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Russian troops backed by unarmed volunteers stormed Ukraine's naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol and raised the Russian flag, as Moscow tightened its control of the Black Sea peninsula.

Ukraine and the art of crisis management.

Officials might not know for years whether Snowden divulged war plans to China and Russia.

Of the three primary missions the Defense Department expects to tackle in the coming decade - protect the homeland, work with allies to increase global security and prepare for a major conflict  - at least one is being cornered by U.S. Special Operations Command.

The Pentagon is making another deposit in its surge to build an arsenal of long-range missiles aimed at breaking down the defenses of potential adversaries, such as China and Iran.

A senior Pentagon official fired back at House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon, who rejected the U.S. Defense Department's latest military strategy review earlier this month.

B-1B, F-16s could be next if Congress blocks Air Force plan to retire A-10.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has told the Navy in no uncertain terms that he wants a second opinion on the controversial Littoral Combat Ship.

Disagreements over fees for MultiCam, a top-performing contender to be the Army's main camouflage pattern, have emerged as the main reason the Army has gone in search of a new pattern.

A Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet is due to fly for the first time with an active electronically scanned array radar later this year.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III discusses the impact sequestration has on the Air Force and why certain choices are being made to achieve the required savings.

The Grunts: Damned if they kill, damned if they don't.

Abby Martin speaks with host and founder of The Young Turks, Cenk Uygur, discussing why he left his job at MSNBC, the corporate media's superficial coverage of news events and the recipe for success in alternative media.

With great power, comes great responsibility. ESPN is touting President Obama's bracket picks for the NCAA basketball tournament.

Wow. Marvel just released the first 11 minutes of Captain America 2: Winter Soldier - which will premiere on April 4.

J.J. Abrams has revealed a few more details about the new Star Wars movie.

Is anyone watching Lindsay Lohan's show Lindsay? Apparently it's quite good.

Bob Balaban isn't the most famous person in Hollywood, but as you can see when connecting the dots of the many "crews" he's been a part of, he might be the best connected.

Seriously, what is Lollapalooza anymore?

Yar, there be Medieval Barbie to slay said dragons!

Finally: Taco Bell socks.

What's that definition of insanity again?

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.18.14 >>>

At the White House today, 24 people, three of them living, are receiving the Medal of Honor for their valor in wars of past decades.

President Vladimir V. Putin declared today his intention to make Crimea a part of the Russian Federation, defying the United States and Europe just hours after they imposed their first financial sanctions against Moscow since the crisis in Ukraine began.

Foreign policy analysts warn U.S.-Russian relations are heading into a deep freeze.

Don't just sanction Russia, deter it.

A detailed analysis of satellite imagery published Monday provides additional evidence that a Chinese rocket launch in May 2013 billed as a research mission was actually a test of a new anti-satellite weapon based on a road-mobile ballistic missile.

The Philippine government would allow U.S. forces to use its military bases as part of a new security deal expected to expand rotational deployments to the region.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Pentagon colleagues may be trying to mount their own political pressure to begin a BRAC process that could lead to approval by 2017 of a list of installations to be closed.

How women are reshaping the defense industry.

New sensor protects Army helicopters from small arms.

The most secretive flying squadron in the whole U.S. Air Force owns a bunch of small Cessnas and medium-size transports that look pretty much exactly like civilian aircraft.

Four restaurants, including three McDonald's outlets, will close within the next three weeks on Navy installations.

Harvard team has found the first direct evidence of cosmic inflation right after the Big Bang.

Hawking: We'll colonize the Moon within 50 years and Mars by 2100.

Welcome.... to Jurassic Moss!

Fred Schneider of the B-52's has made a PETA video encouraging people to let lobsters rock on.

List: the best cult TV shows of all time.

This video illustrates Wes Anderson's centered composition.

Good news: Anchorman 2 bloopers.

The way they filmed this car chase is absolutely genius.

Finally: Lego Movie-inspired Simpsons "couch gag."

Check out the trailer for the James Brown biopic.

May the tuna be with you. ...

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Hundreds of Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are heading to Afghanistan this spring.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Kidd and its crew are stepping up search efforts for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean with round-the-clock coverage.

Navy Seals take over oil tanker seized by Libyan rebels.

Ukraine's autonomous Crimea region has voted overwhelmingly to break from Ukraine and join Russia.

Defense attorneys said Sunday that an Army general has agreed to a plea deal that includes the dropping of sexual assault charges against him.

The Navy plans to beam down energy from space.

