Military

The world's most powerful military failed to provide the armor that would have saved scores of American lives. One father would like to know why.
Gallery
The world's most powerful military failed to provide the armor that would have saved scores of American lives. One father would like to know why.

President Obama, in his first Memorial Day address as commander-in-chief, said today that he was "humbled" to lead the nation's armed forces and pledged to supply them with whatever they needed to get the job done when in harm's way.


KABUL, May 6 -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday he had dispatched a joint U.S.-Afghan team to investigate U.S. airstrikes that killed more than two dozen people in the western part of the country and prompted an outcry from Afghan officials.


More News

Mullen Says Afghan War Is U.S. Military's Top Priority (Post, May 5, 2009)

A Pentagon Cyber-Command Is in the Works (Post, April 22, 2009)

Navy Sends Destroyer to Protect Surveillance Ship After Incident in South China Sea (Post, March 13, 2009)

Media Ban Lifted For Bodies' Return:  Families Will Decide Privacy Level (Post, February 27, 2009)

More Troops Headed to Afghanistan:  Obama Boosting U.S. Force by Nearly 50% to Address 'Deteriorating Situation' (Post, February 18, 2009)

Retired Officers' Media Role Deemed Appropriate (Post, January 17, 2009)

Strategic Command Chief Urges Quick Nuclear Weapons Modernization (Post, December 5, 2008)

New Pentagon Policy Says ‘Irregular Warfare' Will Get Same Attention as Traditional Combat (Post, December 4, 2008)

Gates Backs Buildup of U.S. Troops in Afghanistan:  Estimate Is 20,000-Plus In the Next 18 Months (Post, November 22, 2008)

Police, Locals Implicated In Attack:  9 U.S. Troops Died in Afghan Insurgent Raid (Post, November 5, 2008)

Pentagon to Delay Tanker Decision:  Decision Punted to Next Administration (Post, September 11, 2008)

Soldiers' Suicide Rate On Pace to Set Record (Post, September 5, 2008)

A Wake-Up Call From Afghanistan:  Increased Fighting Draws More Attention to the Strain Posed by the Iraq War (Post, July 23, 2008)

U.S. General: Iraqi Forces to Be Fully Ready in '09 (Post, July 10, 2008)

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY:  Immigrant Killed in Afghanistan Granted Posthumous Citizenship (Post, July 2, 2008)

Army's History of Iraq After Hussein Faults Pentagon (Post, June 29, 2008)

Army General's Nomination Called Historic (Post, June 24, 2008)

Top Two Air Force Officials Ousted:  Failures in Oversight Of Nuclear Arms Cited (Post, June 6, 2008)

Nearby Firing Ranges Complicate Soldiers' Recovery From Stress (Post, June 3, 2008)

Petraeus Expects to Recommend Troop Cuts in Iraq This Fall (Post, May 23, 2008)

Defense Secretary Urges Military to Mold Itself to Fight Iraq-Style Wars (Post, May 14, 2008)

How Defense Research Is Making Troops More Effective in Wartime (Post, May 12, 2008)

Mullen Cites U.S. 'Vulnerability':  Transition to New President in Wartime Concerns the Military (Post, May 1, 2008)

Woman Gains Silver Star -- And Removal From Combat:  Case Shows Contradictions of Army Rules (Post, May 1, 2008)

Reliability, Cost of U.S. Forces' Standard Rifle Under Scrutiny (Post, April 27, 2008)

Bush Nominates Petraeus To Lead Central Command (Post, April 24, 2008)

Waivers for Recruits With Convictions Rise (Post, April 22, 2008)

Gates Assails Pentagon on Resources for Battlefields (Post, April 22, 2008)

Weapons Upgrade Faces Big Hurdles:  Problems With Wireless Technology May Threaten Army's Ambitious Plan (Post, April 8, 2008)

Top U.S. Officer in Mideast Resigns (Post, March 12, 2008)

