December 20, 2015 $500M worth of US-bought planes destroyed by Afghans, sold as scrap for 6 cents a pound Sixteen military transport planes bought by the United States government for the Afghan Air Force (AAF) at a cost of nearly $500 million were recently destroyed by the Afghan military and sold for scrap parts at around six cents per pound, prompting a government inquiry to determine why millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on the ill-fated program.
December 20, 2015 Hagel orders boost in standards for military healthcare Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday ordered sweeping changes to the military healthcare system after a review found problems at some facilities.
December 20, 2015 Congress releases war funds to fight Ebola Top lawmakers in Congress have approved the use of leftover Afghanistan war money to fight Ebola in West Africa.
December 20, 2015 House GOP moves ahead on Syrian rebel training Lawmakers raced Monday to authorize an expanded mission to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels before heading back to the campaign trail, with President Obama's fiercest opponents in the House GOP preparing to consent -- on condition no U.S. ground forces are deployed in the fight against the Islamic State group.
December 20, 2015 Obama orders review of federal role in arming state and local police President Obama has directed a review of federal programs and funding that allow state and local law-enforcement agencies to acquire surplus military equipment, a senior administration official said Saturday.
December 20, 2015 Tanks? Grenade launchers? Police stocking up on military's gear giveaway From California to Connecticut and several states in between, local police departments have been steadily arming themselves over the years with billions of dollars' worth of military-grade equipment -- including grenade launchers, helicopters and machine guns.
December 20, 2015 Defense panel: Obama administration defense strategy ‘dangerously’ underfunded The Obama administration’s four-year defense strategy lacks funding needed for fulfilling global military missions and the U.S. military faces “high risk” in the world unless changes are made, according to a bipartisan report by a congressionally backed panel of defense experts.
December 20, 2015 F-35 fighter jet: Most expensive weapons program ever A new analysis of the F-35 fighter jet shows it’s not only the most expensive warplane ever. Once the engines are added, it’s also the most expensive weapons program in history.
December 20, 2015 Report says Pentagon has lost track of thousands of firearms given to Afghan forces The Pentagon has been unable to locate more than 40 percent of the firearms it has provided to Afghan security forces at a cost of $626 million, according to a report by a government oversight agency made public Monday.
December 20, 2015 GOP-led House backs limits on Obama's authority In an election-year challenge to President Barack Obama, the Republican-led House on Friday overwhelmingly approved a $570 billion defense bill that halts any Guantanamo transfers for a year in the furor over the American-for-Taliban swap and pulls back government spying.