Republicans target civilian DoD personnel.

Air Force tested a mini-gunship last year.

Chuck Hagel seizes opportunity to chart new direction.

Sweden's government is examining a proposal to boost military spending to defend its own territories and the strategic Baltic Sea area in the face of renewed Russian aggression in Ukraine.

How al Qaeda escaped Afghanistan and lived to fight another day.

Navy launches plans on new amphib design.

After being separated for more than a year and a half, two brothers were reunited while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Despite an ongoing fight about retiring the A-10 and investigations into cheating scandals, perhaps the most contentious moment of a House committee hearing on the Air Force budget on Friday focused on religious freedom.

Earthquake: 4.4 quake strikes Los Angeles, no report of injuries.

Nasa-backed study says humanity is pretty much screwed.

Let the insanity begin: For college basketball fans, this time of year qualifies as a dose of heaven. Sixty-eight teams are ready to duke it out for round ball glory.

Newman lives!

You don't have to be a soccer fan to appreciate this goal-of-the-year candidate.

Nothing to see here. Just your everyday kitten wearing a green hat, while Irish music plays.

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Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the top commander in Afghanistan, will testify on Capitol Hill today about the situation on the ground amid a continuing standoff with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., incoming chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the Pentagon's troubled F-35 program says there's one thing Congress can do to avoid more problems: fully fund it.

Drones will cause an upheaval of society like we haven't seen in 700 years

Elite special forces in danger of cracking as demand is outpacing capacity.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said today that if Sen. Dianne Feinstein's claim that the CIA spied on a Senate computer network is true, it would "destroy" Congress's relationship with the agency. 

The trial of an Army general accused of sexual assault moved into uncharted legal territory Tuesday when the judge dismissed the jury to allow the defense time to hammer out a new plea deal with the military.

Outrage on Capitol Hill as Navy changes ship-counting rules.

The U.S. Air Force nominated the next leaders of its Space and Mobility commands.

A top defense official said he thought it was time to reconsider the legal authority used by the military to target terrorists around the world. 

Why the Garrison State is here to stay.

National Guard commanders rise in revolt against active Army; Maj. Gen. Rossi questions Guard combat role.

The Air Force's decision to favor new designs over upgrades to legacy aircraft forced the cancellation of a program that could muddy an international market for radar and avionics upgrades.

President Barack Obama's nominee to be director of the National Security Agency and commander of U.S. Cyber Command said yesterday that legislation and transparency are critical to the nation's security in cyberspace.

Feedback on "Transition GPS," which prepares service members to enter the civilian workforce, indicates it improves on the program it replaced.

Please!: A '70s-set rock 'n' roll drama from Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger.

Here's a cover story about how the Muppets "got their mojo back."

Here are 7 facts about your favorite superheroes - Spiderman, The Avengers, Superman, Wolverine, etc. - that you probably didn't know.

Psst: Here's what The Flash's suit looks like on the new CW series.

Wha-What!: Keith Richards has a children's book on the way.

Finally: A Star Wars-themed parody of Pharrell's Happy.

Put your face close to your screen and hit play...

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2014 Quadrennial Defense Review includes more risk, less money.

Israeli military officers are crediting a shadowy C4I unit as the unsung heroes of Operation Full Disclosure, a months-long mission that led to the high-seas capture of an Iranian arms cache some 1,500 kilometers from the Israeli coast.

The Senate's VA Backlog Working Group present the 21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act, which would provide better customer service for veterans with pending claims, offer more money to veterans who file "fully developed" claims and mandate stricter oversight of claims officials.

A flurry of defense-related Capitol Hill hearings begin today with President Obama's nominee to head the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.

The Senate on Monday unanimously approved legislation that boosts protections for victims of military sexual assault.

Turns out, there is some money next year for a program to develop a replacement for the HH-60G Pave Hawk.

Interview: Outgoing Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale

Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., could be called the U.S. House's dean of Navy shipbuilding, and he is attempting to become its top Asia-Pacific strategist.

The Pentagon Channel's pilot episode of Armed with Science delves into Army Research Laboratory and Naval Research Laboratory science that shapes the future of defense.

After searching hundreds of millions of objects across our sky, NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has turned up no evidence of the hypothesized celestial body in our solar system commonly dubbed "Planet X."

There is a growing fad at Machu Picchu that officials hope to nip in the bud: tourists who pose for nude snapshots with the iconic Inca Citadel looming in the background. Warning: Video features naked tourists.

