Pentagon Archives - Page 7 of 21 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Defending Bloated Military Spending

by Ryan Alexander | Oct 24, 2011

The Association of the United States Army packed hundreds of exhibitors into two halls the size of football fields at its annual convention. Companies from around the world came to the event, recently held at the Washington Convention Center, to sell the Army everything from mammoth tanks to micro-thin wires. Corporations such as Raytheon and KBR erected multi-level installations nearly big enough to generate their own zip code, complete with conference rooms and coffee bars.

Will Panetta Help the State Department?

by Miriam Pemberton | Aug 8, 2011

Leon Panetta, the new Pentagon chief, got through his confirmation hearings the newfangled way: by revealing as little as possible about what he’d do in office. He tipped his hand a bit more last week by calling “completely unacceptable” the across-theboard military cuts planned in the event the next debt deal fails.

Is China’s String of Pearls Real?

by Vivian Yang | Jul 18, 2011

China’s “string of pearls” consists of port and airfield construction projects, diplomatic ties, and force modernization. These “pearls” range from the coast of mainland China to the recently upgraded military facilities on Hainan Island, China’s southernmost territory. They extend through the South China Sea to the Strait of Malacca, over to the Indian Ocean and along the coast of the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. They include an airstrip on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago east of Vietnam. A container shipping facility in Chittagong, Bangladesh, a deep-water port in Sittwe, Myanmar, and a potential naval base in Gwadar, Pakistan are also “pearls,” all of them representing Chinese geopolitical influence or military presence.

Obsolete Pentagon Programs Among Beneficiaries of House Funding Increases

by Keith Menconi | Jul 16, 2011

When the economy goes south, congress persons cling to defense programs and jobs for their district.

Washington’s Physics Problem in Iraq

by Chris Toensing | Jul 11, 2011

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, says its chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, has a “physics problem.”

The World According to Robert Gates

by Keith Menconi | Jul 1, 2011

Calls for deep cuts in the federal deficit have returned the military budget–now more than twice the 2001 budget even before counting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan–to the fiscal chopping block for the first time in ten years. In response, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spent his last months in office stiffening his rhetorical defense of the Pentagon budget. His discourse reveals both the distance we have come in recent years in eliminating Pentagon inefficiencies and excesses, and the numerous dangers threatening American security around the world.

Worshiping the Sacred Pig

by John Feffer | Apr 19, 2011

Washington is a slaughterhouse these days, as politicians from across the political spectrum take their knives to the budget. Going under the blade are dozens of social programs that provide food for low-income women and children, energy assistance to folks who can’t pay their heating bills, and health care provided through community centers.

In its luxury pen, meanwhile, the sacred pig grows fatter and fatter.

The No-Doctrine President

by John Feffer | Apr 12, 2011

Zoologists get pretty excited when they discover an unusual animal. They happily devote many hours to the task of classifying the beast and, if it qualifies as a new species, giving it a name. A great deal of money and prestige rides on these scientific endeavors. The same applies to the political sphere, where new and unusual creatures frequently turn up. When it comes to Barack Obama, however, political zoologists remain undecided whether he is a new kind of political animal and if his foreign policy represents a unique departure from the same old, same old.

Libya War Is No Pentagon Lifeline

by John Feffer | Apr 11, 2011

The United States is fighting another war–of unknown scope and length–in Libya. At a time of budget-cutting fever on Capitol Hill, the war represents a potential lifeline for the Pentagon. If you believe the Libya operation justifies current U.S. military spending levels–or even an increase–think again.

Global Day of Action on Military Spending: April 12

by fpifadmin | Apr 6, 2011

On Tuesday, April 12, people in more than 35 countries, as well as Columbus, Dallas, Kansas City and dozens of other cities throughout the United States will participate in the first Global Day of Action on Military Spending.