Senior Coupon-Cutting Brigade Comes to Military's Aid:  (Post, March 11, 2008)

Blackwater's Employment Investigated (Post, March 11, 2008)

Today's Lesson: Major Disaster:  Military Medical School Simulates Chaotic Situations (Post, March 10, 2008)

Overlooked Air Force Launches Ads (Post, February 25, 2008)

Pilots Safe After B-2 Crashes on Takeoff in Guam (Post, February 24, 2008)

Short Maternity Leaves, Long Deployments:  Schedule Sends Army Moms Back to the Field Quickly (Post, February 18, 2008)

Evolution Of a U.S. General In Iraq:  No. 2 Commander Transformed Tactics (Post, February 16, 2008)

Military Hospitals Meet New Realities (Post, February 11, 2008)

Murtha and the Cost of the War (Post, February 11, 2008)

AID FOR VETERANS:  Bills Would Add Services, Improve Mental Health Care (Post, February 10, 2008)

Odierno Is Tapped For Army Promotion (Post, February 6, 2008)

'Appalling Gap' Found in Homeland Defense Readiness:  National Guard, Reserve Forces Lack Sufficient Personnel, Training to Respond to Crisis in U.S., Report Says (Post, February 1, 2008)

U.S. Commanders in Iraq Favor Pause in Troop Cuts (Post, January 31, 2008)

Timeline:  Events Surrounding the Case of 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside (washingtonpost.com, January 30, 2008; 2:19 PM)

Timeline:  Events Surrounding Case of 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside (washingtonpost.com, January 30, 2008; 2:12 PM)

Feeding Those Who Serve (Post, January 28, 2008)

Guam's Young, Steeped in History, Line Up to Enlist:  U.S. Territory Pays High Cost in War Deaths (Post, January 27, 2008)

Air Force Alters Rules for Handling of Nuclear Arms (Post, January 25, 2008)

3,200 Marines to Deploy To Afghanistan in Spring (Post, January 16, 2008)

Army Officer Is Cleared in Abu Ghraib Scandal (Post, January 10, 2008)

A Darker Shade Of Green Zone:  In Baghdad, Low Expectations Have Supplanted High Ideals (Post, January 5, 2008)

A Drunken Night in Iraq, A Soldier Is Left Behind (Post, January 4, 2008)

No Murder Charges Filed in Haditha Case:  Four Marines to Face Lesser Charges After Two-Year Inquiry Into Iraqi Killings (Post, January 4, 2008)

Marine Faces Reduced Charges in Iraq Killings (Post, January 1, 2008)

Iraqis Authorize Big Jump in Forces (Post, December 31, 2007)

Va. Firm's War Gear Includes Tourniquets:  Innovation Tested for Military Use (Post, December 27, 2007)

Bush Faces Pressure to Shift War Priorities:  As Iraq Calms, Focus Turns to Afghanistan (Post, December 17, 2007)

Major Relocations (Post, December 16, 2007)

Iraq's 'Battlefield of the Mind' (Post, December 10, 2007)

The Army's $200 Billion Makeover:  March to Modernize Proves Ambitious and Controversial (Post, December 7, 2007)

Timeline: Army Modernization and Future Combat Systems (washingtonpost.com, December 7, 2007; 12:00 AM)

For Decorated GI, Grief, Recovery and Redeployment (Post, November 25, 2007)

Troops' Mental Distress Tracked:  Early Checkups Find Fewer Problems Than Later Ones (Post, November 14, 2007)

Shipping Out:  From Childhood, Two Brothers Knew They Would Serve as Soldiers. Now They Are Headed to Iraq, Facing the Uncertainty of War Together. (Post, October 28, 2007)

Waxman: Blackwater May Owe Back Taxes:  Status of Employees Is Challenged (Post, October 23, 2007)

Gates Seeks Changes On Iraq Contractors:  He Says Their Goals Clash With Military's (Post, October 19, 2007)

