THIS JUST IN >>>

The Fort Hood senior commander has authorized the closure of Fort Hood due to the current weather conditions. Only mission essential report for the duty.

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.24.14 >>>

Explosions apparently targeting Egypt's police force - including its headquarters in Cairo - kill five people and wound around 90.

The White House has given the Defense Department budget guidance through 2019 that calls for more money after 2015 than congressional budget caps allow. 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for a wholesale review of the U.S. nuclear forces in the wake of a series of scandals involving nuclear officers.

The Syrian government delegation threatened to leave on Saturday unless "serious" talks began immediately.

Russia: Snowden can stay.

U.S. officials are developing plans to use a small number of U.S. special operations forces in Jordan to train Iraqi troops as part of a broader effort to help Iraq fight the growing al-Qaida threat within its borders.

A newly released Defense Department inspector general report found that the Pentagon's chief historian engaged in unprofessional conduct, misused government resources and used her public office for personal gain.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is warning the greater Army community about a new phishing scam where criminals are targeting U.S. Government Travel Card holders.

Military test of blimp-like craft for radar system raises privacy fears.

Army sticks to plan to cut Guard helo fleet.

The U.S. Army is nearing completion on a project to eliminate its dependency on foreign countries for a critical energetic component in artillery and mortar ammunition.

Women leaders serve as role models in the military, whether they realize it or not.

"Wiseguys." "Goodfellas." That's what the federal government called five reputed mobsters indicted yesterday. The alleged heist they got busted for served as inspiration for a famous movie that came out in 1990 - "Goodfellas," directed by Martin Scorsese.

Real lava - 1,000 to 2,000 degrees hot - vs. cans of Coke. Cool!

U2 will make its new single available for free on the day of the Super Bowl.

Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress who was recently cast as Wonder Woman, has signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros.

If you missed last night's Greatest Event in Television History, it's on adultswim.com.

Read Vanity Fair's new profile of Jimmy Fallon.

TSA screened 638,705,790 passengers in 2013, and as we learned last year, if you look deeply within the possessions of that many people, you're gonna find some weird stuff.

British street artist has made cool GIFs.

MoonPie flavored moonshine on its way.

Enter your pass code, then press #

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Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told reporters Wednesday that he was eyeing overseas contingency operations to pay for most - if not all - of the $30 billion veterans omnibus bill he introduced last week, which includes the repeal of the military retirement benefits cut.

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced new rules that make it easier for troops to request religious exemptions from uniform rules, grooming standards and other military policies.

A military judge has ordered the release of un-aired portions of interviews that CBS and CNN conducted with a woman at the center of a sexual assault case that involved three U.S. Naval Academy football players.

The U.S. government's decision last week to cut funding for the Army's combat vehicle program may dash hopes for production of BAE Systems Plc's so-called green machine.

After two failed attempts to replace the Kiowa Warrior, the U.S. Army has finally succumbed to financial pressure and abandoned plans for a third effort to buy a specialized helicopter optimized for the armed scout role.

Soldiers who serve as instructors in the NCO Education System will be recognized with badges and professional development skill identifiers as a result of the Army's continued efforts to battle sexual assault.

Unmanned robots already have proven their worth on the battlefield, neutralizing improvised explosive devices, and more capable ones are coming in the future.

Despite a shrinking budget, Army aviation will continue to become even more valuable to commanders and soldiers on the ground through its investment in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, sensors and software.

An overseas intelligence and security command retention staff sergeant has been named active component Headquarters, Department of the Army/Secretary of the Army Career Counselor of the Year.

Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Europe District are engaged in a robust military construction program designed to revitalize dilapidated schoolhouses.

Three soldiers from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program earned nominations for the U.S. Olympic Luge Team for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Five Soldiers in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program have been selected for the U.S. Olympic men's bobsled team that will compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

All the Air Force Doctrine Documents on the AF e-Publishing website have been rescinded and replaced by the new Air Force doctrine website.

