US troops

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Top General to Advise Iraq Troop Cut
Top General
to Advise Iraq
Troop Cut
Aug 24, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

Top General to Advise Iraq Troop Cut

Gen. Pace's position may clash with that of Gen. Petraeus

(Newser) - Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is expected to advise President Bush to cut the troop level in Iraq next year by nearly half, the Los Angeles Times reports.  He will be conveying the Joint Chiefs' concern that attempting to maintain elevated troop levels in...

Army Can't Sustain Troop Demand in Iraq

Not enough soldiers to support surge through spring

(Newser) - With nearly all its forces exhausted, the US Army will have to break some promises to sustain the current troop buildup through spring, according to new documents acquired by AP. The Army would have to extend tours, reduce rest, or accelerate use of National Guard members to maintain current levels—...

General to Call for Pullbacks —But Troops Will Stick in Iraq

Iraqis could prove their mettle in safer areas

(Newser) - Iraq's US military commander Gen. David Petraeus is expected next month to recommend a pullback of US troops from safer areas—but likely won't bring any troops home, the Los Angeles Times reports. The move is intended to demonstrate Iraqi capabilities to secure less volatile areas without US combat support.

'War Czar' Concerned Over Troop Stress, Mulls Draft

Sees progress made on Iraq security front

(Newser) - Washington’s “War Czar” admits that it makes sense to a consider a military draft to relieve soldiers of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute tells NPR that the pressure point will come in spring, when Bush will have to juggle the nation's military needs...

For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K
For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K
Aug 5, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K

"Quick Ship" bonus meant to remedy enlistee shortage

(Newser) - An understaffed Army is testing out a tidy bonus to entice enlistees who agree to ship out to basic training within 30 days of signing up. The Army will be offering the $20K "Quick Ship" bonus until September to try and reach an increasingly ambitious recruiting goal of 80,...

Taliban Claims 2 German Hostages Killed

Demand German troop pullout, threaten South Korean captives

(Newser) - Two German citizens abducted in Afghanistan have been shot to death, a Taliban spokesman claimed today. The Taliban had demanded the withdrawal of the more than 3,000 soldiers Germany has stationed in Afghanistan, a demand to which they did not accede. The Germans were working on a dam project...

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits
Head of Veterans Affairs Quits
Jul 17, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits

Secretary's short tenure long on scandals and other woes

(Newser) - The secretary of Veterans Affairs, the head of the second-biggest federal department, is stepping down and will be replaced by October 1, reports the Washington Post. For 2½ turbulent years, Jim Nicholson, a decorated Vietnam vet and former RNC chair, presided over a department beset by criticism and overwhelmed by...

Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress
Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress
Jul 12, 2007 4:56 PM CDT

Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress

Acknowledging 'war fatigue,' president warns against hasty withdrawal

(Newser) - President Bush used today's interim report on the Iraq war to renew his call for Congress to withhold judgment on the troop surge until a September update, saying the military will "be in a better position to adjust" in 2 months. The report notes positive movement in eight out...

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Jul 9, 2007 8:22 AM CDT

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment

Reservist takes Army to court over tour he says could cost him home, job

(Newser) - A 26-year-old sergeant is suing the army to prevent his fifth deployment to Iraq, claiming that the Army follows inconsistent policies in mobilizing reserves. The military wants reservist Erik Botta return to Iraq next week, the Miami Herald reports, but Botta is suing to stop the order he says will...

Young Officers Challenge Brass on Iraq

Critiques of failure reveal rift between generals, troops

(Newser) - A growing number of young military officers are offering critiques of what went wrong in Iraq, revealing a generational divide between officers on the ground and the generals who deploy them, the Wall Street Journal reports. In an scathing essay in Armed Forces Journal,  Lt. Col. Paul Yingling charged...

Top Republican Calls for New Iraq Plan

Lugar urges Bush to pursue economic and diplomatic strategy

(Newser) - An influential Republican senator abandoned his support for President Bush's Iraq war strategy last night with a call to cut back the US military's role in the region and focus more on diplomatic and economic options. Richard Lugar, the senior minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has a reputation...

