Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Kabul, gets no invitation from Afghan President Hamid Karzai
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel traveled halfway around the world for a rare visit to the Afghanistan war zone, but he did not meet with the man holding up an agreement to keep U.S. troops there after 2014. Published December 8, 2013
Spike in battlefield deaths linked to restrictive rules of engagement
The number of U.S. battlefield fatalities in Afghanistan exceeded the rate at which troop strength surged in 2009 and 2010, prompting national security analysts to assert that coinciding stricter rules of engagement led to more deaths. Published December 5, 2013
Rules of engagement bind U.S. troops’ actions in Afghanistan
The new U.S.-Afghanistan security agreement adds restrictions on already bureaucratic rules of engagement for American troops by making Afghan dwellings virtual safe havens for the enemy, combat veterans say. Published November 26, 2013
Navy SEALs cite shabby treatment as Obama administration helps Hollywood instead
Navy SEALs are the toast of America, but revelations show that the top brass has not always watched their backs during the Obama administration. Published November 17, 2013
Delta Force Marine awarded Navy Cross for fight at CIA annex in Benghazi
In a unique battlefield commendation, a Marine Corps member of Delta Force has been awarded the nation's second highest military honor for coming to the defense of Americans last year at a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya. Published November 16, 2013
Army intelligence says it needs good cloud computing to save lives in Afghanistan
The U.S. military's main battlefield intelligence processor, so crucial to the war in Afghanistan, still lacks an element common to civilian computer networks — a cloud. Published November 11, 2013
Missiles flow into Syria, risk falling into hands of al Qaeda
One of terrorism's most feared weapons, the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile, has begun to flow into war-ravaged Syria in numbers that alarm the West because they may fall into the hands of al Qaeda, according to national security analysts. Published November 6, 2013
Questions about Navy officer’s cremation deepen mystery of Chinook crash in Afghanistan
A lingering mystery in the August 2011 helicopter crash that killed 30 U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan is why some bodies were cremated and some were not. Published November 3, 2013
U.S. military commandos fought in Benghazi
EXCLUSIVE: Masked from public view, two of the U.S. military's elite special operations commandos have been awarded medals for bravery for a mission that further undercuts the Obama administration's original story about the Benghazi tragedy. Published October 30, 2013
Former judge advocates ask Congress to investigate top Marine officer
More than two dozen former Marine Corps and Navy judge advocates are asking Congress to investigate the Corps' top officer for what they say is unlawful conduct in the Taliban urination cases. Published October 23, 2013
Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in Afghanistan
Questions haunt the families of Extortion 17, the 2011 helicopter mission in Afghanistan that suffered the most U.S. military deaths in a single day in the war on terrorism. Published October 20, 2013
Air Force: Sequester, shutdown imperil crews and missions
The Air Force is telling Congress that the double whammy of sequestration budget cuts and the partial government shutdown "endangers the safety of our airmen" and "unnecessarily adds risks" to everyday missions. Published October 12, 2013
Congress’ research service says Pentagon can pay death benefits during shutdown
The non-partisan Congressional Research Service said Thursday that a special military play bill signed by President Obama on Sept. 30 can be used to pay the death gratuity to families of fallen heroes. Published October 10, 2013
GOP says pay act covers military death benefits
The Obama administration lists the military's death gratuity to the families of fallen heroes as a basic part of its pay and allowances schedule. Published October 9, 2013
Army redesigns fusion server of battlefield intel system, but ‘next generation’ draws skeptics
The Army is redesigning a major component of its battlefield intelligence network in Afghanistan that has been criticized by soldiers, weapons testers and lawmakers. Published October 6, 2013
Pentagon: Ethics rules now apply to married gays
The Pentagon is alerting same-sex married couples they are now under the same federal ethics rules as heterosexual marriages and must avoid criminal conflicts of interest. Published October 5, 2013
Marine Corps: Whistleblower could be potential Navy Yard-like shooter
The Marine Corps' war against an officer who has accused the commandant of wrongdoing intensified this week: Headquarters identified Maj. James Weirick as a potential Washington Navy Yard-type killer. Published October 2, 2013
Marine Corps whistleblower faces vengeance from superiors
The Marine Corps officer who filed a complaint against the commandant for intervening in the Taliban urination cases against eight Marines is now the target of reprisals from superiors, his attorney says. Published September 29, 2013
Former Marine lawyer takes on top brass to defend supervisor of 8 who defiled Taliban corpses
The "semper fidelis" devotion of John M. Dowd is a major reason he finds himself locked in battle against the highest levels of the Marine Corps, including the commandant, Gen. James F. Amos, whom he accuses of misconduct. Published September 25, 2013
U.S. command in Afghanistan gives Army 60 days to fix or replace intel network
The Pentagon's main battlefield intelligence network in Afghanistan is vulnerable to hackers — both the enemy or a leaker — and the U.S. command in Kabul will cut it off from the military's classified data files unless the Army fixes the defects within 60 days, according to an official memo obtained by The Washington Times. Published September 24, 2013
