GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.10.14 >>>

Medal of Honor recipient Capt. William Swenson is back on active duty at I Corps on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The tensions are high in eastern Ukraine. About 40,000 Russian troops are massed on the border.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's top military commander in Europe, opened the door to deploying U.S. troops to Eastern Europe to counter Russian moves.

The destroyer Donald Cook is set to enter the Black Sea today amid tensions over eastern Ukraine.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., warned that supplemental wartime funding, which the Army has said it needs well after the war in Afghanistan ends, may not be forthcoming.

Afghan probe begins in attack on AP journalists.

The vice chief of staff of the Army told senators "greater risk" must be accepted in the Army's modernization programs in the near term due to financial constraints.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler lists soldiers' "top five" concerns.

The Army and the National Guard are at war over the Guard's Apache helicopters, and both sides are turning to Congress for backup.

General Dynamics begins work on special ops vehicle.

U.S. Navy officers in the Pacific fleet say the service's Littoral Combat Ship may lack the speed, range and electronic warfare capabilities needed to operate in Asian waters.

The U.S. Navy is integrating a Hellfire missile onto the Littoral Combat Ship as a way to give the platform more fire-power.

The U.S. Navy has begun testing "smart" rocket launchers aboard MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

The U.S. Navy is in the very early stages of developing a new destroyer -- called the Future Surface Combatant.

The Army & Exchange Service is warning military shoppers about scammers posing as service members offering to broker the sale of used boats, cars and motorcycles through the Exchange.

Watch eight BASE jumps from eight famous buildings.

Future Teasing: Peaople are naming their kids after Game of Thrones characters.

The Game of Thrones theme song sung by goats.

Beautiful animated gifs

Jack White's new music video is all about science.

Test: Which music era do you belong in?

Movie action kid returns ...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.9.14 >>>

A Marine at Camp Lejeune shot and killed another Marine at the facility's main gate Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. won't share invasion intel with Ukraine.

Navy and Marines still unclear how Army will fit into Pacific Pivot.

Odierno: Army faces "tough" choices in uncertain fiscal times.

In the wake of last week's shooting on Fort Hood many soldiers and some lawmakers are calling on the military to reconsider allowing troops to carry concealed weapons on post.

Airmen at odds with Air Force brass over future of beloved A-10 plane.

Two key senators say U.S. Air Force plans to stop A-10 flights and training in October are against the law.

Lt. Gen. David Halverson took command of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command from Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter.

Russia's takeover of Crimea could prompt a review the U.S. military presence in Europe, which has declined steadily since the end of the Cold War.

The Pentagon will shrink the number of its nuclear weapon-carrying bomber aircraft and reduce the number of submarine ballistic missile launch tubes as it modifies its force posture to meet the limits of the New START treaty with Russia.

The head of the U.S. National Guard Bureau has given his blessing to the U.S. Army's plan to move all of the Guard's Apache attack helicopters into the active force while receiving several hundred Black Hawk and Lakota multi-use helicopters in return.

Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chinese military chiefs traded warnings and rebukes Tuesday as they clashed over Beijing's territorial disputes with its neighbors, North Korea's missile program and cyber espionage.

As F-35 program officials prepared to testify to the Senate Armed Services Committee, they announced they were keeping back some $25.7 million, or 5 percent, of payments for the F135 engine used in the Joint Strike Fighter.

Engineers with the U.S. Navy have finished drawing up blueprints for a future class of nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines.

Boeing built Marines an Osprey Jeep with NASCAR connection.

A limited number of Airmen who received notice that their previously approved applications for early retirement had been declined will be given the option to retire if they still desire to do so.

Heartbleed: Why the Internet's gaping security hole is so scary.

The 10 best houses of the year.

Archie Comics is killing off its main character.

HBO renewed Game of Thrones for two more seasons.

The New Yorker has a piece about the genius of Dave Letterman.

David Hasselhoff is selling his Knight Rider replica.

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.8.2014 >>>

The Army's assistant secretary for Installations, Energy and Environment told senators that the Army needs another round of base realignment and closure in 2017.

Nearly 80 U.S. sailors are seeking $1 billion from the Tokyo utility that operates the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

The crisis between Ukraine and Russia appeared to escalate further today as Russia warned Kiev any use of force could lead to a civil war.

The U.S. is sending a guided missile destroyer to the Black Sea in order to reassure European allies in the region following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Secretary of State John Kerry has been clashing with senior military leaders over U.S. strategy in Syria.

Congress and Pentagon are engaged in a new fight: Where do Apache helicopters belong?

