Military
War veterans used in controversial drug testing
A Washington Times/ABC News investigation has found that distressed soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan are being targeted by the government for drug testing. The drugs being tested include some with severe side-effects such as psychosis and suicidal behavior. In the case of one study, it took the Veterans Administration over three months…
Read MorePentagon’s logistics concerns mean profit for transportation companies
Air freight companies are profiting from the war as the Pentagon increases its investment in logistics, reports Michael Fabey for Air Cargo World . "Contracts and contract modifications for companies flying cargo and passengers to the war zones in 2006 and 2007 totaled about $5.6 billion, according to an Air Cargo World analysis of data.…
Read MoreRequirements sacrificed in selection of new rescue helicopter
An investigation by Michael Fabey of Aerospace Daily and Defense Report delves into the selection process of the Boeing HH-47 (CSAR-X), the U.S Air Force’s replacement for its Combat Search and Rescue helicopter. Interviews with experts and the review of extensive documents revealed “how the acquisition was skewed in favor of certain helicopters from the…
Read MoreExecution of unarmed Iraqi draws attention to military pressures
Salon.com’s Mark Benjamin and freelance journalist Christopher Weaver investigated the 2007 execution of Genei Nesir Khudair al-Janabi, an unarmed Iraqi prisoner. Three U.S. snipers were charged in the murder. "A review of thousands of pages of documents from the legal proceedings obtained by Salon shows that in the months prior to Khudair’s death, the young…
Read MoreFinding the Fallen
A series by The Boston Globe explores the efforts of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), a program launched by the Pentagon in 2003 to aid in the recovery of MIAs from foreign wars. During WWII, over 2,000 Americans were lost over Papua New Guinea. The Globe details the work being done there to bring…
Read MorePentagon emerges as puppeteer of favorable wartime coverage
A report by David Barstow of The New York Times reveals how the Pentagon has used a cadre of retired military officers to “generate favorable news coverage of the [Bush] administration
Read MoreAccuracy questioned in military’s hand-held lie detectors
U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan will be issued hand-held lie detectors this month, but Bill Dedman of MSNBC.com uncovered conflicting evidence about their effectiveness. “The Defense Department says the portable device isn’t perfect, but is accurate enough to save American lives by screening local police officers, interpreters and allied forces for access to U.S. military bases,…
Read MoreDeclassified memo reveals claims to president’s unfettered wartime power
Dan Eggen and Josh White of The Washington Post report on the recently declassified 2003 Justice Department memo that was responsible for creating the “legal foundation for the Defense Department’s use of aggressive interrogation practices” in the run up to the war in Iraq. The memo suggested that presidential power was nearly unlimited during a…
Read MorePsychiatric screening of military personel still lagging
The Hartford Courant‘s Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman continue their coverage of the U.S. military’s mental health policies with a report revealing that fewer than 1 percent of deploying combat troops received mental-health evaluations in 2007 despite a congressional order to improve screening, as revealed in pre-deployment data for nearly 350,000 soldiers sent to war.…
Read More“A Soldier’s Officer”
Dana Priest and Anne Hull of The Washington Post delve into the case of 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, who was recently court-martialed for attempting suicide and endangering the life of another officer while in Iraq. The authors trace Whiteside’s career in the army and detail her many successes. Whiteside’s defense is that she committed her…
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