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Pentagon

The Arms Industry Gains Even More Power In Washington, DC

February 1, 2019 By Mandy Smithberger and William D. Hartung, Tomdispatch.com , ,
The way personnel spin through Washington’s infamous revolving door between the Pentagon and the arms industry is nothing new. That door, however, is moving ever faster with the appointment of Patrick Shanahan, who spent 30 years at Boeing, the Pentagon’s second largest contractor, as the Trump administration’s acting secretary of defense. Shanahan had previously been deputy secretary of defense, a typical position in recent years for someone with a significant arms industry background. William Lynn, President Obama’s first deputy secretary of defense, had been a Raytheon lobbyist. Ashton Carter, his successor, was a consultant for the same company.

Bases, Bases, Everywhere…Except In The Pentagon’s Report

January 11, 2019 By Nick Turse, Countercurrents.org , ,
The U.S. military is finally withdrawing (or not) from its base at al-Tanf. You know, the place that the Syrian government long claimed was a training ground for Islamic State (ISIS) fighters; the land corridor just inside Syria, near both the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, that Russia has called a terrorist hotbed (while floating the idea of jointly administering it with the United States); the location of a camp where hundreds of U.S. Marines joined Special Operations forces last year; an outpost that U.S. officials claimed was the key not only to defeating ISIS, but also, according to General Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East...

The Pentagon Failed Its Audit Amid A $21 Trillion Scandal (Yes, Trillion)

December 19, 2018 By Lee Camp, Truthdig.com , ,
New York Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was ruthlessly attacked recently, and I feel a bit responsible. I might have accidentally tainted her Twitter feed with truth serum. But that sounds weird—so let me back up. A few months ago, I covered the story of the $21 trillion that has gone unaccounted for at the Pentagon. That’s right—trillion with a T—an amount of money you can’t possibly come to terms with, so stop trying. Seriously, stop. It’s like trying to comprehend the age of the earth.

‘The Pentagon Has Steadfastly Stonewalled Against Making Its Budget Auditable’

December 18, 2018 Janine Jackson, Fair.org , ,
For those of us who remember the $640 toilet seat, the unbelievable absurdity of Pentagon spending has long been—while unbelievably absurd—taken for granted: The Department of Defense spends billions and billions on we know not what, year after year, tra-la.  Elite media reported that Congress passed a $700 billion Pentagon bill—more than Trump even asked for—and that was a blip, unchallenged, although the same press corps, faced with a proposal for healthcare, see themselves in the business of grilling proponents on how on Earth they would pay for it. Pentagon spending is untethered, unaccountable.

SJR 54 Will Not End the War In Yemen (Statement From March On The Pentagon)

December 5, 2018 By Cindy Sheehan, Cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com , , , ,
As the Senate prepares to debate Senate Joint Resolution 54, March on the Pentagon encourages Americans to read the text of the resolution and consider its actual implications. On November 28th, the Senate voted 63-37 to discuss the resolution on the Senate floor. In March, the same resolution was not approved. While November’s vote can be considered progress on the topic, the most important thing to note is that this resolution, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), does not call for an end to U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen and may very well only serve to pacify Americans that are only slightly aware or concerned about the issue.

Artificial Intelligence May Destroy Humanity By Accident

December 2, 2018 Lee Camp, Truthdig. ,
The U.S. military has quietly said it wants 70 unmanned self-driving supply trucks by 2020. And seeing as $21 trillion has gone unaccounted for at the Pentagon over the past 20 years, when the Pentagon wants something, it tends to get that something. Of course supply trucks in and of themselves don’t sound so bad. Even if the self-driving trucks run over some poor unsuspecting saps, that will still be the least destruction our military has ever manifested. But because I’ve read a thing or two about our military, I’ll assume that by “supply trucks,” they mean “ruthless killing machines.”

Pentagon Fails Its First-Ever Audit

November 18, 2018 By Idrees Ali, Mike Stone, Reuters , ,
Results of the inspection - conducted by some 1,200 auditors and examining financial accounting on a wide range of spending including on weapons systems, military personnel and property - were expected to be completed later in the day. “We failed the audit, but we never expected to pass it,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan told reporters, adding that the findings showed the need for greater discipline in financial matters within the Pentagon. “It was an audit on a $2.7 trillion dollar organization...

The Pentagon Hits Home, Climate Changing Dinner & How To Address Addiction

November 8, 2018 Eleanor Goldfield, Occupy.com , , ,
The Pentagon broadens its horizons to domestic surveillance and “insurrection” - the all seeing eye is focused on the home front. Next, if we wanna survive humanity's demise that our choices designed, we have to start making different choices – at the dinner table. Finally, Dr. Sheila Vakharia joins us to talk harm reduction, addiction and drug policy.

