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

U.S. Department of Defense

Panetta hails 'last chapter' of war in Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is hailing what he calls "the last chapter" of a long and costly struggle to ensure that Afghanistan can govern itself ...
Specter of Benghazi drives US-Afghan talks
The attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya last year has become a factor driving the White House decision on how large a force to leave in ...
Obama to tap budget expert Lew to lead Treasury
President Barack Obama will nominate White House chief of staff Jack Lew to be his second-term Secretary of the Treasury, turning to one of ...
Defense nominee Hagel lays out stand on Iran
President Barack Obama's pick for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, is meeting with senior Pentagon staff to try to set the record straight about his ...
US may leave no troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014
The Obama administration says it might leave no troops in Afghanistan after December 2014, an option that defies the Pentagon's view that thousands ...
Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib, other sites receive $5M
A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to torture detainees at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison has paid $5.
Judge: Army GI in WikiLeaks illegally punished
An Army private suspected of sending reams of classified documents to the secret-sharing WikiLeaks website was illegally punished at a Marine Corps ...
Obama digs in for a fight on Hagel, Brennan picks
Digging in for a fight, President Barack Obama riled Senate Republicans and some Democrats, too, on Monday by nominating former senator and combat ...
Deal restores severance pay for military gays
Dozens of gay and lesbian former military service members who were discharged due to their homosexuality will receive the rest of their severance pay ...
Obama sends military one of its own as DOD chief
President Barack Obama said he was sending the U.S. military "one of its own" Monday as he selected decorated Vietnam combat veteran Chuck Hagel to ...
Obama taps Hagel for Pentagon, Brennan for CIA
Despite Republican misgivings, President Barack Obama announced Monday he will nominate former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, ...
Chuck Hagel, likely nominee to lead Pentagon
Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is a contrarian Republican moderate and decorated Vietnam combat veteran who is likely to support a more rapid ...
Infantry now shut to women; do they want it open?
If or when the Pentagon lets women become infantry troops — the country's front-line warfighters — how many women will want to? The answer is probably ...
McConnell takes wait-and-see approach on Hagel
The Senate's top Republican says he'll need to take a close look at what former Sen. Chuck Hagel — who's the front-runner to be the next defense ...
McChrystal takes blame for Rolling Stone article
Speaking out for the first time since he resigned, retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal takes the blame for a Rolling Stone article and the unflattering ...
Correction: Obit-Schwarzkopf story
In a story Dec. 28 about the death of U.S. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, The Associated Press reported erroneously the date of Schwarzkopf's birth. He was ...
'Fiscal cliff' standoff over, Obama back in Hawaii
A week after rushing to Washington to help end a tense, end-of-year standoff with Congress, President Barack Obama is back in Hawaii for vacation.
Cliff averted, it's on to the next fiscal crisis
Onward to the next fiscal crisis. Actually, several of them, potentially. The New Year's Day deal averting the "fiscal cliff" lays the groundwork for ...
Senate approves fiscal cliff legislation 89-8
Hours past a self-imposed deadline for action, the Senate passed legislation early New Year's Day to neutralize a fiscal cliff combination of ...
Details of tentative deal averting 'fiscal cliff'
Highlights of a tentative agreement Monday between the White House and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., aimed at averting wide tax ...