Bush Seeks Deal with Congress on Iraq

President wants to avoid nasty floor fight on post-surge strategy

(Newser) - President Bush has quietly dispatched top officials to work with lawmakers who've defected on the war in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reports. With support of the war plummeting, the goal is a revised war plan that could avoid bruising battles as  the mixed results of the troop surge come...

Number of Black Recruits Plummets
Number of
Black Recruits Plummets
Jun 25, 2007 1:15 PM CDT

Number of Black Recruits Plummets

Job market, family pressure contribute to 38% decline

(Newser) - The number of blacks signing up for the military has dropped 38% since the beginning of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, reports the AP. The number of new active-duty and reserve recruits fell from 51,500 in 2001 to less than 32,000 in 2006, reflecting both greater job opportunities...

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days
14 Troops Killed in 2 Days
Jun 21, 2007 12:49 PM CDT

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days

5 soldiers dead after roadside bomb explosion; death toll hits 3,545

(Newser) - Fourteen American troops have been killed in Iraq over the past 2 days, bringing the US death toll to 3,545, with 68 fatalities in June. In the deadliest recent attack, five troops died today after a roadside bomb detonated under their vehicle in northeastern Iraq. Commanders attribute the worsening...

US Troops Kill Seven Afghan Police
US Troops
Kill Seven Afghan Police
Jun 12, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

US Troops Kill Seven Afghan Police

Police fired on GIs on night mission; mistook them for Taliban

(Newser) - U.S. troops mistakenly killed seven Afghan police during a nighttime mission yesterday. The police originally fired on the Americans, thinking they were Taliban fighters; in response, the soldiers opened fire and called in attack aircraft. A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai called the shooting "a tragic incident" sparked...

Military Preps for Iraq Pullout
Military Preps for Iraq Pullout
Jun 10, 2007 12:17 PM CDT

Military Preps for Iraq Pullout

Envisions 40K force to stay for years; big withdrawal by early 2009

(Newser) - Top military officials are quietly setting their post-pullout strategy, reports Thomas Ricks in today's Post, and they're readying to keep in place a long-term, mid-size force. The new plan requires upwards of 40,000 American troops to stay in the country, with half dedicated to security, a quarter to training,...

US Joins Sunni Militants to Smash Qaeda

Officer on alliance: 'We have made a deal with the devil'

(Newser) - American soldiers in Baghdad's violent Amiriyah district of have formed an unlikely alliance in an effort to root out al-Qaeda In Iraq. US troops are giving guns, and even the power of arrest, to a Sunni paramilitary group—and a week into the partnership, they’ve helped kill or capture...

Attacks on US Troops Get Deadlier
Attacks on
US Troops
Get Deadlier
Jun 4, 2007 5:07 AM CDT

Attacks on US Troops Get Deadlier

Bigger IEDs and more complex ambushes lead to more US deaths in Iraq

(Newser) - Iraqi insurgents are using bigger bombs and more sophisticated tactics to kill US troops, reports the Washington Post. While Iraq civilian deaths have dropped 50 percent since the new counterinsurgency strategy was launched in Baghdad, American fatalities compared to the number of wounded have nearly doubled.

G.I.'s Disillusioned About the War
G.I.'s Disillusioned About the War
May 28, 2007 8:45 AM CDT

G.I.'s Disillusioned About the War

Soldiers from 82nd Airborne say they favor withdrawal

(Newser) - More than a dozen soldiers from the elite 82d Airborne division tell the New York Times that they now see the war in Iraq as futile. “In 2003, 2004, 100 percent of the soldiers wanted to be here, to fight this war,” says one platoon sergeant who advocates...

U.S. Raid Frees 42 Al Qaeda Captives in Iraq

US officials say Diyala residents are turning against Sunni insurgents

(Newser) - U.S. troops freed 42 kidnapped Iraqis from an al Qaeda hideout in Diyala province, north of Baghdad yesterday. Some of the prisoners had been tortured for months, including some who had broken bones and had been hung from the ceiling, AP reports. One captive said he was 14 years...

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