The top U.S. Army commander in South Korea said the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance serves as an "insurance policy" for the global economy by maintaining stability in Northeast Asia.?

China calls on U.S. to restrain ally Japan as tension simmers.

The Fort Hood soldier suspected of killing three people and wounding 16 others last week began his eight-minute rampage on the sprawling Texas Army post after an argument related to taking leave.

The Air Force's secret space plane has been up in orbit for nearly 500 days - a space endurance record. But nearly a year and a half into the mission, the Pentagon still won't say what the X-37B is doing up there, or when it might come back.  

Navy's magnetic super gun to make Mach 7 shots at sea in 2016.

The U.S. Navy believes it has finally worked out the solution to a problem that has intrigued scientists for decades: how to take seawater and use it as fuel.

Boeing is touting the effectiveness of its fourth-generation EA-18G electronic attack plane over Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 stealth fighter as the lobbying battle over attack aircraft heats up.

The Hal 9000 of grills tells you when to flip the meat.

This video reveals the origin scenes of the Internet's most famous memes.

Watch: Chrissie Hynde's new music video.

Yay!: Peter Mayhew will return as Chewbacca in the Star Wars movie.

Finally: A great oral history of Deadwood.

Finally: Scratch-n-Sniff jeans.

Nice!

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.7.14 >>>

Snowden was awarded for sparking a transformative debate about surveillance programs.

Two F-16s were scrambled after the aircraft strayed into restricted airspace over D.C.

On average, military bases are safer than similarly sized American cities. The violence at Fort Hood may best be explained as a workplace shooting, not a uniquely military tragedy.

The military could speed up deployment of a land-based missile defense shield in Europe to hem in a resurgent Russia.

The vice commander of the Air Force's 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph has been relieved after investigators learned he exchanged emails with the wife of a subordinate officer.

Widespread opposition has yet to form around any single Pentagon proposal to cut a specific weapon system, indicating most could be implemented despite lawmakers' protestations on behalf of parochial interests.

The Navy 2020: Bigger, better, possibly broke.

U.S. Army, Marines struggle with infantry vehicle replacements.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivered a two-pronged warning to Asia Pacific nations Sunday, announcing that the U.S. will send two additional ballistic missile destroyers to Japan to counter the North Korean threat, and saying China must better respect its neighbors.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will tour a Chinese aircraft carrier today as the first foreign visitor aboard the ship,

Second Lt. Sage Santangelo wasn't able to retake the Infantry Officer Course, but other female volunteers might get that chance, thanks to a case she made to the commandant of the Marine Corps this year.

U.S. Marines recently landed K-MAX and MH-6 Little Bird helicopters autonomously using an i-Pad like mini-tablet.

Sixty years and changing: The U.S. Air Force Academy.

True science of parallel universes.

The best dark matter signal that scientists have ever recorded.

The largest known galaxy cluster in the distant universe.

Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney died. He was 93.

Why?: Japan's Takara Tomy Arts has created a collection of stick-on fake fingernails featuring embedded LEDs and tiny antennas that light up whenever the wireless NFC functionality of a nearby smartphone is being used.

Read an exclusive excerpt from Rob Lowe's new memoir.

Microsoft has six original TV series in production.

Get an extended look at the new Godzilla movie.

Finally: which Winona Ryder character are you

Then there's this...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.5. 14 >>>

The Army released the names of the three soldiers killed by Army Spc. Ivan Lopez during a shooting spree Wednesday at Fort Hood, Texas, before Lopez, 34, turned the gun on himself.

The latest shooting at Fort Hood highlights the need to improve security on military posts across the country.

Despite evidence that suggests Spc. Ivan Lopez had an argument before going on a shooting rampage, investigators said they may never determine what compelled the Fort Hood soldier to kill three soldiers and wound 16 others before taking his own life.

Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh: Tracking "inside threats" is challenging.

How Obama lost Afghanistan.

Northeast Asia has become a potential powder keg. What should China do to prepare itself for possible conflict?

North Korea on Friday accused the United States of being "hell-bent on regime change" and warned that any maneuvers with that intention will be viewed as a "red line" that will result in countermeasures.

North Korea managed to fly (and crash) a couple rudimentary drones over Seoul. Do its drones pose a threat?

Lawmakers question utility of Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review.

Lawmakers are pushing back against a Navy review to potentially ban the sale of tobacco on Navy and Marine Corps facilities.

The Army along with its sister services passed along its "Unfunded Priorities List" for fiscal 2015 this week.

The Associated Press reports that a Chinese ship involved in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has detected a "pulse" today in the southern part of the Indian Ocean.

