Active Duty Military Soldiers Will Still Receive Their Pay As The U.S. Government Shuts Down

Obama Signs Bill Guaranteeing Active Duty Military Pay In Event Of Shutdown -- FOX NewsSenate Democrats are vowing to reject House Republicans' last-minute bid to delay ObamaCare by attaching new amendments to a must-pass spending bill. But the Senate has accepted one Republican idea -- a bill that would pay the military in the event of a shutdown. The Senate easily approved the bill late Monday afternoon and President Obama signed it into law a...

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President Obama Releases A Message To The Military As The Government Shutdown Begins

Obama Releases Message to Military As Shutdown Begins -- TimePresident Barack Obama released a video message early Tuesday morning thanking American servicemembers and Defense Department personnel for their service as most of the federal government shutdown began.The message, taped hours before the shutdown, features the president addressing the impacts of the shutdown on the Defense Department. Active duty military will continue to serve—and will get paid, thanks to a last-minute measure passed by Congress Monday and signed by the president less...

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Two U.S. Marine Generals Fired Over 2012 Attack In Afghanistan

Two Marine Generals Fired For Security Lapses In Afghanistan -- Washington PostThe commandant of the Marine Corps on Monday took the extraordinary step of firing two generals for not adequately protecting a giant base in southern Afghanistan that Taliban fighters stormed last year, resulting in the deaths of two Marines and the destruction of a half a dozen U.S. fighter jets.It is the first time since the Vietnam War that a general, let alone two, has been sacked for negligence after a successful enemy attack. But the assault also was unprecedented:...

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Marine Corps Whistleblower Is Now Facing Vengeance And Reprisals From His Superiors

Marine Corps Whistleblower Faces Vengeance From Superiors -- Washington TimesThe Marine Corps officer who filed a complaint against the commandant for intervening in the Taliban urination cases against eight Marines is now the target of reprisals from superiors, his attorney says.Retired Marine Col. Jane Siegel, who is representing Maj. James Weirick, said superiors have subjected the major to retaliations since it became known that he filed a whistleblower...

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Is Iran's Anti-Nuke Edict Cited By President Obama Last Week A Phony?

Phony Fatwa? Group Claims Iranian Anti-Nuke Edict Cited By Obama A Hoax -- FOX NewsPresident Obama could be hanging his hopes for productive nuclear negotiations with Iran on a hoax, according to one Middle East-focused think tank.On Friday, Obama cited a “fatwa,” or religious edict, from Iran’s all-powerful Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, banning the pursuit of nuclear weapons.“I do believe that there is a basis for a resolution [because] Iran’s Supreme...

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Will China Help Saudi Arabia Go Nuclear?

On May 17, 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the Great Hall of the People. Chinese EmbassyWill Beijing Help Riyadh Go Nuclear? -- China Policy Institute Blog/Nottingham UniversityAs negotiations between the West and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program reach a critical juncture, those most likely to be directly effected by an “Iranian bomb” are showing greater alarm. While the media...

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Competition Among Terror Groups?

For An Enlarge Image Of The Above Table Go Here.Competition Between Islamist Militants May Fuel Big Attacks -- Reuters(Reuters) - The assault on Kenya's Westgate shopping mall has brought into sharp relief a pattern likely to complicate efforts to counter Islamist militants - competition among jihadis can increase the risk of a major attack.As with the 2008 assault on the Indian city of Mumbai and this year's raid on an Algerian desert gas plant,...

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The African Desert Is A Perfect Place For Terror Groups To Grow

Africa Desert Helps Breed Radicals, From Al Shabab To Boko Haram To Mr. Marlboro -- Christian Science Monitor'Sahelistan' is what the French foreign minister calls the sub-Saharan zone of Sahel. Al Qaeda-linked groups from places like Mail and Nigeria have been driven into hiding there and hit Western targets. The zone may become a 'breeding ground' for terrorists, says the UN Security Council. Africa's Sahel belt is a 600-mile-wide semiarid zone...

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Al Qaeda Supporter Sues The U.S. Because His Shackles Were Put On Too Tightly

Brennan Linsley-Pool/Getty Images'My Shackles Were Too Tight': Al Qaeda Supporter From Brooklyn Is Suing US After Claiming Mistreatment Following His Arrest Gave Him Deep-Vein Thrombosis -- Daily MailWesam El-Hanafi says he has been left him with a life-threatening conditionThe former computer engineer, 38, faces up to 20 years in jailAn Al Qaeda supporter from Brooklyn is suing the US, claiming that tight-fitting shackles have given him deep-vein...

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Swiss War Game Scenario Prepares For A Debt-Ridden French Invasion

Swiss Wargame Casts An Indebted France As The Enemy -- BBCThe Swiss army has carried out a training exercise which simulated an attack by France, it has emerged.The wargame - which took place in August - assumed that an indebted region of France had decided to invade Switzerland to recover stolen assets.Swiss military officials have stressed that the scenario has nothing to do with a current row between the two countries over tax.Switzerland has...