President Barack Obama sits down with Zach Galifianakis for his most memorable interview yet.

Read New York magazine's profile of Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss (but watch out for the cleavage).

Neil Young is launching a Kickstarter campaign for his high-resolution music project.

What? Hear a new track in which The Clash's Paul Simonon and Mick Jones team up with Frank Ocean and Diplo.

Serious? Love these maps of the most popular TV shows set in each state.

Finally: A list of artists whose best-known songs are covers.

Well, this is awkward...

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The Kremlin is threatening to hit back if Western nations impose sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Defense leaders are telling Congress it has to tackle sequestration again.

The Pentagon started off the 2015 budget season Tuesday with a $496 billion budget that's sure to face a chorus of critics on Capitol Hill. Republican hawks say President Barack Obama's latest military spending request will embolden America's foes to take aggressive acts, while his Democratic mates offered only tepid support.

U.S. Army Plans to Cut 3 of 13 Aviation Brigades by 2019.

Army's budget plan also cuts readiness, kills the Ground Combat Vehicle and places a new priority on replacing obsolete vehicles such as the Humvee and the M113 armored personnel carrier.

Promises kept: Few surprises in U.S. Air Force budget.

How the 2015 budget cuts affect pay, BAH, per diem and Tricare.

The $22.8 billion Marine Corps budget request included funding for a major buildup of embassy security and quick reaction forces.

The Pentagon's latest Quadrennial Defense Review (has emphasized the need to protect science, technology, research and development, specifically cyber capabilities.

A senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday that, due to cuts to the defense budget, the Pentagon's plans to pivot to Asia "can't happen."

Russia has shocked the world by sendingtroops into Ukraine, and a new Defense Department long-term threat assessment proves that the U.S. military was no exception.

Fighting Afghan terrorism, without troops.

Less than a month before an Army general's trial on sexual assault charges was set to begin, the lead prosecutor broke down in tears as he told a superior he believed the primary accuser in the case had lied under oath.

The Air Force Academy to cut 99 jobs and 10 majors, including a third of the sergeants who oversee military training and cadet discipline, and 29 positions in academics.

A U.S. Navy ocean tug on Tuesday was towing a Canadian navy ship with nearly 300 crew members on board to Hawaii's Pearl Harbor after an engine fire left 20 sailors with minor injuries.

Longtime music journalist Michael Azerrad talks to Pitchfork about his influences.

See a cool model of Jerry Seinfeld's apartment.

Read Norm Macdonald's great story about Harold Ramis, which he shared on Twitter.

This is cool

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Russian President Vladimir Putin asked parliament today for permission to use the country's military in Ukraine.

Al Qaeda's leader in Afghanistan is plotting a comeback once U.S. and NATO troops leave the country.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee says sequestration isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

President Barack Obama's recent statement of willingness to let Afghanistan's next president sign a critical bilateral security agreement may give hope to Afghans who feared NATO-mission troops would withdraw from the nation by Dec. 31.

Barring a last-second roadblock from Congress, the six women already assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron 2 will become the first official female riverines in March.

The U.S. Navy is preparing to house its first squadron of MQ-4C Triton drones in Guam by the end of 2017.

Senators slammed the National Security Agency after reports that its surveillance program capture images from users' webcams.

The Army wants you to build them a laser truck.

The Air Force announced adjustments to the promotion opportunity and selective continuation process for the lieutenant colonel Line of the Air Force and colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major Line of the Air Force-JAG Central Selection Boards convening in March.

Assuming it's not an elaborate hoax, would you eat a salami made from lab-grown meat grown from tissue from the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Kanye West, James Franco and Ellen DeGeneres?

The author of "American Psycho" writing a Manson Murders TV series directed by Rob Zombie? You can't make this stuff up.

An insanely detailed infographic of every character in True Detective.

The perfect microwave listens to popcorn so it never burns.

Finally: Lightsaber barbecue tongs.

Rumor: New Matrix Trilogy potentially in the works.

Stupid, stupid kitty

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The U.S. Defense Department on March 4 will propose a five-year plan that boosts Pentagon spending by a total of $115 billion over sequestration spending caps.

The U.S. Defense Department's latest military strategy review will stress the Pentagon's commitment to the Middle East.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to shrink the U.S. Army to its smallest force since before World War II.

Obama will announce a new Pentagon and private-sector partnership aimed at beefing up advanced manufacturing technology in the U.S.

Navy develops "world's smallest guided missile."

