biometric Database

Tana Ganeva, AlterNet. January 8, 2012.

Civil libertarians worry about the roll-out of Next Generation Identification, a massive expansion of the agency's current biometric database.

Selling the Drug War for $3 Billion? How the Pentagon Will Privatize an International War on Drugs

Aurelia Fierros, Huffington Post. December 7, 2011.

In part of a move to transfer tactics from the "war on terror" to the "war on drugs", the Pentagon is paying private security firms millions to fight the drug war internationally.

Ecstasy As Treatment for PTSD from Sexual Trauma and War? New Research Shows Very Promising Results

Scott Thill, AlterNet. June 10, 2011.

MDMA is gaining serious traction as a treatment option for soldiers and civilians suffering from crippling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

10 Things We Must Remember on Memorial Day

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. May 29, 2010.

The war in Iraq is in its seventh year. The war in Afghanistan, in its ninth year, is the longest war in our history.

Super Pentagon Conflict of Interest: Advisors Rake in Billions

Nick Turse, AlterNet. February 26, 2010.

The same people who sell the Pentagon billions of dollars in technology are advising the Pentagon on what scientific and technical matters to focus on in the years to come.

Don't Call It a "Defense" Budget

Norman Solomon, AlterNet. February 2, 2010.

The new budget from the White House will push U.S. military spending well above $2 billion a day. Foreclosing the future of our country should not be confused with defending it.

Huge defense planning document leaked; What does it mean for the budget?

Spencer Ackerman, January 28, 2010.

Drone Porn: The Newest YouTube Hit

Keith Thomson, AlterNet. December 31, 2009.

Ranging from wide shots of bombings taken by onboard cameras to startlingly graphic close-ups, the so-called "drone porn" has been a smash hit.

WTF? $26 Software Being Used to Hack Drone Program in Iraq & Afghanistan

Liliana Segura, AlterNet AlterNet: World. December 17, 2009.

The Wall Street Journal calls it a "potentially serious vulnerability in Washington's growing network of unmanned drones."

Journalistic Outrage: The Pentagon Paid a Disgraced PR Firm to Profile My Reporting

Nir Rosen, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. September 1, 2009.

"A public affairs officer told me it was the most alarming report about a journalist that he had ever seen."

Guantanamo Inmates May Go to Special U.S. Prison: Report

Agence France Presse August 2, 2009.

U.S. officials are considering a plan to move Guantanamo detainees to a special prison camp that would also contain courtrooms and long-term living quarters.

ACLU: Obama Administration Must Abandon Force-Feeding at Gitmo

Nahal Zamani, Blog of Rights. July 28, 2009.

The harsh force-feeding of hunger strikers is a form of cruelty and mistreatment that continues to this day at Guantanamo.

No Tobacco Ban for U.S. Soldiers in Combat: Pentagon

Agence France Presse July 16, 2009.

"The situation [soldiers] are confronting is stressful enough as it is," said a Pentagon press official.

Congress to Flush $365 Million Down the Toilet For Soviet-Era Fighter Jets

Jon Soltz, Huffington Post AlterNet: PEEK. June 22, 2009.

Hey lawmakers: The military doesn't want them. Troops can't use them. So don't tie this pork to troops or veterans.

Obama Has 250,000 'Contractors' Deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and is Increasing the Use of Mercenaries

Jeremy Scahill, Rebel Reports AlterNet: World. June 1, 2009.

Newly released Pentagon statistics show that in both Iraq and Afghanistan the number of armed contractors is rising.

Court: Abu Ghraib Victims Can Sue Torturers

Willam Fisher, IPS News. April 20, 2009.

A federal court has ruled that four men who were tortured and released without charge can sue CACI, the U.S. contractor hired to do interrogations.

If the U.S. is Closing Gitmo, Why is the Pentagon Recruiting New Lawyers to Defend its Detentions?

Willam Fisher, IPS News. April 15, 2009.

The Pentagon is offering $39,407 to $130,211 a year for lawyers to respond to habeas corpus petitions filed by detainees in federal courts.

For All the Rhetoric, the New Pentagon Budget is No Revolution in Defense Spending

Daniel Luban, Ali Gharib, IPS News. April 9, 2009.

The new budget proposed by Defense Secretary Gates is higher than any of the Bush budgets that preceded it.

New Public Database Reveals First-Hand Accounts of How Toxic Burn Pits Are Making U.S. Troops Sick

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. April 3, 2009.

"Two months in, everyone was coughing up black stuff. Three months, in my black stuff started to include blood."

Famed Gitmo Lawyer Facing Six Months in Prison For Writing Letter to Obama Detailing Torture of Client

Comment Is FreeApril 2, 2009.

Clive Stafford Smith is accused of 'unprofessional conduct' by Pentagon officials who monitor communication between Gitmo prisoners and their lawyers.

283 Bases, 170,000 Pieces of Equipment, 140,000 Troops, and an Army of Mercenaries: The Logistical Nightmare in Iraq

Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet. March 30, 2009.

Why you'll be paying for the occupation for years to come, withdrawal or not.

Did Iran Really Reject Obama's Overture?

Phil Wilayto, AlterNet. March 28, 2009.

The real story behind the U.S. media's 'told-you-so' response to President Obama's New Years message to Iran.

Obama Officially Retires 'War on Terror' ... But What is Taking Its Place?

Liliana Segura, AlterNet AlterNet: War on Iraq. March 26, 2009.

Now under the banner of "overseas contingency operations," the mission formerly known as the "war on terror" isn't going anywhere.

Burning Toxic Waste is Making U.S. Soldiers and Iraqis Sick, But the Pentagon Refuses to Admit It

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. March 18, 2009.

Six years into the war, many U.S. bases in Iraq are still without incinerators, leaving open pits spewing toxic plumes over soldiers and civilians.

Guantanamo Lawyer Cites 'Ramping Up in Abuse' Since Obama Took Office

Liliana Segura, AlterNet AlterNet: Rights and Liberties. February 25, 2009.

The claim that Gitmo guards are getting "their kicks in" follows a Pentagon report boasting humane conditions at Gitmo.