Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Terror groups abandoning complex plots, concentrate on attacks by digital-savvy loners
A confidential government report says terrorist groups such as the Islamic State have all but abandoned trying to put together huge plots such as the Sept. 11 attacks and warns counterterrorism agencies of a "new landscape" where lone killers strike and massacre quickly thanks to the digital age. Published January 4, 2017
Donald Trump blasts Boeing, Lockheed Martin for overpriced weapons
Military reformers in the nation's capital may have found a soul mate in a billionaire real estate magnate who takes a keen interest in what things cost, including big weapons systems. Published January 3, 2017
ISIS arrests in Northern Virginia reveal jihadi threat near seat of U.S. government
Law enforcement agencies have arrested nine Northern Virginia residents on charges of aiding the Islamic State since the terrorist group rose to power in Syria and Iraq in 2014 and launched social media propaganda to attract followers, a government message to police states. Published December 26, 2016
Obama already set to spend $20B a year to update U.S. nukes
President-elect Donald Trump has stirred up fears of a new arms race in a Twitter message on improving "nuclear capability," but President Obama already has committed to spending as much as $20 billion a year to update the nation's ability to conduct a nuclear war. Published December 23, 2016
ISIS lures the poor and the prosperous from 50 countries to build terrorist army
The Islamic State drew far more fighters from far more countries than its predecessor, a steady flow from far-flung global regions that helps explain the terrorists' commitment to mass murder and destruction once they arrived to create a ballyhooed promised land. Published December 21, 2016
Iran brutalizing Aleppo, executing ‘most atrocious war crimes’ of 21st century
Iran's brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force has played an extensive role in the rape of Aleppo, building a network of bases around the Syrian city and directing militiamen from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan to do the killing, an Iranian opposition group says in a new intelligence report. Published December 20, 2016
Obama, Democrats decry Trump’s ties to Putin — after own Russia outreach fizzles
Liberals are condemning President-elect Donald Trump and his people for supposed links to Vladimir Putin, but there was a time when Democrats were ingratiating themselves to the autocratic Russian leader and his country's money. Published December 18, 2016
Donald Trump spoke to Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of Joint Chiefs, ahead of inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump has held his first conversation with Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the nation's highest military officer as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Published December 15, 2016
Obama shrugs off Russian hacking — until Donald Trump elected president
Foreign governments have launched numerous cyberattacks on the U.S. government and sensitive industrial sites, but Republicans say President Obama has not responded in a forceful way to years of Russian hacking. Published December 13, 2016
James Mattis’ words boost Maj. Matt Golsteyn, Green Beret who killed Taliban bomb maker
A war veteran congressman is citing the words of Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis in a bid to stop the Army's reinvestigation of a Green Beret in the killing of an Afghan Taliban bomb maker. Published December 12, 2016
Donald Trump doubts CIA conclusion that Russia plotted to help him win election: ‘Ridiculous’
President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that he doesn't believe reports that the CIA secretly concluded Russia interfered with the U.S. election to help him win, calling it "ridiculous" and "another excuse" from defeated Democrats. Published December 11, 2016
James Clapper: We ‘don’t have good insight’ into alleged Russian hacking
As recently as Nov. 17, James Clapper, the nation's top intelligence officer, told Congress his agencies "don't have good insight" into a direct link between WikiLeaks and the emails supposedly hacked by a Russian operation from Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign. Published December 10, 2016
Ryan Zinke, former Navy SEAL commander, lauds James Mattis as ‘command warrior’
Rep. Ryan K. Zinke remembers a wartime encounter with then-Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis when the congressman was a Navy SEAL commander in Iraq and the now-defense secretary-designate was planning the first invasion of Fallujah in 2004. Published December 8, 2016
John Suprynowicz cleared in Army recruiter bonus scandal
An Iraq war combat veteran caught up in the Army's recruiter bonus scandal has finally been cleared of wrongdoing after a long legal battle. Published December 7, 2016
John F. Kelly to be Donald Trump’s DHS chief
President-elect Donald Trump has picked retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly to be the new secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, sources said Wednesday, selecting a career military man who, as head of American forces in Latin America, repeatedly warned of the dangers of drug legalization and the porous southwestern border. Published December 7, 2016
Donald Trump, James Mattis differ on Vladimir Putin, Russia
President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming defense secretary hold decidedly different views on Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially creating a policy breach on how to handle an iron ruler who laments the passing of the Soviet empire. Published December 6, 2016
Green Berets in ISIS fight frustrated with top brass micromanagement
The secretive teams of Green Berets guiding rebels in northeast Syria have expressed frustration with the amount of micromanagement they receive from a top-heavy headquarters in Iraq and the United States. Published December 4, 2016
Iran regime even more oppressive since nuclear deal, dissidents say
Now free in the West, recently escaped political dissidents say Iran's regime has grown more oppressive since its nuclear deal with the U.S. and other world powers that had hoped the agreement would moderate the Islamic-ruled nation. Published November 29, 2016
Donald Trump to inherit ‘weak’ Army, military too small to win major wars, report finds
The Washington think tank that helped forge the defense views of President-elect Donald Trump says in a report that the armed forces are too small to win major wars. Published November 27, 2016
John Kelly, Trump Cabinet mention, a border security hawk
What attracted Team Trump to retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly for a Cabinet post was a dissertation on the southern border he delivered to the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2015. Published November 27, 2016
