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The Senate Intelligence Committee singled out Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of exhibiting poor leadership and insufficient planning in their report on the Sept. 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Lt. Gen. James O. Barclay III, Army G-8, says soldier level could drop to 420,000 by 2019.

The head of the UN body tasked with removing and destroying Syria's chemical arsenal says the process has been slowed down by security concerns.

Even in the darkest, deadliest days of Iraq's War, you'd find people still hopeful it would all work out.

Sustainment costs are eating away at Army aviation and new approaches are needed to rein the costs in.

Thirty-four intercontinental ballistic missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., have been implicated in cheating on the ICBM launch officer proficiency test.

Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John F. Campbell discusses SHARP and Army restructure.

The office of the secretary of defense has directed the US Navy to limit its overall buy of littoral combat ships to a total of 32 ships, foregoing 20 more of the small, fast and controversial warships.

Former US defense secretary Robert Gates said Britain no longer had the complete spectrum of capabilities, meaning its relationship with the US military was shifting.

The nominations for the 86th Academy Awards were announced this morning, and the snubs were as notable as the honors.

Mathematician calculates how to survive the first 30 minutes of a nuclear war.

It's true, the French really don't care if you cheat on your spouse.

Good news! The original Batman series with Adam West is finally coming to DVD!

Soon we'll be able to stream The Simpsons, but of course there's a catch.

Oh, those kooky Japanese!

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is leading the push to get Democrats to support sanctions on Iran, putting him at sharp odds with the White House on one of President Obama's top foreign policy priorities.

Fighting between security forces and al-Qaida-linked militants in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province has killed at least 60 people over the past two weeks.

The U.S. military secretly deployed a small number of trainers and advisers to Somalia in October, the first time regular troops have been stationed in the war-ravaged country since1993, when two helicopters were shot down and 18 Americans killed in the "Black Hawk Down" disaster.

Read more...

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The lead American negotiator in talks over a long-term security agreement with Afghanistan has privately warned the Obama administration that its efforts to persuade President Hamid Karzai to sign the document on the U.S. timetable are likely to fail.

There has been a sharp increase in the suicide rate among the youngest male veterans, and a smaller but still significant jump among women who served in the military.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved and sent to the Senate floor four civilian nominations yesterday: Jessica Wright to be undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness; Jo Ann Rooney to be undersecretary of the Navy; Jamie Morin to be director of cost assessment and program evaluation; and Frank Klotz to be undersecretary of energy for nuclear security.

Read more...

WATCH IT LIVE >>>

The Air Force's newest and most senior leader will hold a service-wide, online town hall meeting today at 3:30 p.m. EST, addressing issues relevant to today's airmen.

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James will answer questions from airmen at the Pentagon, and also speak to her goals and priorities as the service's 23rd secretary.

You can live stream the town hall at www.af.mil/live.aspx, and a recording will be posted on www.af.mil for those who are not able to watch live.

James was formally sworn in Dec. 20 in the Pentagon, making her the second female in Air Force history to serve in the role.

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Two crew members are dead and a third remains missing after the Wednesday-morning crash of a Norfolk, Va.-base MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia Beach. Officials are unable to say what caused the crash.

Senate Foreign Relations Commmittee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is considering supporting the transfer of AH-64 Apache helicopters to Iraq.

House and Senate Defense appropriators have been closely holding a secret, at the core of which lies the fate of hundreds of Pentagon programs facing billions of dollars in reductions from fiscal 2014 plans.

Congress ordered the NASA to finish a $350 million facility even though the agency doesn't need it.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he was impressed with what he saw yesterday at an Air Force base on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Germany announced today it will help destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.

Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, the commander of the Third Air Force in Europe, whose handling of sexual-assault cases drew withering criticism from advocacy groups and some lawmakers retired under pressure Wednesday.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Jim Miller had his last day at the Pentagon yesterday.

Tidbits from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates' book kept coming yesterday, and the White House scrambled to respond to them.

Looking for work? The Transportation Security administration is hiring, and they might just want YOU! Check the video to see if you meet their qualifications.

Ten historic live musical performances you can watch on Youtube.

Fifteen heart-stopping skywalks that will turn your legs to jelly.

