Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Pentagon’s budget fears fall on media’s deaf ears
The Pentagon's intense public relations campaign is designed to sell Congress and the public on how the first year of "sequester" budget cuts is leaving the U.S. military unable to train or deploy overseas. Public warnings generally have garnered media sympathy, but there have been signs in recent weeks of a backlash from the Washington press corps. Published March 31, 2013
Rep. Duncan Hunter takes Army to task over requests for IED finder
Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, has accused the Army brass of maintaining a bureaucratic sabotage on requests for the Palantir intelligence processor. Published March 28, 2013
She has the right stuff: Female combat pilots have been flashing their skills for 20 years
Retired Air Force Col. Martha McSally, who logged more than 300 combat flying hours, today is recalling how she took part in the Pentagon's last gender revolution, as the U.S. military prepares to open a new frontier for women — direct ground combat. Published March 25, 2013
General cites ‘Seinfeld’ to explain ground war strategy
One of the Army's more famous combatants and intellectual lights turned to a new guidance Wednesday when explaining how to fight a ground war — "Seinfeld." Published March 20, 2013
U.S. missile defense plans will raise Korea tensions, China warns
President Obama's decision to deploy additional missile interceptors at Alaska's Fort Greely reverses a decision he made in 2009 to scale back the number of active silos approved by President George W. Bush to blunt long-range nukes. Published March 18, 2013
Pentagon has spent billions on doomed programs; cash looms large with budget cuts
The Pentagon has squandered billions of dollars over the past two decades on weapon systems it never produced and on rosy cost estimates that ballooned to sizes that ate up funds for other projects, according to government reports and defense analysts. Published March 17, 2013
House bill calls for congressional medal for heroes in Benghazi attack
A House Republican introduced a resolution Thursday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the two former Navy SEALs who were killed as they defended American diplomats and CIA officers from Islamic extremists in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11. Published March 14, 2013
Unlike White House, Pentagon keeps up public tours
The Defense Department is keeping only one aircraft carrier in the strategically important Persian Gulf, but unlike the White House, the Pentagon is keeping its doors open for public tours. Published March 13, 2013
Two Americans killed in ‘insider attack’ in Afghanistan
Two U.S. special forces personnel were killed Monday in a so-called "insider attack" in Afghanistan — shattering a lull in Afghan security forces firing on their American allies this year. Published March 11, 2013
Revolving door of generals takes Afghanistan command
When Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford took command of the war in Afghanistan on Feb. 10, he succeeded a line of hard-luck officers who had succumbed to scandal or felt the White House's sting over requests for more troops. Published March 10, 2013
Prices soar, enthusiasm dives for F-35 Lightning; pilots worry about visibility problem
The Pentagon's top brass are second-guessing the F-35 Lightning — the most expensive weapons system in history — as spending cuts tighten the military's budget and a new report says F-35 pilots can't see that well out of the cockpit. Published March 6, 2013
Attacks by Afghan ‘insiders’ double in past year; NATO recalculation leads to new numbers
Afghan security personnel attacks against U.S. and NATO troops rose sharply last year despite a NATO command overhaul of how local army and police recruits are screened. Published March 3, 2013
Military brass marching to Obama’s beat
The military leadership is proving to be a solid ally of President Obama in political Washington, adopting his social revolution and willing to serve as backdrops to the White House's campaign-style drive to win the budget battle with Republicans. Published February 28, 2013
Decline for insurgent Afghan attacks was misreported
An officially reported downward trend in insurgent attacks that has underpinned President Obama's decision to pull 34,000 troops from Afghanistan did not actually happen last year. Published February 26, 2013
Few women will qualify for land combat: report
A new report to Congress predicts that relatively few women will be able to perform land combat tasks on the same level as men, and it says the Pentagon's pledge to maintain "gender-neutral" physical standards has a loophole. Published February 24, 2013
From Top Gun to Risky Business: Budget cuts to force Navy to shutter four active aircraft carriers
The U.S. Navy plans to shut down four of its active aircraft carriers in one of the worst-case scenarios presented to Congress by the service since the debate on budget cuts heated up this winter. Published February 20, 2013
Pentagon aims ax to make a point with sequester cuts, uses worst-case scenarios to force deal
The Obama administration is putting attention-getting Pentagon projects on the chopping block in a bid to pressure Congress into making a deal that avoids $46 billion in military budget cuts March 1, analysts and congressional officials say. Published February 17, 2013
Pentagon uproar over Panetta’s hero medals for drone operators, cybersleuths
Some warriors inside the Pentagon are reacting with amusement and anger over outgoing Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta's decision to create a prestigious heroism medal for cyber and drone combatants who sit inside stations outside a war zone. Published February 15, 2013
NASA accused of technology transfers
One of NASA's renowned research centers has been under a four-year FBI investigation for the possible transfer of secret weapon-system technology to foreign countries, including China, two Republican congressmen have disclosed. Published February 12, 2013
Military warns cuts would create ‘hollow force’ akin to 1970s
The U.S. armed services, widely recognized as the world's most ready and mobile military, is painting a picture of itself as a stagnant force trapped at home under automatic spending cuts just three weeks away. Published February 10, 2013