Pentagon Submits Budget, And Services Ask for More:  Air Force Lobbying for C-17s Raises Questions (Post, October 16, 2007)

Marine Corps Moves to Take Lead Role in Afghanistan:  Officials Anticipating Branch's Withdrawal From Iraq's Anbar Province, Want Command of Effort (Post, October 11, 2007)

Army Offers Big Cash To Keep Key Officers (Post, October 11, 2007)

Army Recruitment Meets Stated Goal:  But Internal Aim Falls Short, Officials Say (Post, October 3, 2007)

The General's Reluctant Farewell (By Dana Milbank, October 2, 2007)

Gates to Approve Expansion of Army:  Goal Is 74,000 Soldiers Over 4 Years (Post, September 28, 2007)

Standing on One Principle, Voting on Another (By Dana Milbank, September 20, 2007)

Longer Leaves for Troops Blocked:  Senate Bill Short of 60 Votes Needed (Post, September 20, 2007)

Marine Corps Exonerates Captain in Iraq Killings (Post, September 19, 2007)

Rumsfeld Foundation to Encourage Public Service:  Fellowships Planned; Group Also Aims to Support Micro-Enterprise, Central Asia (Post, September 17, 2007)

Among Top Officials, 'Surge' Has Sparked Dissent, Infighting (Post, September 9, 2007)

Wide Skepticism Ahead of Assessment:  Poll Respondents Doubt Petraeus Will Give True Picture of Situation in Iraq (Post, September 9, 2007)

Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq:  Military Statistics Called Into Question (Post, September 6, 2007)

3 Marine Officers Censured in Haditha Case (Post, September 6, 2007)

Army Exceeds Recruitment Goal For August by 528 (Post, September 5, 2007)

Briton Blames Rumsfeld for Situation in Iraq (Post, September 2, 2007)

Squad Leader Shot Haditha Civilians, Marine Testifies:  Witness's Credibility Is Questioned (Post, September 2, 2007)

Many Take Army's 'Quick Ship' Bonus:  $20,000 Is Lure to Leave Within Days (Post, August 27, 2007)

Haditha Investigator Urges Dropping of Marine's Case (Post, August 24, 2007)

Contractors in Iraq Have Become U.S. Crutch (Post, August 20, 2007)

Recruiting For Iraq War Undercut in Puerto Rico (Post, August 18, 2007)

Defense Contractor Was Paid $1 Million to Ship 2 Washers (Post, August 17, 2007)

Army Recruiting Rebounds in July To Exceed Goals:  War Czar Says Draft Still an Option (Post, August 11, 2007)

Airman Who Alleged Rape Faces Court-Martial:  She Ties Her Prosecution to Refusal to Testify Against Airmen She Says Attacked Her (Post, August 8, 2007)

Fort Campbell Soldier Sentenced to 110 Years In Rape and Murder of Iraqi Girl (washingtonpost.com, August 4, 2007; 7:30 PM)

Officers' Roles in Christian Video Are Called Ethics Breach (Post, August 4, 2007)

Marine Is Guilty of Conspiracy To Murder (Post, August 2, 2007)

At Walter Reed, a New Approach:  Combat Veterans Assigned to Aid Recoveries (Post, July 31, 2007)

House Passes Four Bills Aimed at Helping Veterans (Post, July 31, 2007)

Overhaul Urged in Care for Soldiers:  Dole-Shalala Commission Wants Bush to Act Quickly (Post, July 26, 2007)

Gates Steps In to Defuse Clinton-Pentagon Dispute (Post, July 21, 2007)

Agent: Marine Knew Targets Were Families (Post, July 19, 2007)

Witness Testifies Marine Knowingly Shot Children in Haditha (Post, July 18, 2007)

Army to Train Soldiers About Brain Injuries, Other Mental Health Concerns (Post, July 18, 2007)

Investigator Urges Clearing of Marine in Killings at Haditha Home (Post, July 12, 2007)

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