U.S. Department of Defense news and stories by mail.com

U.S. Department of Defense

US, Germany, Italy vow key Afghan roles post-2014
Germany and Italy will join the United States as "lead nations" in regions of Afghanistan after NATO transitions into a noncombat mission there after ...
House passes measure boosting veterans' programs
The House on Tuesday passed the first of 12 spending bills for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, a popular measure providing more money for veterans' ...
Senators blast military response to sex assaults
U.S. senators dressed down senior military leaders Tuesday, led by female lawmakers, combat veterans and former prosecutors who insisted that sexual ...
Hacker who turned Manning in takes witness stand
A one-time computer hacker who told authorities Pfc. Bradley Manning was giving information to WikiLeaks testified Tuesday the soldier never said he ...
Tampa socialite sues gov't over Petraeus scandal
A Tampa, Fla., socialite and her husband claimed in a lawsuit Monday that the government willfully leaked false and defamatory information about them ...
Prosecutor: Manning let secrets into enemy hands
Pfc. Bradley Manning put U.S. military secrets into the hands of Osama bin Laden himself, prosecutors said Monday as the Army intelligence analyst ...
White House promises veto of GOP spending plan
The White House stepped in Monday with a veto threat against a House GOP plan to advance a round of 2014 spending bills that would ease ...
House GOP defense bill blocks Guantanamo closing
Rebuffing President Barack Obama's latest plea, House Republicans on Monday proposed keeping open the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by ...
Hagel mixes business and memories in Asia trip
Forty-five years ago, as the Vietnam war raged on, Army Spc. Chuck Hagel and Nguyen Tan Dung were on opposite sides of combat serving in the Mekong ...
Hagel tours new Navy combat vessel
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured the U.S. Navy's new small combat ship, the USS Freedom, the first of a new class of littoral warships ...
US denies Mauritania got 2 Guantanamo prisoners
The United States Department of Defense denied claims by a prisoner's rights group in Mauritania, which announced on Saturday that the U.S.
China skeptical of expanded US role in the Pacific
A Chinese military leader on Saturday pointedly questioned the expanded U.S. role in the Pacific after the Pentagon chief said he hoped for better ...
Hagel issues stern warning to China
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivered a two-pronged message to Beijing — holding out hope for a slowly improving military relationship with the ...
Naval Academy probes sexual assault allegations
The U.S. Naval Academy is investigating allegations that three football team members sexually assaulted a female midshipman at an off-campus house ...
Rape victim: Retaliation prevalent in military
Stacey Thompson had just been stationed at a Marine Corps base in Japan when she said her sergeant laced her drinks with drugs, raped her in his ...
Ex-general wants post-2014 troop levels announced
The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan called on the White House Friday to announce how many troops it intends to leave in that country after ...
Military probing Taliban attack that killed 2
The U.S. military has begun to investigate a Taliban attack on a U.S.-British base in Afghanistan last September that killed two Marines and destroyed ...
Xi, Obama look to strike up relationship at summit
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping face weighty issues when they meet at a private estate in California next week, but their most ...
Pentagon programs target of China cyber threat
New revelations that China used cyberattacks to access data from nearly 40 Pentagon weapons programs and almost 30 other defense technologies have ...
Hacking overshadows closer US-China military ties
U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon has pushed for stronger military relations with China as part of preparations for a summit next month ...
AP Exclusive: Rise of al-Qaida Sahara terrorist
After years of trying to discipline him, the leaders of al-Qaida's North African branch sent one final letter to their most difficult employee.
Senator: Fire commanders allowing sex assault
From Congress to the White House, pressure is mounting to hold military commanders accountable for the rising number of sexual assaults in the armed ...
Hagel: Cadets must stamp out sex assault scourge
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that they must stamp out the scourge of sexual ...
NY senator: Assaults let military culture continue
Charges that an Army sergeant secretly photographed and videotaped women at West Point are part of a military-wide pattern of sexual misconduct, U.S.
Pentagon: New record plan won't help vet backlog
The Pentagon has decided to buy a new computerized health records system to be able to better share and merge its data with the Department of Veterans ...