Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
State Department creates own board to look at Libya security query
The State Department's top security officer is coming under scrutiny for playing a role in creating a special board that is investigating last month's fatal attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Published October 9, 2012
Syria strife lures in militants from Libya
The arrival of Libyan fighters in Syria is raising questions about the motives of some seeking to overthrow the Assad regime. Published October 7, 2012
Pentagon quickly eyed al Qaeda despite White House claims
The day after the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, military intelligence was spreading the word inside the Pentagon that an al Qaeda-linked group was likely responsible. Published October 2, 2012
Social Security numbers of military heroes posted online
The Social Security numbers of some of the nation's most highly decorated Army war heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan were posted this week by a civilian contractor on a publicly available website. Published September 28, 2012
Official warns Pentagon managers not to plan for budget cuts
The Pentagon's No. 2 official has issued a new warning to Defense Department civilians and commanders not to make any plans for automatic budget cuts that are set to take effect Jan. 2, even as Congress and the White House show no sign of halting the cuts. Published September 27, 2012
Pentagon issues rules on how to discuss SEAL’s book
The Pentagon's top intelligence official has issued guidance on how to read and discuss "No Easy Day," an ex-Navy SEAL's unauthorized account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Published September 25, 2012
In anti-IED software case, Army’s buying rules trump troops’ safety
As the Army's 3rd Infantry Division wages war in southern Afghanistan, some of its soldiers back home at Fort Stewart, Ga., have found themselves in the middle of a different kind of battle. Published September 23, 2012
Pentagon ends more mingling of U.S., Afghan troops
The 2-year-old U.S. practice of mixing American and Afghan forces 24 hours a day has produced cultural clashes that have led to an increase of "green-on-blue" slayings of U.S. troops in which Afghan security personnel turn their weapons on their trainers, says an adviser to U.S. commanders and policymakers. Published September 18, 2012
Details of bin Laden raid leaked first by Obama aides
The Obama administration has gone to extraordinary lengths to publicize details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, even as it threatens to file criminal charges against a former Navy SEAL because he provided the same type of mission rundown in his recently published book. Published September 16, 2012
Experts question security at Libyan consulate
Experts are questioning the level security for the Benghazi consulate and slain U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. Published September 12, 2012
U.S. troops fear for safety after tense transfer
The U.S. military on Monday turned over its main battlefield prison and about 3,000 inmates to the Afghan government amid fears that the regime may release hundreds of Taliban insurgents who pose a danger to American troops. Published September 10, 2012
Book publicist says ex-SEAL author is in hiding
Don't look for former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette on the airways promoting his account of the raid on Osama bin Laden in a book that the Pentagon and special operations community wished he had never written. Published September 8, 2012
Ex-SEAL who wrote book on bin Laden gets written off by cadre
While top military leaders publicly bash a former Navy SEAL for his book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, his foxhole comrades convey their displeasure in a more subtle way. Published September 6, 2012
U.S. seeks more scrutiny to stop Afghan insider attacks
The U.S. military command in Afghanistan is hoping that intrusive scrutiny of applicants for the country's security forces will curb a streak of insider attacks that have killed a dozen U.S. service members last month alone. Published September 2, 2012
Military leaders urgently push for new counterterrorism software
A U.S. military command has sent an urgent request to the Pentagon to fund counterterrorism intelligence computer software for special operations troops globally, including the Palantir analytical system. Published August 27, 2012
GOP plank decries ‘social experimentation’ in military
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney does not bring up President Obama's social revolution inside the armed forces, but the GOP platform does. Published August 26, 2012
Unit’s fight for better anti-IED software won after heavy casualties
Months before the Army's ill-fated 5th Stryker Brigade was to leave Washington state in the summer of 2009 for the war in Afghanistan, its commander became convinced that he needed a particular type of equipment to counter cunning bomb-makers. Published August 19, 2012
General reassures Marines after Afghan attacks
The Marine Corps' top officer is trying to soothe the rattled nerves of his troops in Afghanistan, who saw six of their comrades gunned down by Afghan security forces Friday. Published August 15, 2012
Confidential memo: Army intelligence software has ‘poor reliability’
The Army's intelligence processing software that was developed to help soldiers in Afghanistan understand the enemy and predict future actions suffers from "poor reliability" and is "not survivable" against cyber attacks, the service's top tester said in a confidential memo to the Army chief of staff. Published August 7, 2012
Army’s vehicles not tough enough for bombs
The July 8 roadside explosion that killed six Army soldiers in Afghanistan has analysts worried that the Taliban are turning to bigger homemade bombs to take down the best armored U.S. vehicles. Published August 5, 2012
