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Obama asked the Russia leader to withdraw troops during a phone call initiated by Putin.

A primal instinct was behind Russia's annexation of Crimea, and its one shared by other powers.

Pentagon to adapt drones for tougher aerial battles.

The U.S. Army's top leaders defended their proposal to strip the Army National Guard of its AH-64 Apaches attack helicopters as part of a cost-saving move.

Jeremiah Denton Jr., who as an American prisoner of war in Vietnam made the world aware of the abuse POWs were suffering, died Friday at 89 in a Virginia Beach hospice.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has paid tribute to retiring Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who is stepping down as head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency.

Air Force looks to cost-effective technologies to sustain future operations.

Defense officials have ordered a review of options that include consolidating commissaries and exchanges, as well as having commissaries adopt an "Exchange-like business model."

A New York congressman is calling for a presidential review of the Medal of Honor cases of two Marines who in 2008 gave their lives to halt a suicide bomber with a truck full of explosives in Ramadi, Iraq.

A veteran of the war in Afghanistan died of a heroin and cocaine overdose last year while receiving treatment at a Miami Veterans Affairs residential treatment facility, according to a VA inspector general report released.

Government stalwart mobility provider BlackBerry got some additional leverage in the form of full operational capacity for its BlackBerry 10 to run on Defense Department networks.

Abby Martin's exclusive interview with former NASA Astronaut and ISS Commander, Leroy Chiao, about U.S.-Russian cooperation in space, life on other words and the reality of the film Gravity.

Watch a lost interview with philosopher Michel Foucault on madness and history.

Patatap lets you make tunes and pictures with your computer keyboard (instead of boring old words).

New York magazine's "100 Years of New York Music" issue celebrates everyone from Debbie Harry to Billie Holiday and includes a portfolio of new photos.

Chrissie Hynde's Dark Sunglasses, her new record, arrives June 10.

Silicon Valley, HBO's delightful new Mike Judge comedy, which stars T.J. MIller, Kumail Nanjiani and other funny dudes, premiere's April 6.

This may not make a lick of sense but it sure is pretty...

Friday, April 4, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist will kick off his bid for re-election with what we can only be described as a star-studded "kick off party" - which in the business of politics, is code for warm and fuzzy fundraising event. Lindquist promises the event will feature Peter Buck of R.E.M., actress and singer Molly Ringwald, The Beatniks, as well as speakers Gov. Jay Inslee, Sheriff Paul Pastor, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, and Detective Ed Troyer, executive director of Crime Stoppers.

Below is the news annoucement out of the Lindquist Camp.

Read more...

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The Air Force has relieved nine officers, allowed a commander to retire and will discipline 91 others as a result of a cheating scandal among intercontinental ballistic missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

The Army and NATO are watching "very carefully" the troop deployments and the exercises they're doing in Russia, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.

Eight soldiers from 3rd Special Forces Group were honored with the Silver Star, the nation's third highest award for valor, for their actions in Afghanistan.

The recent crisis between Russia and the West over Crimea, and the ongoing tensions between China and Japan, are ushering a return of Great Power Politics where U.S. power and influence is challenged.

The U.S. military's gradual, 20-year drawdown in Europe looks to be abruptly ending as the Russian invasion of Crimea casts a spotlight on U.S. European Command and fuels calls for reshaping the military mission there after decades of post-Cold War calm.

The U.S. Army is moving forward with plans to develop upgraded versions of the M109 self-propelled howitzer in one of the service's few bright acquisition spots.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh swore in Brad R. Carson as the 31st Under Secretary of the Army, and Chief Management Officer of the Army.

Seven Soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit will join members of the U.S. National Shooting Team to compete in the International Shooting Sports Federation, or ISSF, World Cup starting today.

Department of Defense announced plans of integrating technologically sophisticated, yet tactical, hearing protection devices for soldiers engaged in overseas combat operations and local training exercises.

Former US Defense Secretary James Schlesinger has died, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he served as a counselor and trustee. He was 85.

The true guide to gear you need to commute by bicycle.

A lot of plans are underway for Batman's 75th anniversary.

Time's latest cover story is on the last days of Mad Men.

Of course Bill Murray wore PBR pants at the Caddyshack Golf Tournament.

Finally: Paul Stanley's awesome stage banter compilation and Metalocalypse clips.