Army Future: Gen. Robert Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command says leaner but still mean - if not meaner - is the future of the Army in 2025, and the time to prepare for that future force is now.

Army Future II: Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, says to prepare the Army for tomorrow, the seeds must be planted today.

Air Force Future: Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe, as well as U.S. Air Forces Africa, says growing airmen, dealing with organizational change and modernizing the force are key points to preserve airpower advantage.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno visited the Camp Humphreys Military Community today, where he got a firsthand look at many of the transformation initiatives and construction projects currently underway there.

The initiative to ban or bury the independent newspaper Marine Corps Times originated in May 'on a rather tight timeline' at the behest of Gen. Jim Amos, the service's commandant.

Defense Department wants servicemembers to "set a goal, make a plan and save automatically" in the Military Saves Week campaign that starts today.

Medal of Honor winner Staff Sgt. Ty Carter has two words for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder: "Get help."

Let's watch an NFL stadium be destroyed.

Why Apple's recent security flaw is so scary

Sub Pop Records is opening a store at SeaTac International Airport.

Amtrak is offering "residencies" to writers.

Let's watch an NFL stadium be destroyed.

Alec Baldwin wrote a long essay in New York magazine explaining why he's had enough of public life.

Kiss won't play at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

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A U.S. Army soldier was killed and seven were injured during a training exercise involving a large gun at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Ukraine parliament removes President Viktor Yanukovich, who flees Kiev in “coup.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has signaled that he will seek to protect cyber warfare funding and Special Operations in the Pentagon's 2015 budget.  At the same time his aides are pushing cutbacks in pay and benefits.

U.S. Air Force revealed today the existence of a new set of classified electro-optical satellites - the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program - designed to spot other satellites and space debris.

The requests, known in military parlance as unfunded priority lists, were standard practice until former Defense Secretary Robert Gates began intercepting them from the top brass.

President Barack Obama will award 24 Army veterans the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry during a White House ceremony March 18.

The Department of Defense recently expanded its zero tolerance policy for the use of illicit drugs to include synthetic marijuana, commonly known as "spice."

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Friday afternoon that he will not reopen the Medal of Honor nomination for U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta. 

There are increasing fears that the F/A-18 Super Hornet's assembly line may be shut down because of dwindling orders, as the Navy prepares for a new generation of warplane - the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Personnel from the U.S. military and Japan Self Defense Forces engaged in the week-long Integrated Air and Missile Defense Wargame V.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his government and U.S. helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft had signed a long-dormant contract to co-produce an initial batch of 109 utility helicopters.

The Obama administration is poised to scale back funding for the U.S. military's most elite forces, which spearheaded the fight against al-Qaida and embodied the Pentagon's rapid post-9/11 budget growth.

Will Cambodia's Phnom Penh be the greeting point for interplanetary visitors to Earth?

How your car is tracking you.

10 musicians you need to know right now.

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon roll out History of Rap Vol. 5.

Trippy ice crystals.

Here's a fun trick for pyros (which is pretty much every human ever).

Are you ready?

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Five members of the Afghan Taliban held at Guantanamo Bay for years would be exchanged for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured in Afghanistan in 2009.

Syrian government troops have regained full control of a village in the central province of Hama after ousting rebels accused of killing dozens of people there.

Army veteran medals in two-man bobsled.

Navy ready to deploy laser for the first time.

Six world powers and Iran began talks in pursuit of a final settlement on Tehran's contested nuclear program.

Has intervention helped or hurt Bosnia?

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper admits the U.S. government should have been transparent about its domestic surveillance program.

The fanfare of its arrival has passed, and the USS Donald Cook is preparing to make its first patrol in support of Europe's ballistic missile defense patrol.

The Pentagon is decreasing the number of F-35 fighter jets it intends to buy in 2015.

The Marine Corps' top general has ended his silence on accusations he abused his authority to ensure Marines were punished for an inappropriate war-zone video.

The NBA has a 10-year history of helping active duty service members, veterans and their families through the Hoops for Troops program.

U.S. troops saved art as the "Monuments Men" of Iraq.

What happened on Jimmy Fallon's first Tonight Show? Here's a review, and here's his "evolution of hip-hop dancing" clip with Will Smith.

Photographer Henry Hargreaves recreates and records the last meals of Death Row inmates.

The new Beck album is streaming at NPR.

Nine of the most beautiful buildings we ever tore down.

Back to the Future's "power laces" are coming next year.

Your eyes can paint colors onto blank objects. We swear.

Finally: Fries shaped like hashtags.