Norway's endless Tolkienesque landscapes of little islands, fjords, and mountains are a pleasure to watch from an F-16 jet fighter.

Arnold Schwarzenegger goes undercover to prank people at Gold's Gym.

Gasp: Captain and Tennille are splitting up!

Quentin Tarantino is furious after one of his movie scripts leaked.

Bill Cosby may return to TV.

Bill Nye is heading to the Creation Museum to do battle against some loony creationists.

Shakespearean actors exactly recreate a battle between commenters on YouTube.

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Syria's government set a bitter tone today at the opening of talks meant to end the country's long and bloofy civil war, accusing Arab neighbors of sowing terrorism and insurrection while dismissing as interlopers the United States and other Western backers of Syrian rebels.

A Pentagon plan reportedly proposes to withdraw all forces by the end of Obama's second term.

While the Air Force investigates the biggest cheating scandal in the history of the nuclear missile force, top Defense Department officials are considering the possibility of raises for those officers to address morale problems.

Army brass are coming to terms with what a force of 420,000 could and could not do.

A federal grand jury indicted a former Connecticut man who attempted to ship boxes of stolen information on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Iran.

US dominance, major programs at risk in 2015 budget

When it comes to Air Force physical fitness training, reflective belts are out and black socks are in. Hot-pink cell phones are now OK too, while in uniform, as are morale T-shirts and patches - but only on Fridays.

An Osprey tilt rotor plane will join in a disaster relief training program between the U.S. Marine Corps and Japan's Self-Defense Forces in the western Japanese prefecture of Kochi next month, using U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Lobbying spending remained mostly flat for the top defense contractors in 2013, as they grappled with sequestration taking effect at the Pentagon.

Signs of consciousness found in rats brains after death.

Forty more maps that explain the world.

Robert Capa's colorful photos of the world after World War II.

Finally: Someone ranked the 10 best Grateful Dead songs.

Ten historic bars every book nerd needs to visit.

Listen: Jim James, Lil Bub, Tim Harrington, comedians cover "The Super Bowl Shuffle."

A day in the life of Carrie Brownstein.

Beck has a new song.

Is Friends the reason so many Gen X-ers are unbearable?

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.

Read more...

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An assault by suicide bombers and gunmen against a NATO base in southern Afghanistan today killed one servicemember.

After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew today in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

A coalition servicemember was killed today when insurgents dressed in military uniforms launched a complex attack on a military base in southern Afghanistan, employing a car bomb and multiple attackers with suicide vests.

The Obama administration announced last week that it had revised its arms sales policy, emphasizing "restraint" to ensure that arms don't fall into the wrong hands or aren't turned on civilians by governments.

The Taiwanese Air Force unveiled an air-to-ground stand-off weapon developed for the F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter.

A senior Marine officer whose career was stalled for two years amid a high-profile scandal involving scout snipers in his unit has finally been promoted and assigned to a top-level school.

The 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is at the National Training Center. Let's look at photos.

The Seattle Seahawks are bringing their game-changing defense - and the "12th Man" - to the Big Apple for the Super Bowl.

Good News: Technology is not driving us apart after all.

According to Google, Washington state residents want "a say" in life.

Why strap a boring Rolex to your wrist when you could proudly wear a spacecraft?

Director J.J. Abrams said he has a completed script for the next Star Wars film and will begin shooting in May in England.

Now there's a rumor that the little Seinfeld reunion was for a Super Bowl commercial.

Gary Burghoff (Radar from MASH) is now on Twitter, with plenty of stories to tell.

You'd think that, by this point, people would start being a little more discerning with their passwords. You would be wrong.

LOB

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President Barack Obama Friday announced a series of reforms for a controversial National Security Agency data-collection program that he said would give Americans confidence their privacy is being protected and allow U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to continue safeguarding the nation.

