Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Obama’s inner circle seen as awkward fit for Flournoy
Passing muster in President's Obama's protective inner circle could have been daunting for Michele Flournoy, whose ranking as defense secretary frontrunner collapsed in 24 hours. Published November 26, 2014
Chuck Hagel: George W. Bush was the worst commander-in-chief
The sudden fall of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was unexpected because he spent years in Washington getting close to Barack Obama while upbraiding the president's predecessor. Published November 24, 2014
Benghazi: CIA detected no ‘credible threat’ before terror attacks
The CIA's main reason for setting up shop in Benghazi was to uncover the plans of al Qaeda-linked extremists, yet its officers there detected no sign that terrorists were set to launch the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission and the agency's own compound, a new House Intelligence Committee report shows. Published November 23, 2014
Islamic State seeks weapons consultants to manage its gear
The Islamic State terrorist army, in its rapid arms buildup, is now searching for foreign technicians who can come to Syria and Iraq and show its fighters how to use and maintain their weapons. Published November 19, 2014
Army soldier, war dog reunited after adoption application snafu
Two wartime comrades, an Army soldier and a Czech German shepherd who together hunted buried explosives in Afghanistan, have been reunited after two years. Published November 16, 2014
Discharge pending for combat pilot who tried to halt lesbian officers’ make-out session
The Army is moving to discharge a decorated combat pilot who intervened to stop two lesbian officers from showing what he considered inappropriate affection on the dance floor during a full-dress formal ball at Fort Drum, New York, in 2012. Published November 12, 2014
Pentagon sex assault survey raises doubts of accuracy
A Pentagon-hired pollster asked a record half-million active-duty troops this year to fill out an Internet survey on sexual assault, prompting critics to say the upcoming results will be skewed to show a higher number of victims than actually exist. Published November 9, 2014
Chuck Hagel defends Gen. James Amos over inaccurate resume
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has entered the debate over the conduct of former Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos, vouching for the general's ethics while saying his disputed official resume was not created by him but rather by a data center. Published November 2, 2014
EXCLUSIVE: Budget cuts, errant B1 bomber blamed in deadly ‘friendly fire’ accident in Afghan war
The "friendly fire" airstrike that killed five American soldiers in Afghanistan on June 9 is the first known case of a battlefield catastrophe that can be linked to automatic defense spending cuts that greatly curtailed prewar training. Published October 29, 2014
U.S. military ordered to hide identities, change routines to avoid Islamist attacks
The agency in charge of protecting the Pentagon has sent out a warning that "ISIL-linked terrorists" want to attack employees and is urging them to change routines and mask their identities. Published October 29, 2014
Green Berets reveal Afghan National Army soldiers’ incompetence
Elite Army Green Berets are knocking the performance of the Afghan National Army, telling war tales of its soldiers hiding and quitting the fight. The Green Beret criticisms, contained in a U.S. Central Command "friendly fire" investigative file, provide a window into the flaws of a national army more than a decade in the making. Published October 26, 2014
Air Force fires controller who called in ‘friendly fire’ airstrike in Afghanistan
The Air Force has kicked out the air controller who called in the June 9 airstrike from a B-1B bomber in Afghanistan that killed five American soldiers. Published October 22, 2014
Marines engage in tweeting war over TWT report on commandant
A Marine Corps public affairs director is lashing out at The Washington Times on Twitter for a report about the former Marine commandant padding his official resume submitted to the Senate in 2010. Published October 19, 2014
Semper Lie: Marine Corps Commandant James Amos padded resume
The Marine Corps is acknowledging that the retiring commandant, Gen. James Amos, did not attend the Corps' officers training school, though he told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a signed resume that he had graduated in 1972. Published October 14, 2014
Hagel: Climate change will put strain on U.S. military
The Pentagon on Monday released an alarming new war plan to combat climate change, saying it will "likely lead" to food and water shortages, pandemic disease and overall destruction. Published October 14, 2014
Taliban adopts Islamic State terror tactics as U.S. troops exit Afghanistan
The Islamic State army's unleashing of terror bombings and assassinations in Iraq last year is being played out by insurgents in Afghanistan who want to intimidate and destroy local forces as American troops exit. Published October 12, 2014
Pentagon sees Baghdad at risk of Islamic State takeover, expects Kobani to fall
The Pentagon on Wednesday made the sobering prediction that more towns in Syria and Iraq will fall to the Islamic State in the coming weeks, and that air power alone is not going to be enough to prevent the fall of the Syrian city of Kobani near the Turkish border. Published October 8, 2014
Key House leader says Obama needs new war strategy, U.S. ground troops
The chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services said Wednesday that President Obama’s war strategy in Iraq is failing and the commander in chief needs a new plan. Published October 8, 2014
Automatic budget cuts will nearly break the Army, generals warn
The Army is calling on active and retired generals to spread the word in Congress that another spate of automatic budget cuts would cripple America's largest ground force, an internal memo says. Published October 6, 2014
Islamic State withstands bombing campaign, plots Baghdad invasion
The Islamic State holds just about the same number of towns in Iraq today as it did two months ago, when the U.S. began a bombing campaign to whittle down the terrorist army and support Iraqi ground troops trying to retake territory. Published October 5, 2014