Finally II: Dunkin Donuts has introduced the Peeps donut.

Is he playing in the Death Star or what?

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A new classified intelligence assessment concludes it is more likely than previously thought that Russian forces will enter eastern Ukraine.

President Obama and European leaders pledged to bolster the NATO alliance and vowed that Russia would not be allowed to run roughshod over its neighbors. But the military reality on the ground in Europe tells a different.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely would not have been deterred from invading the Crimean peninsula even if European countries had spent more on defense.

The general in charge of the F-35 told a U.S. House panel he sees more delays ahead - four to six months - for the often-troubled fighter jet program.

Lt. Gen. Howard K. Bromberg, the Army G-1, told members of the House Armed Services Committee that with sequestration will come a slowdown in soldier compensation and benefits in order to maintain readiness and modernization.

Air Force aircraft maintenance mechanics recently teamed up with depot employees to standardize processes for work performed on a satellite communications system and tactical radios.

First female National Guard soldiers graduate Field Artillery School.

U.S. military seeking cheap stealth on ocean floor.

The Navy is testing several new next-generation cruise missiles as potential replacements for the battle-tested Tomahawk.

Air war has, in effect, become as costly as naval war. What are the implications for strategy?

Future drugs will allow prisoners to serve an 1,000-year sentence in 8 hours.

Dad who works for Dreamworks turns son into amazing superhero.

Good News: Rolling Stone has a new cover story on Kiss.

Whoa: Kevin Smith's Hollywood Babble-On may be coming to AMC.

Trippy: A new trailer for the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending.

Finally: new cupcake ATM.

Of Course: A man named Christopher Reeves was arrested this week ... while wearing a Superman T-shirt.

Welcome home!

The Department of the Army's National Center for Telehealth and Technology opened at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in 2010. The mission of the National Center for Telehealth and Technology is to foster, develop, research, and deploy technology solutions for psychological health and traumatic brain injury and deliver relevant, evidence-based applications for our warriors, veterans and their families. Known as T2, the Center also uses innovative ways to help military youth cope with the unique strains of military life. In addition to disruptions from parents deploying to assignments away from home, military children are affected by moving frequently, changing schools and making new friends.

The folks at T2 have created an app to help children cope with military moves. Launched in December, The Big Moving Adventure app lets children create a Muppet friend to help them through the moving process. Yes, the DoD knows the way to Sesame Street. It has partnered with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, on the mobile app, which is available for download from the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for Kindle Fire.

Below are excerpts from the app's news release out of the T2 camp.

"Moving can be stressful, and kids need to express feelings and say goodbye to people and things," said Dr. Kelly Blasko, psychologist at the National Center for Telehealth and Technology here. "The Muppet characters in this app help make the move a fun experience."

Children can use the app to help their Muppet friend make decisions on a variety of move-related issues, such as which toys to pack in a box and which to take along in their backpack. Children watch the Muppet say goodbye to their house, their military base and their classroom and playground friends. At the new house, children help their Muppet unpack, settle into the home and make new friends.

"Sesame Workshop has always been at the forefront of creating resources for families with young children to help address some of life's most difficult issues," said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president for Community and Family Engagement at Sesame Workshop. "The Big Moving Adventure is part of Sesame Workshop's contribution to military families, who face the challenge of helping a child cope with this major transition and help our kids reach their highest potential."

Military parents face unique challenges during a move, and the app helps their young children through the experience. A separate parents section contains additional move-related topics and tips.

The Big Moving Adventure mobile app is the newest addition to a portfolio of multimedia resources developed by Sesame Workshop, in collaboration with the Defense Department, to help military families with deployments and life transitions. While developed specifically for military families with children 3 to 5 years old, it is useful for all families with young children experiencing a move, officials said.

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Army leaders push for another BRAC round.

Congress' multiple investigations of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, have cost the Pentagon millions of dollars and thousands of hours of personnel time.

The bilateral security agreement between the United States and Afghanistan has still not been signed, sealed and delivered, creating budget uncertainty and potentially significant logistical problem.

The head of U.S. Pacific Command believes America does not possess the capacity to conduct amphibious assaults in the wake of a crisis, as it did during World War II.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has pushed back a vote on its controversial report on Bush-era interrogation techniques until next week.

