Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
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
U.S. Navy sailors harbor widespread distrust of senior leadership: report
Navy sailors harbor "widespread mistrust" in the admirals who command them, complaining of poor leadership and a disciplinary environment that tolerates absolutely no mistakes, says a survey of the fleet. Published September 30, 2014
U.S. military limits warplanes used for ISIS bombing in Iraq, Syria
The U.S. is relying mostly on warplanes already positioned in the region for its air war against the Islamic State, as opposed to dispatching a major buildup of aerial forces that happened in previous campaigns. Published September 28, 2014
U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State and Khorasan Group insufficient, critics say
President Obama is playing too nice in the air war against the Islamic State and the Khorasan Group, critics say, pointing to a spared bombing target in Syria as an example. Published September 24, 2014
NSA scores victory in foiling Khorasan Group’s U.S. terror plot
The U.S. ability to pinpoint with airstrikes the operational hubs of the al Qaeda offshoot Khorasan Group in Syria and penetrate one of its bombing plots shows the importance of the much-maligned National Security Agency, defense analysts said Tuesday. Published September 23, 2014
President Obama’s war advisers not instilling confidence on Islamic State strategy
President Obama's war Cabinet is not instilling confidence in the public about his "no boots on the ground" strategy to defeat the Islamic State now anchored in two countries and in more than a dozen towns. Published September 21, 2014
Iran’s Quds force aiding Iraqi Shiites with Obama administration’s blessing
The battle for Mosul Dam in northern Iraq could be the first clash in which Americans fought on the same side with Iranians. Published September 20, 2014
CENTCOM leader sought ground troops in Iraq
The top U.S. commander for the war against the Islamic State wanted to insert air controllers on the ground in Iraq to help warplanes locate targets, but he was discouraged by higher-ups. Published September 16, 2014
Obama sought repeal of Bush war statute now used to justify Islamic State strikes
President Obama's first initiated war against an Islamic terrorist group is authorized, the White House says, by George W. Bush-signed legislation that Mr. Obama has criticized and wanted to repeal since last year. Published September 14, 2014
Pentagon downplays role in destroying Islamic State: ‘It’s about defeating its ideology’
The Pentagon on Friday downplayed the U.S. military's role in defeating the Islamic State, saying the prime target is not it's army, but its ideology. Published September 12, 2014
Obama inevitably will need to use U.S. ground troops to defeat Islamic State, experts warn
Trying to uproot and destroy the Islamic State's army of terrorists in Iraq without American ground troops, as President Obama promoted Wednesday night, is doomed to failure, national security experts say. Published September 11, 2014
Islamic State leaders to be targeted in new U.S. strategy against terrorists
President Obama's monthlong, limited air war against the Islamic State so far has spared assassination strikes on its leaders, a policy that experts say must be reversed if the White House now plans to destroy the American-killing terrorist group. Published September 7, 2014
Islamic State using Edward Snowden leaks to evade U.S. intelligence: NSA official
A former top official at the National Security Agency says the Islamic State terrorist group has "clearly" capitalized on the voluminous leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and is exploiting the top-secret disclosures to evade U.S. intelligence. Published September 4, 2014
Obama underestimated Islamic State, misread motives of Putin, Assad: critics
From Russia to Syria to Iraq to al Qaeda, President Obama and his aides have underestimated the motives and capabilities of U.S. adversaries. Published September 2, 2014
Islamic State employs brutality, threats in effort to entrench caliphate without interference
The Islamic State terrorist army's brutality and threats against America on Aug. 19 are signs it's focusing on entrenching its so-called Muslim caliphate — without interference. Published August 24, 2014
A war by any other name? U.S. military action in Iraq still lacks a moniker
Guns, troops, bombs — the U.S. military action against the Islamic State has everything, except a name. Published August 22, 2014