The A-10 Warthog looks especially awesome and futuristic in this photo.

Don't forget Mike Judge's new HBO comedy Silicon Valley premieres Sunday.

Free Comic Book Day hype. We're about a month away from the most important holiday of the year (May 3), which happens to fall the day before Star Wars Day.

Toadies' have a new brew from the folks at the Martin House Brewing Company, Rubberneck Red beer.

Finally: Bacon-flavored Ritz crackers.

What are you going to do today?

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.4.14 >>>

Army mourning loss of soldiers at Fort Hood.

One of the three soldiers killed in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood died while trying to hold a door shut that would have led the gunman to a room packed with military personnel.

The U.S. military services have sent Congress wish lists that include $36 billion in priority items that were not included in the Pentagon's 2015 budget proposal. But actual passage of the lists seems unlikely.

Without the benefit of a full defense review covering force levels to support national needs, Hagel has left civilian support for the Pentagon largely untouched.

Budget cuts threaten military readiness, officials said.

Hagel said sending another permanent Army brigade to Europe could be a possibility.

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted to declassify parts of the panel's controversial 6,200-page report that is harshly critical of the CIA's Bush-era interrogation program.

Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on defended plans to scrap the A-10 fleet and retire roughly 40 C-130s.

Army's part in the so-called Pacific Pivot remains in the concept phase.

A new kind of drone war: UCAV vs. UCLASS

Latest Army Virtual Battle Space release adds realism to scenarios, avatars.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Arrowhead soldiers play a part in Operation Alaska Shield.

Nine ingenious urban hacks to make the city smarter.

The best part of Letterman's retirement announcement is that it was revealed by R.E.M.'s Mike Mills.

Bill Murray explains his bucket list on Letterman.

Surreal reversed footage of a man walking backward in Tokyo.

Watch the first seven minutes of FX's Fargo.

The Big Bang Theory will have a special Star Wars Day episode ...

What the Internet looks like as a subway map.

Finally!

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.3.14 >>>

A U.S. soldier with mental health issues shot dead three people and injured at least 16 on Wednesday before shooting himself at an army base in Fort Hood, Texas.

Fort Hood's commander said soldier was treated for behavior and mental health "issues."

Wednesday's mass shooting by an Army specialist in Fort Hood, Tex., put the Pentagon on a dreaded, if increasingly familiar, footing as officials grappled to understand how yet another insider threat went undeterred.

Shootings at U.S. military bases over the years.

NATO general: Russians capable of quick strike.

The Senate Intelligence Committee will take a major step forward today toward publicly releasing portions of its massive 6,300-page report on Bush-era interrogation tactics.

Arms control and materials-security initiatives can continue despite political tensions with Russia, Obama administration officials say.

The unfolding crisis in Ukraine has prompted a new and forceful wave of commentary lamenting U.S. passivity in the world. 

Boeing lobbies Congress to add EA-18 funding.

Soldiers will return to the field to test different camouflage patterns as the Army looks to meet requirements laid out by Congress to find a camouflage pattern that could be used across the military.

Researchers are one step closer to creating shields that could render parked tanks and aircraft virtually invisible.

The Raytheon Co. is challenging the Navy's decision to halt manufacturing of the Tomahawk cruise missile in 2016.

Betrayed military spouses often keep quiet for fear of losing benefits.

Why freezing yourself is a terrible way to achieve immortality.

The daily schedules of the world's greatest geniuses.

What if Superman entered the film Gravity?

In case you haven't seen the Spider-Baby ad ...

Courtney Love says she has reunited with the original members of Hole.

Watch the new trailer for Lucy with Scarlett Johansson.

What will you do at work today?

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.2.14 >>>

Russia has massed all the forces it needs on Ukraine's border if it were to decide to carry out an "incursion" into the country and it could achieve its objective in three to five days.

NATO foreign ministers moved to beef up the defenses of front-line alliance members feeling menaced by a more assertive Russia, with Secretary of State John Kerry proclaiming the U.S. commitment to their security is "unwavering."

Alliances realign as latest superpower pulls out of Afghanistan.

A suicide bomber wearing a military uniform killed six police officers today inside the heavily fortified Interior Ministry compound in the heart of Kabul.

NATO's foreign ministers ordered an end to civilian and military cooperation with Russia.

A group of closely held companies received the Defense Department's biggest contract last month, a potentially $10 billion award for special operations equipment and services.

General Dynamics Land Systems cannot and will not compete for the Army's largest surviving weapons program, the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, unless the service changes how it is handling the program.

A sneak peek at Marines' New Amphibious Combat Vehicle.

