What happens when war gets photographedA photo of a dying US marine in Afghanistan was plastered across newspapers this week. With support for the war dwindling, will it provoke the same outrage that the flag draped coffins of US marines killed in Iraq did?
US Armed Forces
Was the AP right to publish a soldier’s dying hours?
The AP has come under some heavy fire for publishing a photo of a deceased US soldier shortly after he was fatally wounded by a grenade in Afghanistan. The NYT’s Lens blog looks at the ethics and precedent of going public with such a private moment.
An embedded journo defends his record
Following revelations that the US military is vetting journalists’ past work for negative war coverage before allowing them to be embedded in Afghanistan, writer Nir Rosen — who was allowed to embed — has scored a copy of the intel prepared on him, and he isn’t happy.
Keggers in Kabul: security contractors party hard
A letter sent to US secretary of state Hillary Clinton alleges that the private security contractors guarding the US Embassy in Kabul are living in a “Lord of the Flies” environment, with parties involving drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation a regular event.
At Stars and Stripes independent, investigative journalism soldiers on
America’s daily military paper Stars and Stripes has been doing some nice investigative journalism recently on the issue of censorship and embedded journalists in Afghanistan.
US military screening embeded journalists
The US armed forces have employed a PR firm to “screen” journalists before they’re allowed to be embedded with military units in Afghanistan, analysing whether they have provided positive or negative coverage of the army in the past, according to Stars and Stripes.
Joint Strike Fighter: too big to fail and too big to succeed
The US Joint Strike Fighter Project is is years behind its original planned development dates, is over-weight and way over budget, says Ben Sandilands. The 1990s JSF specification has little relevance to the 2015-25 world and the aircraft’s design needs to be changed.
Let’s leave Iraq NOW
With civil violence down to a manageable level and US forces ceasing to be the dominant player in Iraq, is there actually any reason for them to stay another two years, costing taxpayers $12 billion a month? Let’s leave now, says Tim McGirk.
‘Coalition of the Willing’ now a coalition of one
With both Britain and Australia ending their military presence in Iraq, the US is now effectively on its own for the next two years until their planned withdrawal of troops in 2011.
leaked US Army Colonel: “declare victory and go home”
A leaked memo from a senior US military adviser in Iraq says “it’s time for the US to declare victory and go home”, arguing Iraqi forces are now capable on their own and that American forces have outstayed their welcome.
How to win in Afghanistan
War is not complicated, says Bing West, and the US theater commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, knows how to defeat an insurgency. But does Washington have as much faith in him to get the job done?
US destroys Babylon
The ruins of Babylon lay even more ruined since the US military set up camp there six years ago, according to a UNESCO report that says troops caused “major damage” to the site.
The soundtrack of war
Music isn’t just about delighting the senses. Sometimes its about getting soldiers amped up and ready for killing. The New Yorker explores what US soldiers are listening to on the frontlines.
Former Bagram detainee speaks out
An Afghan farmer who was detained by US forces at Bagram prison shares his experiences and explains why the US troops are still failing to win the locals’ hearts and minds.
US ends the kill count in Afghanistan
In an effort to promote its shift in focus in Afghanistan from hunting down enemies to protecting local civilians, the US military has stopped releasing the death toll figures of militants killed in battle.
Remote-controlled warfare
In Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US army are increasingly utilising “unmanned aerial vehicle” — remote-controlled flying robot drones — that allow soldiers to fight without ever going near the frontlines.
Veterans of secret psychedelic tests want answers
Former American soldiers are filing a suit against the CIA and US Army, claiming they were used as human lab rats to test hundreds of chemical and biological substances in the ’70s.
What it’s like to be a US Ranger and a big brother
A platoon leader in the war in Afghanistan, Craig M. Mullaney gives advice to his younger brother on the eve of his graduation from Ranger School.
Joe Klein: We don’t need to see the pictures
Publishing American torture photos would put US soldiers in greater danger in areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan where literacy rates are low and a picture is worth a thousand words, argues Joe Klein.
How the Taliban could out-manoeuvre the US
Despite sending in 20,000 new troops to Afghanistan, the Taliban’s stronghold on the Pakistan-Afghan border could still prove insurmountable for the US.
US soldiers in Afghanistan “hunt people for Jesus”
US soldiers in Afghnistan have been given bibles in the Pashtu and Dari languages and told by a military preacher to “hunt people for Jesus”.
Abu Ghraib guards take the Nuremberg
With the release of the CIA torture memos, guards jailed for their treatment of inmates at Abu Ghraib prison plan to appeal on the grounds that they were “scapegoats” for the Bush Administration.
iWarfare: Soldiers using Apple tech in the field
US soldiers are being issued with iPhones and iPod Touches for cheap and functional translation, communication and data mangement.
