Danger Room
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Afghanistan’s Oil Binge: 22 Gallons of Fuel Per Soldier Per Day
Wanna know why the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are so expensive? Heres one big reason: The U.S. military consumes 22 gallons of fuel per soldier, per day. And each gallon costs $45 or more to haul to the battlefield. Thats according to a new Deloitte study, flagged by our friend Paul McLeary at Avi …
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Five for Fighting 11/11/09
# Blackwater paid big to silence Nisour Square massacre # Obamas TSA pick had cops snoop on his ex-wifes boyfriend # Air Forces $50M plan to master interplanetary weather forecasts, battlespace surveillance # Airstrikes off-target history: bad omen for drone war? # Drinking game! Take a shot ever …
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Massive A’stan Haul: 500,000 Pounds of Bomb-Making Material
The primary weapon in the Talibans deadly, dumbed-down arsenal of explosives is the simple fertilizer bomb. Each one typically weighs 50 or 60 pounds. Each one is powerful enough to blow holes in armored vehicles, and kill soldiers instantly. So it is an extremely big deal that NATO and Afghan troop …
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Lightning Gunners’ Revenue Zapped
Times are tough all over. But theyre particularly rough for the lightning gun company with a sketchy past and indicted investors. In 2005, despite allegations of shady stock deals and stolen intellectual property, a Tuscon, Arizona firm Iontatron convinced then-deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowit …
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WMD ‘Finder,’ Ray Gun Pusher Wants Anti-Muslim ‘Backlash’
First, he said he found Saddams WMD bunkers. Then, he claimed that the U.S. military was zapping animals to death with real-life ray guns. Now, full-time kook and former Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent Dave Gaubatz is calling for a professional and legal backlash against the Muslim …
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North and South Korea ‘Much Flurried’ in Naval Skirmish
Recriminations are flying after a minute-long skirmish yesterday between the North Korean and South Korean navies. According to South Koreas Yonhap news agency, the encounter occurred near Baekryeong Island off the west coast of Korea. The Associated Press, quoting South Korean navy officials, said …
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Five for Fighting 11/10/09
# Afghan insurgents, U.S. ammo # Brazil calls B.S. on 60 Minutes, says blackout traced to sooty insulators, not hackers # What good is a surveillance state, if it doesnt catch guys like Nidal Hasan? #North Koreas Kim rides on tricked-out trains # Central park, 4pm
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Radical Imam Blogs His Support of Ft. Hood Shooter (Updated)
A well-known extremist imam is praising the Ft. Hood massacre - and lashing out against most of Americas Muslim community for not backing the shooter, as well. In a blog post entitled Nidal Hasan Did the Right Thing, Anwar Awlaki proclaims the Ft. Hood shooter a hero and a man of conscience who coul …
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Afghan Counter-Drug Ops: Back to the Future
Back in the late 198os, the U.S. military became substantially involved in counter-narcotics operations in Latin America. And Drug Enforcement Administration had a particularly close partnership with the U.S. special operations community, which provided training and equipment to DEA agents. Writing …
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Radical Imam Blogs His Support of Ft. Hood Shooter
A well-known extremist imam is praising the Ft. Hood massacre - and lashing out against most of Americas Muslim community for not backing the shooter, as well. In a blog post entitled Nidal Hasan Did the Right Thing, Anwar Awlaki proclaims the Ft. Hood shooter a hero and a man of conscience who coul …
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What, Exactly, Is a ‘Cop-Killer’ Gun? (Updated)
News reports on the Fort Hood rampage say that the alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, used an FN Herstal Five-Seven pistol described in some reports as a cop killer gun. What, exactly, makes the Five-Seven different from other handguns? The Five-Seven is chambered for the 5.7 x 28mm cartridge, ammu …
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Avril Lavigne, David Axe in Afghan Firefight
Hes safe, and so are the soldiers hes with. But our buddy David Axe has found himself in the middle of an firefight. Again. Heres a snippet of his report from Afghanistan: Rockets missed us and exploded in the field on our left side, setting the grass and weeds on fire. A cow died in the crossfire. …
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On Veterans’ Day, Help Out Ft. Hood Families
Today is Veterans Day, as most of you know. Which means theres added incentive to help out the families of the Ft. Hood Massacre. Heres a list of charities lending a hand. My favorite: Fisher House, a home away from home for military families during a medical crisis like this one. I just gave $250.
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Rines, Army Scientist and Monster Hunter, Dies at 87
First, he jammed with Albert Einstein. Then, he designed early warning systems for the U.S. Army, founded a law school, wrote a tune for Broadway, and secured dozens of patents. But Dr. Robert H. Rines will be best remembered for his longest, last project: his 37-year pursuit of the Loch Ness monst …
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Rebooting Afghanistan’s Low-Tech Air Force
Afghanistan needs to radically increase its ground forces, if the Kabul government is going to have any hope of stabilizing the country. But almost as important is beefing up the countrys low-tech, often-overlooked air force. Anthony Cordesman, the heavy-hitting strategist from the Center for Strate …
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What, Exactly, Is a ‘Cop-Killer’ Gun?
News reports on the Fort Hood rampage say that the alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, used an FN Herstal Five-Seven pistol described in some reports as a cop killer gun. What, exactly, makes the Five-Seven different from other handguns? The Five-Seven is chambered for the 5.7 x 28mm cartridge, ammu …
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Next Step in Russian PR Blitz: Rehabilitate Stalin
Glance at this weeks headlines from Russia, and its tempting to agree with Economist scribe Edward Lucas: Its beginning to look a lot like Cold War Lite. Polish magazine Wprost broke the news of recent war game in which Russia practiced nuking Poland. And Aleksandr Shlyakhturov, Russias military int …
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Mourners Gather Online in Aftermath of Ft. Hood Rampage (Updated)
A day of mourning has been declared at Fort Hood, Texas, after a deadly shooting rampage that left 13 people dead and 30 wounded. A picture is now emerging of the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Hasan,who reportedly opened fire inside a crowded medical processing center. Investigators, meanwhile, continu …
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Mourners Gather Online in Aftermath of Ft. Hood Rampage
A day of mourning has been declared at Fort Hood, Texas, after a deadly shooting rampage that left 13 people dead and 30 wounded. A picture is now emerging of the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Hasan,who reportedly opened fire inside a crowded medical processing center; investigators, as well as members …
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Psychic Spies, Acid Guinea Pigs, New Age Soldiers: the True Men Who Stare at Goats
More of this is true than you would believe, were told, just a few minutes into the movie version of The Men Who Stare At Goats, which opens today. But how many of the films outlandish military research projects really happened? Turns out theres plenty of material in the movie which sticks quite clo …
Danger Room
