Tuesday Morning Joe: Robots could replace Army soldiers, military moving company busted, can growler...

By Northwest Military News Team on January 21, 2014

The Army is considering the feasibility of shrinking the size of the brigade combat team from about 4,000 soldiers to 3,000 over the coming years, and replacing the lost soldiers with robots and unmanned platforms.

The United Nations revoked an invitation to Iran to attend a crucial peace conference on Syria in Switzerland, culminating a day of chaotic international diplomacy that included loud U.S. objection to Iran's participation and a threat by the Syrian opposition to boycott the talks.

NATO's former top military commander has warned that the widening sectarian conflict in Syria and Iraq could engulf a broader region in the Middle East, just as the religious wars in Europe did in the 16th and 17th centuries.

A suicide bomber blew himself up today in a neighborhood in south Beirut where the Shiite militia and political party Hezbollah holds sway, the most recent in a series of such attacks that have targeted civilian areas across Lebanon in recent months.

Islamic militants controlling a mainly Sunni area west of Baghdad are so well-armed that they could occupy the capital - a frank and bleak assessment of the challenge posed in routing the insurgents as a new wave of bombings killed at least 31 people.

The White House announced Iran had met its initial obligations under the interim six-month nuclear agreement, and the US would immediately start complying with its commitment to soften some sanctions and begin unfreezing Iranian assets overseas.

Wanted posters of a terror suspect on the loose, warships at the ready and a video threat from beyond the grave. Is Sochi safe for Olympic athletes and fans?

Whistleblower suit: Military moving firm accused of bilking government.

Development of a NATO standard allowing aircraft from different nations to use precision-guided munitions from various sources and countries could reach a draft memorandum of understanding this year.

Italy's defense minister has warned that criminal groups with potential links to terrorism are profiting from running migrant vessels across the Mediterranean to European shores and is calling on the US to keep focused on resurgent Islamic terrorism in the region.

Navy is about to begin production of its first nine new Landing Craft Air Cushions as part of a broad effort to recapitalize existing shore connectors and replace the service's aging fleet of amphibs.

A new exhibition of factory photographs by David Lynch hints at untold stories from the acclaimed director of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.

The Council of Foreign Relations Global Health Program began tracking vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in 2008, and now it's produced an interactive map that visualizes the data.

Yikes! Just a handful of Haribo sugarfree gummy bears can cause an immediate evacuation of the gastrointestinal tract.

If the task of morphing their bodies into the current desirable shape isn't enough of a burden, women are also reminded that they stink.

Finally! Princess Bride statues!

Who wants to see Ice Cube in a Goodyear blimp?

What is a Crowler? A) A super big CAN B) A super big deuce C) A new type of growler D) All of the above. If you picked D, you're right.

If you're going to sing it, really sing it ...