Remotely piloted aircraft have spawned a new breed of professional aviator that the Air Force says is here to stay.

Three Army women honored for extraordinary courage, character.

7th Civil Support Command begins Operation Saber Guardian 14.

Soldiers may soon be shelving their collection of desert boots and lacing up the Army's new, modernized jungle boots.

The U.S. military has more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan that it can bring home - and Afghanistan, India and Pakistan are locked in a three-way competition for them.

Child gets wish to be a Navy SEAL for a day.

Former senior World Bank lawyer Karen Hudes claims elongated-skull non-human creatures are hiding amongst us.

Spotify starts rolling out a new darker redesign.

Jack White has released a new song.

Is anyone watching Courtney Love's web series?

Finally: Flea's memoir.

Finally: A robot band covers the B-52's.

Singers on a plane...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.1.14 >>>

The Navy lifted a lockdown at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor after ordering personnel to shelter in place for nearly two hours.

CIA officer confirmed no protests before misleading Benghazi account given.

Sequestration would degrade military readiness, senior military officials recently told a Senate panel.

The involuntary separation of soldiers from the force may be necessary as the Army draws down in strength over the next few years.

Japan today lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports, introducing new rules covering the arms trade in a move supporters say will boost Tokyo's global role, but which unnerved China.

The United States should work directly with Taiwan to actively promote peace and stability in Asia.

Putin's imaginary Nazis.

The Pentagon improved its buying power on 51 of its 80 programs in 2013, resulting in $23 billion of procurement savings.

A Senate investigation concludes waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods provided no key evidence in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

After months of criticism about how the military accounts for the remains of fallen U.S. service members from foreign battlefields, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday he will create a single Pentagon-level office to oversee the worldwide mission.

The Air Force is planning to join with European allies to create an ISR or tanker consortium.

Troops might be able to replace heavy night vision goggles strapped to their helmets with contact lenses.

The long-awaited Army Regulation 670-1, with new rules on tattoos, hairstyles, grooming and uniform wear, went into effect Monday.

Defense Secretary Hagel gave his support to moves by the services to consider banning tobacco sales on bases and ships.

Thousands of soldiers and others have signed a White House petition calling for the president to order the Army to reconsider just-released appearance and grooming regulations they contend are 'racially biased' against black women.

Chinese warlords Bai Chongxi and Li Zongren had the best bromance in military history.

Inside the military's new office for cyborgs.

Army testing combat boots, camouflage patterns.

Army Medicine is near completion in the implementation of its secure healthcare-messaging system, the Army Medicine Secure Messaging Service, to all 52 of its military treatment facilities worldwide.

Testing is about to begin on futuristic robot space surgeons.

Michael Stipe is inducting Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Finally: George Lucas explains the birth of lightsabers.

The Flaming Lips has created a companion to Dark Side of the Moon.

Watch a deleted scene from last weekend's Saturday Night Live that really should've aired.

The Pink Panther is being rebooted yet again.

Game of Thrones 9-minute recap...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.31.14 >>>

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are advancing far different proposals on how to calm tensions and de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine as Russia continues to mass troops along its border with the former Soviet republic.

America's secret weapon to stop Russia.

North and South Korea fired artillery shells into each other's waters today, a flare-up of animosity between the rivals that forced residents of five front-line South Korean islands to evacuate to shelters.

Taliban gunmen abducted a candidate running for a seat in a provincial council in northern Afghanistan and seven members of his entourage.

Japan and the United States plan to create a permanent consultative body to coordinate the operations of the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military in the face of China's highhanded actions over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.

33,000 troops to go: Marine Brig. Gen. Daniel O'Donohue outlines Afghanistan drawdown.

Photographs expose Russian-trained killers in Kiev.

Secret warplane appears over Texas.

U.S. Army field artillery is preparing for future wars by returning to Cold War-era tactics supplemented by modern, mobile technology.

The Pentagon's five-year projections for procurement spending on its 63 major weapons programs, submitted to Congress this month, has turned more positive than last year's spending forecast.

The first week of April will be a critical one for what has been a relatively drama-free armored vehicle program for the U.S. Army.

Mustache March ends, but controversy lingers.

Your forecast for the next century: It'll be hotter, drier and hungrier, and the chance to turn down the thermostat is slipping away.

Yes, Louie's back!

Celebrate Jeopardy!'s 50th with these facts about the show.

List: Simpsons Easter eggs you might've missed.

Watch a new trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

A simple flowchart to work out if you should take a selfie.

Here's that giant David Hasselhoff on wheels you asked for.

Forget twerking and planking.  Whaling's the new in thing.