U.S. military

U.S Marine Corps Col. Thomas M. Bedell, the commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, poses for a photo at the station's Energy and Water Operations Center on MCAS Miramar.

Politics & Government

The military is turning to microgrids to fight global threats — and global warming

4:19pm October 02, 2023

by Quil Lawrence

The military is among the largest buyers of independent power systems known as microgrids. They make tactical sense; and environmentalists hope they can help the transition from fossil fuels.

U.S. Army soldiers march in a parade as part of the 75th South Korea Armed Forces Day ceremony in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday.

What a government shutdown would mean for the U.S. military — and national security

2:06pm September 27, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Service members would work without pay, and many civil servants are likely to be furloughed. Congress has yet to pass a separate bill to guarantee military pay as it did in previous shutdowns.

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Charles Jenkins (left), age 64, his wife Hitomi Soga (second from left) and their daughters arrive at Japan's Sado Island in December 2004, almost 40 years after he defected to North Korea.

Travis King isn't the 1st U.S. soldier to enter North Korea. Here's a history

2:52pm July 19, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Travis King crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday, becoming the first U.S. service member to do so since 1982. A handful of American soldiers defected in the years after the Korean War.

View of a collection of defused cluster bombs and grenades used by an international bomb disposal group for training in Savannakhet, Laos, on May 2, 2006.

The U.S. promised Ukraine cluster bombs. In Laos, they still kill civilians

12:37pm July 11, 2023

by Lewis M. Simons

The U.S. dropped over 2 million tons of ordnance on Laos, including cluster bombs, in the 1960s and '70s. To this day, many people are killed, crippled and disfigured by them, writes Lewis M. Simons.

Ret. Lt. Col. Bob Alexander stayed closeted in the Air Force for 20 years because of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He came out when the policy ended, and when he retired, he decided to help those who weren't discharged honorably because of their sexual orientation. He resides in Washington D.C., and works as a cybersecurity attorney.

National

Discharged over sexual orientation, military still owes thousands of vets

5:00am July 02, 2023

by Quil Lawrence

Twelve years after repeal of the ban on gay and lesbian troops serving openly, no one in the military or Veterans Administration knows how many vets are still without the benefits they're owed.

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Warning: This photo contains graphic and disturbing content.

He says U.S. troops abused him in Iraq's Abu Ghraib and his life is still ruined

5:01am April 11, 2023

This Iraqi man says that 20 years after appearing in a notorious photo in U.S. detention in Abu Ghraib prison, his family lives in shame and poverty, never receiving U.S. compensation or apologies.

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Members of the all-Black aviation squadron known as the Tuskegee Airmen line up Jan. 23, 1942.

Books
Arts

'Half American' explores how Black WWII servicemen were treated better abroad

11:37am November 08, 2022

by Dave Davies

Though more than one million Black Americans contributed to the war effort, historian Matthew Delmont says a military uniform offered no protection from racism.

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A special commission is reviewing military assets with names tied to the Confederacy at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as well as other properties across the country.

National

A plaque with the words 'Ku Klux Klan' still hangs on a building at West Point

3:07pm August 31, 2022

by Joe Hernandez

The marker, depicting a hooded figure, was highlighted in a recent report by a special commission looking into U.S. military assets with names tied to the Confederacy.

Air Force service members run a timed 1.5 miles during their annual physical fitness test at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois in June. The U.S. Space Force intends to do away with once-a-year assessments in favor of wearable technology.

The Space Force is scrapping the annual fitness test in favor of wearable trackers

5:01am August 02, 2022

by Eric Schmid

The new approach aims to promote overall fitness instead of focusing on specific exercises, and the devices will also give Guardians feedback about mental health, balanced eating and sleep.

There are risk factors for eating disorders that are unique to military service.

The military might be creating 'a perfect storm' for eating disorders

5:50am April 15, 2022

by Desiree D'Iorio

Studies show that veterans have a much higher risk of eating disorders than civilians. Risk factors include chaotic eating situations, weight requirements and a culture of being in control.