American Horror Story -Coven' Episode 10 Recap: "The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks"

The Black Lips toured the Middle East and shared the best details of their unexpected tour.

Thank you for starting your day with Morning Joe. Please send your latest defense news and any tips or feedback to editor@northwestmilitary.com and follow on Twitter at @JBLMnewspapers.

And we leave you with a lovely beach scene captured this week at Lake Michigan. ...

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The U.S. Air Force says one of its Pave Hawk helicopters has crashed in eastern England, killing the four crew members.

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Abu Sufian bin Qumu is suspected to have played a role in the 2012 Benghazi attack. 

Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army general who led U.S. forces through some of the most deadly years of the Iraq war, says he opposes sending U.S. combat troops in response to the recent gains in that country by Islamic militants.

Read more...

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Israel and the Palestinians are making progress towards reaching a framework peace agreement but they are not there yet.

The Army and Army Reserve recruiting missions for the coming year have been sharply reduced from previous levels as the service braces for a drawdown of nearly 40,000 soldiers in two years.

Defense Department announced some spots on the planet are not as scary anymore and will withdraw imminent danger pay.

An inside look at the 446th Air Force Medical Service Corps at McChord Field.

The Egyptian government's crackdown on suspected Islamists has come to this: a terrorism probe focused on a puppet.

The year 2013 ended with the most Iraqi civilian deaths and injuries in five years.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to eliminate "all terrorist groups" in Iraq's Anbar province, where militants have seized all of one city and parts of another.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is the premier high school football event in the country, and it goes down today.

Relive the harrowing hour when the doomed Apollo 13 moon mission turned into a quest for survival. 

People in white lab coats say dogs choose the direction they poop based on our planet's magnetic field.

Angry Birds on wheels.

Let's hope she's not at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ...

Keeping schools safe and creating positive learning environments for Lakewood children are critical concerns. Keeping Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps active while they wait to get their first planes is essential, too.

Wouldn't it be cool to kills two birds with one stone, so to speak?

The Clover Park School District has figured it out.

Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps sit with CPSD elementary students, helping the youngsters read, accomplish homework tasks and play games. Called "Big Cadet, Little Cadet," the JROTC troops base their operation out of Park Lodge Elementary School, as part of the Lakewood Family YMCA after-school program.

"It's really fun to work with the students," said sophomore Athziri Macias in a CPSD press release. "They may not have someone at home who can help them with homework."

Besides dealing with fraction equations, the cadets also stress the importance of volunteer work and community to the kids.

"It's really a win-win for the cadets and the elementary students," said Lt. Col. Gary Roberts, CPHS JROTC instructor, in the same release. "The students benefit from a having a positive role model and the cadets learn how to work with younger students."

Win-win, indeed.

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The Department of Defense announced yesterday the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Jacob M. Hess, 22, of Spokane, Wash., died Jan. 1, 2014, while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Hess was assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The commission that could trigger historic changes to military pay and benefits system was granted an extension and will not conclude its work until February 2015, which means the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is not likely to influence this year's budget negotiations and decision-making on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon.

The 14th annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played Saturday in San Antonio, and the festivities include Army soldier mentors battling in a Dream Challenge.

The U.S. is pulling more personnel from the U.S. embassy in Juba, South Sudan, as the security situation there continues to deteriorate. Two KC-130J aircraft assigned to the Marine Corps' crisis-response force have responded.

An Air Force report says a mechanical malfunction that started in a fuel leak caused the crash of an Ellsworth Air Force Base B-1B bomber during a training exercise in August over southeastern Montana.

The military has been unwilling to spend the time training their troops to use pain rays and stun grenades, even for situations where they hypothetically could help.

Futurist David Brin uses pattern recognition to suggest that the 21st century really begins now, in 2014.

Geoffrey Ingersoll of Business Insider shares "31 Phrases that Only People in the Military Will Understand," including the fun "Mandofun" - short for "mandatory fun."

The Wolf of Wall Street appears to have set a record for the most uses of the f-word in a single film.

Truth is stranger than fiction: A Florida man who won a raffle to watch the series finale of Breaking Bad with the cast has been charged with running a drug distribution operation.

Here comes the duck soldiers...