Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Obama’s Islamic State strategy sparks doubt, resentment among Pentagon officials
Beneath the glowing battle reports about Iraq from U.S. military spokesmen in recent months, there remains a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction among the Pentagon rank and file with the Obama administration's Islamic State strategy. Published May 26, 2015
Women’s combat roles in Israel Defense Forces exaggerated, military traditionalists say
Military traditionalists say women's combat roles in the Israel Defense Forces are exaggerated by advocates in the U.S., noting as an example a recent IDF decision to keep Israeli women from serving on main battle tanks. Published May 25, 2015
Obama, Hillary Clinton Benghazi narrative rebutted by Defense Department report
At the very time President Obama, then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other top leaders were blaming spontaneous protests for the deadly Benghazi attack, the Defense Department broadly circulated a detailed intelligence report that said an al Qaeda-linked group planned the assault 10 days beforehand. Its goal was to kill as many Americans as possible. Published May 19, 2015
Islamic State’s Ramadi rout shows U.S. troops needed in Iraq, military experts say
The retreat of Iraq's security forces in Ramadi and the successful hunt-and-kill mission by U.S. commandos in Syria demonstrate that the Obama administration needs to put more boots on the ground in Iraq to take on the Islamic State, military analysts say. Published May 18, 2015
Women in combat: Test failures raise questions about how many can succeed
Military women washing out in two major tests this spring raises the question of whether a large enough female population exists to produce significant numbers of officers for front-line ground combat, an Army professor says. Published May 17, 2015
U.S. military pressed to design special line of combat boots just for women
Congress is prodding the armed forces to come up with a special line of women's combat boots, in different styles, as studies show that military women are more susceptible to stress fractures from marching and training. Published May 14, 2015
China to sell Jordan missile-firing drones after Obama says no to helping ally
China is offering to sell Jordan missile-firing drones to fight the Islamic State terror army, according to a U.S. congressman. Published May 14, 2015
The Navy’s new female uniforms draw fire at the Academy: ‘Why are women made to look like men?’
A midshipman at the Naval Academy on Wednesday stood up amid a sea of white dress uniforms and asked Navy Secretary Ray Mabus why the service was trying to make women look like men. Published May 13, 2015
Joseph Dunford, new Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, to make call on women in combat
One of the immediate challenges to face Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford this fall as the new Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman will be the social change sweeping the armed forces. Published May 10, 2015
Police protest dangers identified in alert free of political correctness
A private intelligence firm has distributed an "officer awareness bulletin" designed to help police identify in a protest crowd the members of groups more prone to commit violence against cops. Published May 5, 2015
Police given cheat sheet for tattoos, clothing to identify violent protestors
An "officer awareness bulletin" designed to help police identify in a protest crowd the members of groups more prone to commit violence against cops has been distributed to law enforcement. Published May 5, 2015
Navy SEALs see no barrier to women in combat ranks
U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command has found no barriers to integrating women into all-male SEAL teams, a finding that greatly increases the chances that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will open the units to females by January. Published May 3, 2015
Iraq waiting on F-16 fighter jets, U.S.-trained pilots for Islamic State battle
Iraq's besieged military was supposed to be flying front-line American F-16 fighters by now, joining other Arab forces in a daily air war against the Islamic State terrorist army controlling western and northern Iraq. Published April 29, 2015
Authorities warn officers of widespread backlash, spread of violence
Law enforcement intelligence officials have put out a warning that someone has sent a text calling on people to kill "all white police officers" in reaction to the death of Freddie Gray while in Baltimore police custody, raising fears violence could spread nationally, according to safety memos obtained by The Washington Times. Published April 27, 2015
Baltimore riots: Gang attacks on white police officers may spread outside city
Law enforcement intelligence officials have put out a warning that someone has sent a text calling on people to kill "all white police officers" in reaction to the death of Freddie Gray while in Baltimore police custody, raising fears violence could spread nationally, according to safety memos obtained by The Washington Times. Published April 27, 2015
Army seeks gun industry help on M4 carbine in tacit admission of rifle’s flaws
The Army is asking the gun industry to build new components for its soldiers' primary weapon — the M4 carbine — a move that experts say is a tacit admission that the service has been supplying a flawed rifle that lacks the precision of commercially available guns. Published April 26, 2015
B-1B fliers blamed in ‘friendly fire’ deaths of 5 U.S. soldiers back on flight duty for Air Force
The Air Force has returned to flight duty the four B-1B crew members who dropped two bombs that killed five U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in June — the deadliest "friendly fire" incident in the long war. Published April 20, 2015
Marine Corps weighs lower standards for women after none pass Infantry Officer Course
Two years ago, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the nation's top military officer, laid down an edict on the Obama administration's plan to open direct land combat jobs to women: If women cannot meet a standard, senior commanders better have a good reason why it should not be lowered. Published April 19, 2015
Iraqi Kurds ill-equipped to fight Islamic State, officials warn
Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the first to seriously confront the Islamic State invasion nine months ago, remain woefully short of arms as the central government in Baghdad withholds shipments of front-line American weapons, a top Kurdish official said. Published April 14, 2015
Terror targets: U.S. troops urged to keep low profile, avoid ‘military slang’ in public
The command in charge of protecting the U.S. homeland has sent a message to troops warning them to hide family information from terror organizations who are trying to frighten them. Published April 13, 2015
