Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Three months on, ‘don’t ask’ repeal gets mixed review
Three months after President Obama lifted the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military, Pentagon officials say heterosexual troops are adjusting well to the new policy. Critics, however, say they are just following orders, and a recent survey showed many troops reporting a rise in tension. Published December 23, 2011
U.S. exit from Iraq leaves a power void
The Iraqi government lost more than a fighting ally when the last U.S. troops left the country Sunday. Published December 22, 2011
Gear galore left in Iraq as last troops pull out
If the U.S. military held a yard sale, the rummaging would look a lot like what has been going on in Iraq. Published December 15, 2011
![President Obama speaks to returning troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, about the end of the Iraq war with the withdrawal of all U.S. forces at the end of this month. "Our commitment [to you] doesn't end when you take off the uniform," Mr. Obama said. (Associated Press)](https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2011/12/14/20111214-195659-pic-723452757_c0-318-3632-2434_s652x380.jpg?80ab5baf2b677d6c0e6581485dc09a28549067ad)
U.S. to leave Iraqi airspace clear for strategic Israeli route to Iran
The U.S. military's fast-approaching Dec. 31 exit from Iraq, which has no way to defend its airspace, puts Israel in a better place strategically to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Published December 14, 2011
Gingrich tough on women, gays in military
Republican presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich is siding with social conservatives on how the U.S. armed forces should treat gays and women, according to a survey released Monday. Published December 11, 2011
Pentagon conducts budget war games
The nation's highest-ranking military officers convened at the Pentagon last week to discuss the smaller armed forces they will inherit once $450 billion in cuts commence in 2013. Published December 6, 2011
U.S. ready for eviction of drones in Pakistan
Pakistan's decision to evict the United States from a Predator-drone launching base will have little impact on the CIA's ability to strike terrorists in the country's austere tribal areas because the U.S. built backup bases in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said Sunday. Published December 4, 2011
Pentagon’s inspector general finds no misconduct in briefing program
The Pentagon's inspector general has released his final report on a Donald H. Rumsfeld-era program for briefing TV and radio military analysts, concluding for a second time that there was no wrongdoing. Published December 1, 2011
For Marine, a rush to judgment and a belated vindication
As William C. Rodriguez inspected the badly decomposed bodies of two Iraqis, he was troubled by the large crowd of observers in the military's national morgue at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Published November 30, 2011
Pakistan secretly helps, publicly hits U.S. interests
Pakistan has cooperated secretly with the U.S. on several war-fighting missions in an odd-couple alliance that also sees factions in Islamabad backing the fiercest American enemy. Published November 26, 2011
House panel seeks briefing on senator’s contacts with Pentagon IG
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has asked the Pentagon inspector general to report whether Sen. Carl M. Levin is trying to influence the wording of a report that exonerates a Pentagon war-briefing program. Published November 18, 2011
Agreement elusive on women in combat
Top defense officials are grappling to find a unified position on whether to allow women in direct ground combat, as the Pentagon prepares a landmark report to Congress on the military's coed future. Published November 17, 2011
Attack on Iran could risk Gulf oil supplies
Iran is contemplating violently shutting down shipping in the Persian Gulf as one of several counterattack options if Israel strikes its nuclear facilities, regional and intelligence analysts say. Published November 14, 2011
Military mortuary draws scrutiny
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta on Thursday ordered new reviews into mismanagement at the military's national mortuary. He said he wants the Air Force to determine if there were reprisals against whistle-blowers and if those who oversaw remains of fallen heroes were disciplined adequately. Published November 10, 2011
Critics on left hit Pentagon on talk of budget disasters
Left-leaning Pentagon critics are panning congressional testimony by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and his top officers, who warned of catastrophes if the military is forced to cut $1 trillion if congressional budget talks fail. Published November 6, 2011
Senator pushes for last word on Bush-era war briefings
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is intervening with a Pentagon investigator to influence the final wording of a report that exonerates George W. Bush-era officials who gave war briefings to retired military TV and radio commentators. Published November 3, 2011
Service chiefs warn $1T cut would be ‘catastrophic’
The Army's top officer told Congress on Wednesday that he would have to cancel nearly every new weapons system now planned if automatic, across-the-board spending cuts of $1 trillion-plus hit the Pentagon. Published November 2, 2011
Government to disclose evidence against WikiLeaks suspect in pretrial hearing
The Army is preparing to hold a pre-trial hearing that for the first time will disclose the government's case in detail against the soldier accused of disseminating thousands of classified documents that were aired on the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Published October 29, 2011
General: Cuts risk Marines’ war-fighting missions
A top Marine Corps general told Congress on Thursday that cutting the Corps to 150,000 Marines, as some analysts project, would mean it could not fulfill its mission during a major war, or respond adequately to crises and humanitarian disasters around the world. Published October 27, 2011
Full story of SEAL mission in question
U.S. Central Command released hundreds of pages of interviews and exhibits that showed there were at least two tactical moves that came in for second-guessing. Published October 24, 2011
