Danger Room
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New Nuke Boss at the Pentagon?
After a top-down review of the military's management of the atomic arsenal, a blue-ribbon panel is recommending that the Pentagon create a new position to oversee nuclear deterrence. In a briefing today at the Pentagon, former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger said the Task Force on Nuclear Wea …
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NYPD Wants to Jam Cell Phones During Terror Attack
The New York Police Department wants to be able to shut down cell phones, in case of a terrorist attack. During last month's massacre in Mumbai, terrorist handlers over micromanaged via mobile phone the assaults on the hotels, train stations, and Jewish center that killed more than 170 people.In tes …
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20 Countries Team Up to Battle Pirates
More than 20 countries' navies are teaming up, to take on Somalia's pirates. But will Combined Task Force 151 make much of a difference? Naval pundit Galrahn isn't so sure. Pre-existing trans-national teams has suffered from flimsy mission directives and rules of engagement [ROE], which have kept th …
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Obama's New Defense Team Announced
Here's who'll serve as Bob Gates' deputy dawgs.
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Third 'Human Terrain' Researcher Dead
For the third time in eight months, a social scientist with the Army's Human Terrain cultural research program has died. In early November, while on patrol in an Afghan village, Paula Loyd was doused with a flammable liquid, and set on fire. She suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60 perc …
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Wage Cyberwar Against Hamas, Surrender Your PC
A group of Israeli students and would-be cyberwarriors have developed a program that makes it easy for just about anyone to start pounding on pro-Hamas websites. But using this "Patriot" software, to join in the online fight, means handing over control of your computer to the Israeli hacke …
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'Sons of Iraq' Retirement Accelerates
The neighborhood militias that helped the U.S.-led coalition turn the tide in Iraq are in the process of being transferred to Iraqi government control and retired. It's a vital part of the broader transition of all war functions to Baghdad, which officially kicked off on January 1st. The 94,000 &q …
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'Soft Power'... From the Skies (Updated)
When Air Force types talk about how much they can contribute to counterinsurgencies, they usually brag about how easy it is, to take out militants from the sky. So-called "soft power" -- building schools, discrediting insurgent propaganda, strengthening local economies -- that's for the guys on the …
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Pentagon Wants Loving Chat-Bot to Calm Troops' Kids
Now that the Predator drone has convinced the U.S. military of the power of killer robots, the Pentagon has put up a call for a loving, family-oriented artificial intelligence. The Department of Defense is soliciting proposals from small businesses for a computer program that would replicate deploye …
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'Soft Power'... From the Skies
When Air Force types talk about how much they can contribute to counterinsurgencies, they usually brag about how easy it is, to take out militants from the sky. So-called "soft power" -- building schools, discrediting insurgent propaganda, strengthening local economies -- that's for the guys on the …
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Five for Fighting 1/8/09
* Israel reserves get fake calls for duty* Video: F-16 jockey, skateboard designer team up for "ultimate flying machine"* Army letters address fallen soldiers' families as "John Doe"* "10 extinct beasts that could walk the earth again"* "Send old Shuttles to Mars!"
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U.S. Government's 'Terrorist-a-Day' Calendar
Forget the 2009 Yankees Team Calendar, or that Word-a-Day Desk calendar that's supposed to improve your vocabulary. Give me the Counterterrorism Calendar 2009.That's right -- the National Counterterrorism Center today released a desk calendar that shows America's most wanted terrorists, plus a few q …
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Vets Sue CIA Over Mind Control Tests
For two decades or more, the CIA and the military allegedly plied the unwitting with acid, weed, and dozens of psychoactive drugs, in a series of zany (and sometimes dangerous) mind-control experiments. Now, the Vietnam Veterans of America are suing the agency and the Pentagon for perceived abuses s …
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Robot Thief Nabs 'Smart' Space-Bot
On Monday, someone rifled through Portland State University professor Erik Sanchez's unlocked SUV while it was parked in Aloha, Washington. The crime itself was fairly routine, but the thief's loot was anything but. Stolen in the incident was a 90-pound, four-wheeled robot designed to help rescue as …
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Why Are Israeli Soldiers Wearing Chef Hats?!?!
This latest video from the Israeli military's YouTube push is fascinating for all sorts of reasons -- from the you-are-there views of a Gaza firefight to the oh-so-close sounds of mortars dropping. But can someone tell me why these IDF soldiers are wearing these crazy chef hats Turns out Slate's &qu …
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$337 Billion Stealth Jet Not So Stealthy: Report
One of the main arguments for the military's $337 billion Joint Strike Fighter program is that the F-35 jet is stealthy -- and so it can't be seen by next-generation air defenses. But a new study, published by Air Power Australia, undermines that most basic rationale. According to the report, the F- …
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Prof: Terrorists Could Enlist '6-Legged Soldiers' in Bio-Attack
Terrorists could easily contrive an "insect-based" weapon to import an exotic disease, according to an entomologist who's promoting a book on the subject.Jeffrey Lockwood, an entomologist at the University of Wyoming, is on the talk show circuit to promote his new book, Six-legged Soldiers: Using In …
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Prof: Terrorists Could Enlist 'Six-Legged Soldiers' in Bio-Attack
Terrorists could easily contrive an "insect-based" weapon to import an exotic disease, according to an entomologist who's promoting a book on the subject.Jeffrey Lockwood, an entomologist at the University of Wyoming, is on the talk show circuit to promote his new book, Six-legged Soldiers: Using In …
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Five for Fighting 1/7/09
* M15 spymaster comes in from the cold* Ex-reds heading to red planet?* The homesick drone* FBI spied on Katrina activists* Israeli cabinet to IDF: Cease-fire might work, but, for now, push on(High five: PWS, JQP)
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Terrorists Could Enlist 'Six Legged Soldiers' in Bio-Attack
Terrorists could easily contrive an "insect-based" weapon to import an exotic disease -- at least according to University of Wyoming Entomologist Jeffrey Lockwood. Lockwood is on the talk show circuit to promote his new book, Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War. He …
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