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Teaching Syrian Rebels To Shoot Down Assad’s Air Force

Defector Pilot Teaching Syrian Rebels To Shoot Down Assad’s Air Force -- David Axe, War Is BoringBut missile shortage makes his job nearly impossible.They appear suddenly in clear blue skies, preceded only briefly by the roar of a jet engine or the chop of a rotor blade. Bombs, rockets and cannon fire shatter the earth, rebel installations and human flesh.The warplanes and helicopters of Syrian Pres. Bashar Al Assad’s air force are the regime’s biggest advantage over the rebel Free Syrian Army. It’s the job of regime defector Col. Zeyad Haaj Abayed...

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According To Syria's Foreign Minister There Is No Civil War

Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Muallem (RIA Novosti / Mikhail Voskresenskiy)Syrian Foreign Minister: 'There Is No Civil War' -- Christian Science MonitorHis comments come as UN inspectors wrap up a visit laying the groundwork for destroying Syria's chemical weapons.International inspectors have wrapped up their second visit to Syria to investigate more reported instances of chemical weapons use following a rare show of international consensus at the...

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Sea Power Is Back In Vogue

The guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52), (front) pulls into formation with the French Marine Nationale anti-submarine frigate Jean de Vienne (D 643) during Exercise Proud Manta 2013 (POMA 13) in this February 26, 2013 handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Handout via ReutersAnalysis: From Syria To South China Sea, Navies Cruise Back Into Vogue -- Reuters(Reuters) - After a quarter century of Middle Eastern land wars and...

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- September 30, 2013

Reaching Out: Obama's Ambitious Mideast Diplomatic Offensive -- Dieter Bednarz, Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark, Spiegel OnlineBarack Obama is moving his foreign policy course toward diplomacy and away from military intervention. Suddenly the Iranian nuclear issue and Israeli-Palestinian conflict are back on the table -- but is the Middle East ready for a breakthrough?The historic moment was carefully choreographed. The foreign ministers of the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council, Russia, China, Great Britain,...

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World News Briefs -- September 30, 2013 (Evening Edition)

Obama Blames House GOP For Imminent Shutdown -- USA TodayPresident Obama blamed an imminent government shutdown on House Republicans Monday, and said his health care plan is "moving forward" despite GOP efforts to de-fund it."You don't get to extract a ransom for doing your job," Obama said.Obama said Congress has two responsibilities: Passing a budget and -- in a reference to the upcoming battle over the debt ceiling -- pay the government's bills, and the Republicans are shirking both.Read more ....MIDDLE EASTSyria at U.N. compares militant onslaught...

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Afghanistan Prepares For Next Years Presidential Elections

Battle For Political Power Underway In Afghanistan -- Voice of AmericaKABUL — Elections for a new president to replace Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan are six months away and the battle for power in the country is heating up. Regional analysts say that powerful political alliances are beginning to form, and the result of the vote will determine whether Afghanistan moves forward or stays mired in long-term conflict.After decades of war and corruption, Afghanistan is a poor country. The hope is that the April 2014 presidential election will change all...

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Syria's Refugee Crisis Is Stretching The Limit For Countries Providing Asylum

Thousands of people flowed from Syria across the Peshkhabour border crossing into Iraq's Dohuk Governorate. Photo: UNHCR/G. GubaevaCountries Hosting Syrian Refugees Stretched to Limit -- Voice of AmericaGENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Participants at a U.N. refugee conference in Geneva are appealing for stronger international support for countries hosting large Syrian refugee populations. They say four neighboring countries of asylum are stretched to the limit.A...

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Amid Media Blackout Anti-Government Protests Spread In Sudan

Khartoum Under Threat from Protests, Observers Say -- Voice of AmericaNAIROBI — Over the past week, Sudan has seen its most serious protests in almost three decades. Demonstrations over rising prices after the government decided to lift fuel subsidies have mutated into riots, and dozens of people have died. The streets have calmed, but analysts say that this could be a turning point for the ruling party and longtime President Omar al-Bashir. The protests started a week ago in one town, but quickly spread to others and the capital, Khartoum,...

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New Images Of Kenyan Mall Attack Aftermath Are Released

Abandoned Trolleys, Dumped Shopping Bags And Shattered Glass: First Pictures Inside Cafes And Shops Of Kenyan Massacre Mall Where 67 People Were Killed -- Daily Mail* Chilling photographs show businesses in the Westgate Mall after it was targeted by terrorists last week* Shopping trolleys were abandoned while customers left purses and bags on cafe tables as they fled the violence* Shattered glass was left on the ground in an eery reminder of the atrocities which took place at the mall* 39 people are still missing following the attack, the local...