Militarizing The Economy In The Name Of Defense

November 2, 2018 By William D. Hartung, Tomdispatch.com , , ,
Given his erratic behavior, from daily Twitter eruptions to upping his tally of lies by the hour, it’s hard to think of Donald Trump as a man with a plan. But in at least one area -- reshaping the economy to serve the needs of the military-industrial complex -- he's (gasp!) a socialist in the making. His plan is now visibly taking shape -- one we can see and assess thanks to a Pentagon-led study with a distinctly tongue-twisting title: “Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States.” The analysis is the brainchild of Trump’s adviser for trade and manufacturing policy, Peter Navarro, who happens to also be the key architect of the president’s trade wars.

Reflections From The 2018 Women’s March On The Pentagon

October 27, 2018 Zhivko Illeieff, Medium.com , ,
The Women’s March on the Pentagon took place on October 20–21, 2018. The antiwar workshops, rally, and march were a call for women and their allies to organize on the 51st anniversary of the 1967 antiwar events in Washington D.C. during which 50,000 people tried to “levitate the Pentagon.” While we failed yet again to levitate the five-sided shrine to endless war, the 2018 March on the Pentagon was a potent example of what People Power looks like when it is directed against the U.S. bipartisan war machine. Hopefully, this essay will inspire those sitting on the sidelines to actively demand an end to U.S. military aggression abroad, and for all of us to keep marching forward.

Countdown To Women’s March On The Pentagon

October 15, 2018 Cindy Sheehan, Informationclearinghouse.info ,
October 13, 2018 "Information Clearing House" -  Women’s March on the Pentagon (WMOP) is excited to announce we are ready and rarin’ to go for our long anticipated march and rally at ground-zero for US imperialism. "We envisioned this principled non-partisan march on the bi-partisan war machine at the beginning of this year. Despite obstacles, we are excited that many people have been attracted to this long over-due antiwar march in Washington, DC," said one of the lead organizers, antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, from her home in California.

Countdown To Women’s March On The Pentagon

October 11, 2018 Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox. , , ,
Women’s March on the Pentagon (WMOP) is excited to announce we are ready and rarin’ to go for our long anticipated march and rally at ground-zero for US imperialism. "We envisioned this principled non-partisan march on the bi-partisan war machine at the beginning of this year. Despite obstacles, we are excited that many people have been attracted to this long over-due antiwar march in Washington, DC," said one of the lead organizers, antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, from her home in California.

Beijing Notes Signs Of US Decline Behind Bloated New Pentagon Budget

August 23, 2018 By Elliott Gabriel, Mintpressnews.com , , , ,
BEIJING – China has expressed serious concern about the new United States military budget, which explicitly notes the U.S.’ “long-term strategic competition with China” as a top priority and raises the government’s annual investment in the military to an unprecedented $716 billion – an exponentially higher budget than that of any other defense department across the world. The passage of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes a 2.3 percent boost in military funding — the  U.S. government’s largest-yet war budget. The perpetually swollen U.S. military budget allows Washington to subsidize its massive and highly-profitable military-industrial complex while boosting its power to coerce rivals and wage wars abroad.

Girding For Confrontation: The Pentagon’s Provocative Encirclement Of China

July 12, 2018 By Michael T. Klare, Tomdispatch.com , , ,
On May 30th, Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced a momentous shift in American global strategic policy. From now on, he decreed, the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), which oversees all U.S. military forces in Asia, will be called the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). The name change, Mattis explained, reflects “the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans,” as well as Washington’s determination to remain the dominant power in both. What? You didn’t hear about this anywhere?  And even now, you’re not exactly blown away, right? Well, such a name change may not sound like much, but someday you may look back and realize that it couldn’t have been more consequential or ominous.  Think of it as a signal that the U.S. military is already setting the stage for an eventual confrontation with China.

Pentagon Suspends August Military Drills With South Korea

June 20, 2018 Lolita C. Baldor, Apnews.com , , ,
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Monday formally suspended a major military exercise planned for August with South Korea, a much-anticipated move stemming from President Donald Trump’s nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Dana White, spokeswoman for the Defense Department, said planning for the summer drills has stopped, but there have been no decisions made on any other military exercises with South Korea. Military exercises with other countries in the Pacific will continue. Speaking at a news conference last Tuesday after his summit with Kim, Trump abruptly announced that he was suspending military exercises with the South, “unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should.” He added that dumping the drills will save the U.S. “a tremendous amount of money. Plus, I think it’s very provocative.”
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