Category Archives: U.S. Army

Doolittle Raid at 71

Doolittle Raid at 71

A B-25 taking off from flight deck of USS Hornet (CV-8) which is carrying a load of Army planes for raid on Tokyo as seen from USS Enterprise (CV-6). 18 April, 1942. US Naval Institute Photo

A B-25 taking off from flight deck of USS Hornet (CV-8) which is carrying a load of Army planes for raid on Tokyo as seen from USS Enterprise (CV-6). 18 April, 1942. US Naval Institute Photo

On April, 18 1942 16 B-25 bombers flew from the USS Hornet on a mission to strike at the Japanese home islands following the Dec. 7, 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Navy. Read More

Pentagon Cancels Controversial Unmanned and Cyber Medal

Pentagon Cancels Controversial Unmanned and Cyber Medal

The new Distinguished Warfare Medal annouced in February at the Pentagon. DoD Photo

The canceled Distinguished Warfare Medal annouced in February at the Pentagon. DoD Photo

The Pentagon is cancelling a controversial medal designed to recognize contributions of unmanned aerial vehicle pilots and cyber troops, according to a Monday memorandum signed by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel obtained by USNI News. Read More

North Korea's War Plan

North Korea’s War Plan

Undated picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his advisors.

Undated picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his advisors.

Parsing harrowing threat from hot air is an essential task for monitoring the Korean peninsula. North Korean leaders and propaganda outlets unfailingly respond to times of crisis with apocalyptic language.

After the 2010 bombardment of the disputed Yeonpyeong island, for example, North Korea warned of a “merciless shower” and vowed renewed war would turn Seoul into a “sea of fire.”

Kim Jong-un, since succeeding his late father in December 2011, has overseen new missile tests, and in February 2013 declared his country was conducting its third nuclear test. With that latest crisis have come new rounds of grave statements. Read More

Opinion: Thinking Weapons Are Closer Than We Think

Opinion: Thinking Weapons Are Closer Than We Think

Man Transportable Robot System "Talon" Mark 2 approaches a suspected bomb maker's building during an exercise. US Navy Photo

Man Transportable Robot System “Talon” Mark 2 approaches a suspected bomb maker’s building during an exercise. US Navy Photo

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has constructed a neuromorphic device—the functioning structure of a mammalian brain—out of artificial materials. DARPA’s project, SyNAPSE (Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics) signals a new level for biomimicry in engineering. The project team included IBM, HRL, and their subcontracted universities. Read More

Hagel on Budget: ‘We are Living in a World of Complete Uncertainty’

Hagel on Budget: ‘We are Living in a World of Complete Uncertainty’

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at National Defense University in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2013.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at National Defense University in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2013.

The Pentagon has issued a budget that hopes to sidestep mandatory sequestration cuts as part of a larger Obama administration spending reduction strategy.

The $526.6 billion budget, announced Wednesday at a press briefing at the Pentagon, is part of the larger budget proposal across government that would save $1.8 trillion over ten years. Read More

Document: Joint Publication One

Document: Joint Publication One

From the March, 25 2013 publication: Joint Publication 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States, is the capstone publication for all joint doctrine, presenting fundamental principles and overarching guidance for the employment of the Armed Forces of the United States. This represents the evolution in our warfighting guidance and military theory that forms the core of joint warfighting doctrine and establishes the framework for our forces’ ability to fight as a joint team. Read More

CBO Report on DoD Reductions

CBO Report on DoD Reductions

From the March Congressional Budget Office report on Pentagon spending cuts: In 2013, the Department of Defense (DoD) faces an 11 percent reduction (after adjusting for inflation) in its base budget from the amount it received in 2012. (The base budget funds the department’s normal activi- ties but excludes overseas military operations like those in Afghanistan.) Under current law, the department’s bud- gets will increase by a cumulative total of 2 percent more than inflation between 2013 and 2021, still well below its funding in 2012 in real (inflation-adjusted) terms. Those limits are mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), which capped annual funding for defense and nondefense agencies during that period. Read More

Distinguished Warfare Medal Memo

Distinguished Warfare Medal Memo

Feb. 13, 2013 memo on the creation of the Distinguished Warfare Medal that recognizes warfare contributions from cyber troops and unmanned vehicle pilots. Read More