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Last Months Leak Of An Intercepted Al Qaeda Communication Has Resulted In Severe Damage To American Counterterrorism Efforts

Qaeda Plot Leak Has Undermined U.S. Intelligence -- New York TimesWASHINGTON — As the nation’s spy agencies assess the fallout from disclosures about their surveillance programs, some government analysts and senior officials have made a startling finding: the impact of a leaked terrorist plot by Al Qaeda in August has caused more immediate damage to American counterterrorism efforts than the thousands of classified documents disclosed by Edward Snowden,...

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Why is Twitter Allowing Terrorist Accounts And Suggesting Others To 'Follow Them'

al-Qaeda's own Twitter account has been suspendedTwitter Not Only Allows Terrorist Accounts, But Suggests Terrorists to Follow -- Bridget Johnson, PJ MediaAs terrorists increasingly have embraced social media, Twitter has increasingly come under criticism for hosting terror feeds. Al-Shabaab is on it sixth account after getting suspended in the past for tweeting photos of a dead French special ops soldier, and most recently the Somali terror outlet...

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Commander Of Iran's Elite Revolutionary Guards: Iranian President Rouhani Should Not Have Talked To President Obama

Commander Of Iran's Elite Revolutionary Guards: Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari. Tasmin News AgencyIran Guards chief: Rouhani should have spurned Obama call -- Daily StarTEHRAN: The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said Monday that President Hasan Rouhani should have refused to take last week's historic telephone call from US counterpart Barack Obama."The president took a firm and appropriate position during his stay" in New York...

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Israel PM Netanyahu To Meet President Obama Today. Iran Is On The Agenda

Netanyahu and Obama during a meeting at the White House. Photo by Avi Ohayon, Haaretz Israel's Netanyahu Meets Obama, Will Urge No Let-Up On Iran -- Reuters(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will warn President Barack Obama in White House talks on Monday that Iran's diplomatic "sweet talk" cannot be trusted and will urge him to keep up the pressure to prevent Tehran from being able to make a nuclear bomb.While Obama will attempt...

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War Returns To Northern Mali

Malian Army Clashes With Tuareg Rebels For Second Day In Kidal -- Reuters(Reuters) - Malian troops clashed with Tuareg rebels in the northern desert town of Kidal for a second day on Monday, residents said, after the separatists ended a ceasefire with the new government last week.The fighting began late on Sunday afternoon outside a bank in the center of Kidal, with both sides accusing the other of firing first. After calm returned overnight, shooting...

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Al Qaeda Fighters Storm And Seize Major Yemen Military Base

Gunmen Take Over Military Compound In Yemen -- Al JazeeraDozens of unidentified gunmen capture Yemeni army compound in port city of al-Mukalla, killing at least three troops.Dozens of unidentified gunmen have captured a Yemeni army compound in the southeast of the Arabian peninsula country, a military official said.At least three soldiers were killed and six others wounded in the fighting on Monday as the attackers wrested control of the army compound...

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World News Briefs -- September 30, 2013

US Government On Verge Of Shutdown -- Voice of AmericaThe U.S. Senate is scheduled to meet on Monday afternoon, allowing itself just hours to reach a compromise with the House of Representatives on a spending bill before a midnight deadline for a partial shutdown of the U.S. government.Republican lawmakers are insisting that any measure either delays or defunds President Barack Obama's signature health care law intended to provide coverage for millions of uninsured Americans.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised that a spending bill passed...

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- September 30, 2013

HQ for the British intelligence agency, GCHQ. GizmodoUK Becomes First Country To Disclose Plans For Cyber Attack Capability -- Information AgeMinistry of Defence announces plans for cyber "strike capability", making it the first nation state to do soThe UK has become the first country to publicly commit to the aggressive use of cyber attacks to protect national security. Over the weekend, the Ministry of Defence announced that it is developing a...

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South Korean President Park Criticizes Japan During Her Meeting With US Defense Secretary Hagel

BLUE HOUSEU.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, center, greets South Korean President Park Geun-hye at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 30, 2013. The two leaders later met to discuss bilateral defense topics. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo Park Urges Japan To Resolve Grievances Over Colonial-Era Atrocities -- Global Post/Yonhap newsSEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye told U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on...

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US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel Is In South Korea For Security And Military Talks

DEMILITARIZED ZONEU.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, second from right, stand at the Ouellette Observation Post at the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, Sept. 30, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo Chuck Hagel In South Korea For Military Talks -- BBCUS Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel is in South Korea for talks, where the eventual transfer of military control to Seoul is...

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A Lightsaber For Every Soldier?

Coming to a store near you … Ewan McGregor with a lightsaber in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith Photograph: Digital work by ILMStar Wars Lightsabers Finally Invented -- The GuardianScientists in America have 'accidentally' found a way forward to the creation of real-life weapons as used by Jedi KnightsWannabe Jedi Knights rejoice, for scientists have discovered that the famous lightsaber weapon wielded by Luke Skywalker and his ilk in...

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