The Pentagon is considering sending U.S. troops back to the Middle East to help train Iraqi forces.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., this week introduced a wide-ranging package of veterans legislation, covering changes to the GI Bill, survivors' benefits, advanced appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs and fertility treatments for wounded veterans.

Barring investment from European allies, the Pentagon should abandon the goal of a nuclear-capable F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in favor of spending funds elsewhere, according to former US Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz.

European Union foreign ministers are expected to approve a military mission to protect civilians in the Central African Republic at their meeting in Brussels Monday.

Whoever runs the Marine Corps Special Operations Command's official Twitter handle got in trouble Friday for this tweet: "Don't be lone shooter #MLK weekend! make sure you've got security - stay safe! #MARSOC #Marines #shortbarrelforVBSS." 

The Defense Imagery Management Operations Center recently signed a $5 million agreement to digitize, store and provide access to hundreds of thousands of historical images.

At the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, experts in the emotional toll of disasters help the Defense Department, government agencies and first responders worldwide understand how best to help communities struck by terrorist attacks, mass casualties and natural disasters.

Dr. Bill LaPlante testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the time it takes to develop and field weapon systems, the importance of science and technology investment and how to speed up cyber acquisition.

The famed Japanese soldierwho spent 29 years hiding out after World War II ended, never realizing his country had surrendered under threat of continued nuclear bombardment, has died at age 91.

Emails from judges in 2008 reveal allegations of misconduct by judge in original case, and could potentially pave way for Roman Polanski's freedom.

Conan O'Brien hilariously grills and tortures his staff of interns.

It's amazing what a little rebranding did for these 10 celebs.

Lupita N'yongo's Critics' Choice Awards acceptance speech is a must see.

Check out this homemade mockumentary on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Bird steals egg with camera inside and films entire penguin colony.

Here's the weirdest videogame trailer ever.

GRAB A CUP & AND READ THE MORINING REPORT FOR 1.17.14 >>>

Obama has presided over a huge surge in special operations, vastly out-pacing Bush.

The US Senate passed a government-wide spending measure that would give the Pentagon nearly $600 billion to buy new weapons, address readiness problems and fight America's wars. The final vote tally was 72-26.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel huddled with his top military and civilian leaders as the Defense Department puts the finishing touches on its 2015 budget proposal.

President Obama will announce today a major overhaul of a controversial National Security Agency program that collects vast amounts of basic telephone call data on foreigners and Americans.

Its Senate sponsors describe it as a "diplomatic insurance policy" that will help President Obama cut a better nuclear deal with Iran. The White House condemns it as a deal-killer that could put the United States on a path to war.

South Korea rejected North Korean warnings to call off scheduled joint military exercises with the United States and vowed "severe" retaliation to any provocation from Pyongyang.

Members of al-Qaida's branch in Iraq handed out pamphlets urging those in Fallujah to take up arms and back the militants in their weekslong fight against government troops as clashes raged on around the city.

As the U.S. economy gets back on track - unemployment recently fell below 7 percent for the first time in five years - the Pentagon's recruiting commands are bracing for potential challenges.

With the Army drawdown the question arises - what a smaller Army can do and what it can't?

The US Air Force's Total Force Task Force (TF2) is now the Total Force Continuum (TFC), to guide integration of Air National Guard and Reserve units.

Rock mysteriously appears in front of the Mars Opportunity rover.

R.I.P. Professor, Reuben Kincaid and one of the last surviving Munchkins.

The 5 most ridiculous ways studios spoiled their own movies.

Here is your soundtrack today, thanks to Henry Rollins.

Why are today's teens watching so much bad '90s television.

Mr. Potato Head Homer: Let's Play D'oh.

Enjoy Vladimir Putin playing the piano and singing "Blueberry Hill."

THIS JUST IN >>>

A member of an elite Army helicopter unit was killed and two crew members suffered injuries when their aircraft slammed into the ground as they tried to land at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, a military spokesman said today.

Read the full story here.

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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!