U.S. Army Human Resources Command established a provisional Cyber Branch, to provide career management, development and readiness to the Army's cyber forces.

Are aircraft carriers the new West Berlin?

The U-2 spy plane is a better suited than the Global Hawk for early warning of a North Korean attack.

The admiral in charge of all U.S. military forces in the Pacific says some of his needs for attack submarines are going unmet.

The secretary of the Army said he will have the final say on whether a disgraced Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair at the center of a sexual misconduct case retires at a lower rank with sharply reduced retirement pay.

As South America continues increasing its defense expenditures, air fleet modernization is driving numerous requirements and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future.

Three things have to happen before infantry robots hit the battlefield.

The Defense Health Agency is moving ahead with plans to cover the costs of some laboratory tests that Tricare, by law, cannot.

Training and operations can put such tremendous physical and psychological stresses on warfighters that their immune systems may be compromised.

This is not only a story about disgraced U.S. Army Special Forces major James Gant. This is also a story about a story about Jim Gant.

Neat shot of two Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft supercarriers-the USS George H.W. Bush and USS Harry S. Truman-cruising together in the Arabian Sea.

In your face Facebook.

Video of the Chicago subway jumping its tracks.

Good News: You can spend the night in a television antenna above Prague.

Neil Patrick Harris and Billy Eichner ambush New Yorkers.

The History Channel has renewed Vikings.

Welcome...

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Aboard a guided-missile destroyer docked at the world's largest naval base, a sailor was fatally shot and security forces killed the lone suspect late Monday.

Pres. Obama to call for end to N.S.A.'s bulk data collection.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Republicans may have helped Russia annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, delivering a surprisingly sharp attack just before lawmakers advanced a bill authorizing sweeping U.S. sanctions on Russia and $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine. 

Two lawmakers have introduced a bill that would eliminate the $100,000 cap on payments to wounded warriors for multiple, severe injuries under the Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program.

North Korea warned it would take new nuclear "measures" if the United States did not end its alleged provocations toward Pyongyang.

Government Accountability Office predicts F-35 software troubles may drive annual costs up to $15 billion.

The Republic of Korea has officially selected the F-35 as its next-generation fighter.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert says he doesn't see a great need for the Navy to go through another round of base closures.

Abolishing nuclear weapons would make the world more violent and, paradoxically, more prone to nuclear warfare.

The Navy is on the verge of eliminating tobacco sales on all its bases and ships.

The Navy has published a thorough breakdown of what it needs for future surface operations in the Arctic, from new doctrine to platform assessments and an updated cold-weather handbook for sailors.

Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell, U.S. Army chief information officer/G-6, outlined priorities for network modernization as the Army plans for Force 2025.

Changes at AAFES aimed at improved shopping experience.

White Sands Missile Range hosted about 6,200 participants during this year's 25th annual Bataan Memorial Death March.

Five questions on special ops and scotch with Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Lumpkin.

Hello nightmares: Crabster crab robot scuttles out of Korean lab.

Listen: Hear a new Chrissie Hynde song; hear a new Afghan Whigs song; the Pixies plan to release a new album.

Finally: Star Trek beer is here.

Here come the Sentinels!

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Ukraine evacuated its troops from Crimea, as Russians stormed a marine base. 

A deepening crisis in Ukraine has sharpened the defense policy of NATO member states in Eastern Europe, with the Estonia prime minister calling for higher military spending and Poland seeking early orders for missile defense and drones.

Russia might have got a head start on its takeover of Crimea by evading U.S. eavesdropping.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul says the post-Cold War era has ended in Europe as a result of Russia's unanticipated aggression.

Please come back, Bob Gates.

Global leaders gather in The Hague today for what could be the penultimate installment of President Obama's biennial confabs on preventing nuclear terrorism.

Think the Pentagon isn't serious about Asia? Think again.

President Obama has ordered a sharp increase in U.S. Special Operations forces deployed to Uganda and sent U.S. military aircraft there for the first time in the ongoing effort to hunt down warlord Joseph Kony across a broad swath of central Africa.

On Capitol Hill, a return to pet military projects.

President Obama's FY2015 budget further reduces missile defense funding, exacerbating a troubling, five-year pattern.

