Tag: Pentagon

NORAD Deputy Commander Lt. General Alain Parent, center, of the Royal Canadian Air Force, takes phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their house, during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo)

Beltway Confidential

The story behind the US military’s tracking of Santa

Joel Gehrke · December 25, 2013 5:00 am

In this Dec. 19 photo, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel takes questions as he briefs reporters at the Pentagon in Washington. Veterans groups are fighting part of the new budget deal signed into law Dec. 20 that curbs annual pension increases for military retirees under age 62. After a barrage of protests from the military community, lawmakers said they'll review the cut next year and possibly reverse it.(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

National Security

Military pension cuts now unsure; changes likely

Pauline Jelinek · December 23, 2013 5:00 am

Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said, "The Senate vote is a strong bipartisan statement that, despite our differences, we can come together and accomplish important business for the good of the country." (AP Photo)

Senate overwhelmingly approves NDAA, sends to president for signature

Tim Mak · December 20, 2013 5:00 am

A presidential advisory panel has recommended dozens of changes to the government's surveillance programs, including stripping the NSA of its ability to store Americans' telephone records and requiring a court to sign off on the individual searches of phone and Internet data. (AP/Patrick Semansky)

National Security

Advisory panel recommends more oversight for NSA

Julie Pace · December 19, 2013 5:00 am

Pentagon contracts plunged 66 percent to $15.7 billion last month, the lowest level since January, driven by automatic U.S. spending cuts and a partial government shutdown.

National Security

White House supports NDAA passage

Tim Mak · December 19, 2013 5:00 am

In this photo reviewed by the U.S. military, a soldier closes the gate at the now abandoned Camp X-Ray, which was used as the first detention facility for al-Qaida and Taliban militants who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. Detainees were housed in open air pens until the completion of Camp Delta in April 2002. Many detainees at Guantanamo Bay may be closer to heading home under a bipartisan deal reached in Congress that gives President Barack Obama a rare victory in his fight to close the prison for terror suspects. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

National Security

Defense bill gives Obama rare Guantanamo victory

Nedra Pickler · December 18, 2013 11:20 pm

The biggest item on the Senate's agenda is a contentious budget compromise needed to avoid a second government shutdown in mid-January.

National Security

Week Ahead in Congress: Senate faces year-end deadline on budget, defense bill

Tim Mak · December 16, 2013 5:00 am

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, joined by House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., takes reporters' questions, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

House GOP conservatives help propel budget bill

Andrew Taylor · December 13, 2013 5:00 am

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., announce a tentative agreement between Republican and Democratic negotiators on a government spending plan, at the Capitol on Tuesday. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

National Security

Budget deal offers stability to Pentagon spending

Donna Cassata · December 12, 2013 2:23 am

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

National Security

Martin Dempsey presses Congress to act on defense bill

Washington Examiner · December 10, 2013 5:00 am

In this April 6, 2010 file photo, Sgt. Troy Bencke, right, points toward Afghan air force engineers as they work on an Mi-17 helicopter inside a hangar in Kabul, Afghanistan. To outfit Afghanistanâs security forces with new helicopters, the Pentagon bypassed U.S. companies and turned instead to Moscow for dozens of Russian Mi-17 rotorcraft at a cost of more than $1 billion. Senior Pentagon officials assured skeptical members of Congress theyâd made the right call, pointing repeatedly to a top-secret 2010 study they said named the Mi-17 as the superior choice. (AP File)

National Security

Accusations dog Russian helicopter deal

Washington Examiner · December 9, 2013 5:00 am

Among the casualties of the deal is Sen. Kirsten Gillibrandâs proposal to revamp the way the Pentagon handles sexual assault cases. (AP File)

Lawmakers reach deal on Pentagon policy bill, but must scramble to pass it

Tim Mak · December 9, 2013 5:00 am