by Patrick Svitek | Feb 8, 2012 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON — As lawmakers quarreled over whether airports should hire more private baggage screeners, a bill sat on President Barack Obama’s desk this week that would answer that overarching question. The legislators’ inquiry: How should the Transportation...
by David Uberti | Feb 8, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON – A top U.S. general highlighted Wednesday the NATO-led coalition’s successes in Afghanistan, but he didn’t directly refute claims made in a high-profile military journal article that openly criticized the current strategy. Lt. Gen. Curtis...
by Patrick Svitek | Feb 7, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON — Transportation Safety Administration head John Pistole told a House subcommittee Tuesday that he will continue a controversial program that replaces federal employees with private workers at airport security checkpoints, although he is unlikely to expand...
by Edwin Rios | Feb 7, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON – The shift of military resources toward the Asia-Pacific region signals a need for new stealth bombers able to combat potential threats, deal with growing demands, and offset attrition of older aircraft, the president of a public policy research...
by David Uberti | Feb 1, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON – The March 2011 attack in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province that left two American soldiers dead and four wounded was carried out by an Afghan security contractor – a hired gun paid for by the U.S.-led coalition. The deadly attack at Forward Operating Base...
by Edwin Rios | Jan 31, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON – The U.S. intelligence community faces a complex challenge moving forward as it combats a variety of overlapping threats, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate committee Tuesday. Gone are the Cold War days when much of the...
by Shirley Li | Jan 31, 2012 | Business, National Security
WASHINGTON – The flames of controversy that burst over President Barack Obama’s recess appointment of Richard Cordray as Director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are still smoldering. Four Republican members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban...
by Rebecca Nelson | Jan 31, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON — Although al-Qaida has diminished as a working terrorist organization, it still poses a threat to the West, according to Mitchell Silber, the head of the NYPD Intelligence Division’s Analytic Unit. On Tuesday, Silber discussed his new book, The Al-Qaeda...
by Patrick Svitek | Jan 30, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared Monday that it’s “clear from every measure” that border security is improving under the Obama administration despite what she called outdated laws that should be strengthened. During her second annual...
by Edwin Rios | Jan 25, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON – The 21st century’s military should be an intelligence-driven force that emphasizes small special forces units rather than large armies, a national security expert said Wednesday. Michael Breen, vice president of the progressive Truman National Security...
by Patrick Svitek | Jan 23, 2012 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON — Open government advocates are re-energizing their push for President Barack Obama to issue an executive order that would require federal contractors to reveal political contributions. The issue is gaining traction at the White House after a false start...
by Patrick Svitek | Jan 18, 2012 | National Security
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security should redefine its mission as it moves away from strictly combating terrorism, experts at the Aspen Institute say. Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, representatives from the think tank’s...
