December 20, 2015 Veterans Affairs accused of 'double-speaking' on impact of budget impasse As the partial government shutdown drags on, the Department of Veterans Affairs may be changing its tune about the severity of the cutbacks.
December 20, 2015 Pentagon says charity will pay military death benefits, amid outrage over cut-off The Pentagon announced Wednesday that a charity will step in to pay death benefits to the families of fallen soldiers, in response to widespread outrage over the payments being cut off amid the partial government shutdown.
December 20, 2015 Military foundation offers to cover death benefits as lawmakers consider fix The Pentagon typically pays out $100,000 within three days of a soldier's death. But it says the shutdown means there is no authority now to pay the money.
December 20, 2015 Marine Corps nixes plan for unisex dress hat The Marine Corps has canceled plans for a unisex cap for male and female dress uniforms, according to The Wall Street Journal.
December 20, 2015 Admiral: US submarine forces decline as China, Russia, Iran advance warfare capabilities China, Russia, and Iran pose regional and strategic submarine threats and are building up undersea warfare capabilities as the Navy is cutting its submarine force by 30 percent, the admiral in charge of Pentagon submarine programs told Congress on Thursday.Â
December 20, 2015 Report: USAID wasting millions in taxpayer dollars in Afghanistan The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has continued to provide millions of American taxpayer dollars to an Afghan government agency that has been repeatedly cited for fraud and abuse, according to a new report.Â
December 20, 2015 Uncle Sam's Yard Sale: Gov't looks to unload Afghanistan war hardware It could be Uncle Sam’s biggest yard sale.After 12 years of war in Afghanistan, officials are now pondering what to do with $50 billion in equipment half a world away -- including combat vehicles, dining rooms, gyms, clothing and more.
December 20, 2015 Congress forcing military to keep unwanted assets, programs despite spending cuts, report says Lawmakers are forcing the services to keep ships, aircraft, military bases, retiree benefits and other programs that defense leaders insist they don't want, can't afford or simply won't be able to use despite spending cuts.Â
December 20, 2015 US reportedly footing more of the bill for overseas bases despite cuts to military The exhaustive, yearlong investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee focused on costs and burden-sharing as the United States spends more than $10 billion a year to back up the U.S. military presence overseas.
December 20, 2015 Blackwater guards found guilty in Iraq shootings Four former Blackwater security guards were convicted Wednesday in the 2007 shootings of more than 30 Iraqis in Baghdad, an incident that inflamed anti-American sentiment around the globe and was denounced by critics as an illustration of a war gone horribly wrong.