Before recently deploying to Afghanistan, a U.S. Army brigade warned the service's own intelligence center that the battlefield intelligence system doesn't work.

Despite a squeeze on investment accounts, the Pentagon's fiscal 2015 budget strategy prioritizes funding for the stealthy F-35 - but at what cost, some in industry ask.

The military has begun employing 3-D printing to make spare parts and components, but the Army is already exploring the next generation, 4-D printing.

The 82nd Airborne Division today will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly Green Ramp accident that killed 24 paratroopers.

Student veterans seeking associate and bachelor's degrees under the GI Bill have slightly better graduation rates than their nonveteran peers.

No one has come out unscathed after the first four days of March Madness.

Netflix generates a massive amount of data consumption - around a third of traffic online during peak hours.

New York magazine has a great portfolio of musicians who helped shape New York, including Thurston Moore, Debbie Harry and Cyndi Lauper.

Actor James Rebhorn, who plays Carrie's dad on the Showtime drama Homeland, has died.

List: Amazon shares 100 Books to Read in A Lifetime.

Check out 13 ice cream "secrets" from Ben & Jerry's.

Finally: Comics truck

Say goodbye to winter...

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Russian troops have surrounded a Ukrainian airbase in Crimea and issued an ultimatum to forces inside to surrender.

Would America go to war with Russia?

Boeing's new refueling tanker program will cost $1.1 billion more than initially planned.

The Defense Department has spent $2.6 million to date in the expanding international search effort to find missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

When you scrutinize the size and composition of the cuts that sequestration has imposed on the government, it isn't clear the law really improves the nation's fiscal health. Here are four reasons why.

The Pentagon's share of the White House's $56 billion Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative requests more than double the procurement money previously disclosed in budget documents earlier this month.

The United States is puzzling over how to block cruise missiles that theoretically could be launched from the Gulf of Mexico, even after throwing some of its most advanced technologies at the problem.

In the run-up to Russia's paramilitary invasion of Crimea, U.S. intelligence saw Vladimir Putin's saboteurs and mercenaries coming, and not stopping at Crimea either.

On policy allowing women into combat, Marines prepared to seek exceptions.

Tank Goodness: Armor programs will recover despite GVC kill, sequester.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded contracts to four companies to design a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that is much faster than a helicopter but retains excellent hover capability.

The Air Force is surging ahead with work to extend the service life of its fleet of F-16 fighter jets despite recent budget cuts.

Shooters from around the world will compete in the 2014 U.S. Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition beginning Monday.

The founder of Occupy Wall Street wants the President of the United States to resign and appoint her boss, Google's Chairman Eric Schmidt, to a new post, CEO of America.

Cool: The largest and most definitive collection of time-travel stories ever assembled.

Kim Deal may no longer be part of the Pixies, but she's still making music and released this pulsating new single/video this week.

A day in the life of Sarah Silverman.

These special effects will blow your mind, and your brain.

Watching these dogs confused by a magic trick is hilariously cute.

This video is so insane we had to stop watching it.

Then there's this...

Gen. Paul Selva, Air Mobility Command commander, announced the 2013 AMC Outstanding Airmen of the Year during a command-wide video teleconference at Scott Air Force Base today. Master Sgt. Marc R. Sellers, of the 62nd Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Lewis McChord, was named Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

The 2013 AMC Outstanding Airmen of the Year are:

Junior Enlisted Airman of the Year:

Senior Airman Leanne M. Murray, 87th Air Base Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Noncommissioned Officer of the Year:

Tech. Sgt. Toyre L. Hudson, 6th Medical Operations Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year:

Master Sgt. Marc R. Sellers, 62nd Maintenance Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Wash.

First Sergeant of the Year:

Master Sgt. Richard W. McCorkle, 319th Security Forces Squadron, Grand Forks, AFB, N.D.

Honor Guard Member of the Year:

Senior Airman Jacob Coburn, 89th Communications Squadron, JB Andrews, Md.

Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year:

Master Sgt. Gary Knight, 87th Force Support Squadron, JB MDL, N.J.

Honor Guard Team of the Year:

87th Air Base Wing, JB MDL, N.J.

First Sergeant Council of the Year:

87th Air Base Wing, JB MDL, N.J.

With the exception of Honor Guard Team and First Sergeant Council of the Year, all winners identified above will now compete for the Air Force 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year.