PBS NewsHour: Military

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MILITARY


	2012 FEBRUARY Feb. 2, 2012 Could and Should U.S. End Combat Role in Afghanistan Early? White House Press Secretary Jay Carney tried Thursday to downplay Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's remarks suggesting an early U.S. transition out of combat in Afghanistan. Judy Woodruff discusses a potential end to combat operations in 2013 with retired Army Gen. Jack Keane and Celeste Ward Gventer of the University of Texas.

	Feb. 2, 2012 White House Downplays Panetta Remark Suggesting Early Afghan War Transition White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Thursday tried to clarify a remark by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta suggesting an early U.S. transition out of its combat mission in Afghanistan. Carney said the statement shouldn't be considered as an announcement about a decision. Judy Woodruff reports.



	JANUARY Jan. 26, 2012 Deputy Defense Secretary on Pentagon Cuts: 'We Have No Choice' Working to cut nearly $490 billion over the next decade, the Pentagon announced Thursday plans to create a leaner military by reducing ground forces, buying fewer weapons and postponing production of other defense systems. Jeffrey Brown discusses the new budget plans with Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

	Jan. 25, 2012 Who Was Behind Kidnapping, Rescue in Somalia? Members of U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 freed two kidnapped aid workers, including one American, early Wednesday -- whisking them away from their captors in Somalia. Jeffrey Brown discusses the kidnappers' motives and how the operation unfolded with NPR's Tom Bowman and the Atlantic Council's Peter Pham.

	Jan. 25, 2012 U.S. Navy SEALs Free 2 Western Hostages From Somali Captors Members of U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 staged a dramatic rescue early Wednesday, freeing two aid workers, including one American, held hostage by Somali captors. Jeffrey Brown reports on emerging accounts of another operation unfolded in secret -- SEALs parachuting into Somalia, surprising sleeping captors and killing nine kidnappers.

	Jan. 24, 2012 Was Justice Served After Haditha Killings? At his sentencing hearing Tuesday, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the remaining Marine charged in the 2005 Haditha killings, expressed sorrow for the victims, and said he hadn't meant for his men to kill innocent Iraqis. Margaret Warner discusses his plea deal with two retired Marines, Lt. Col. Gary Solis and Capt. Bing West.

	Jan. 24, 2012 Plea Deal in Haditha Killings Opens New Wounds in Iraq A military judge on Tuesday recommended 90 days of confinement and reduction in rank for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the remaining Marine charged in a case that shook Iraq and the U.S. -- the gunning down of 24 civilians in Haditha in 2005. However, because of a pre-trial agreement, he will serve no time. Margaret Warner reports.

	Jan. 18, 2012 Are U.S., Iran Headed Toward War? In the salons of foreign policy wonks in Washington and New York, a fast and furious debate is raging over whether the United States or its allies should launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

	Jan. 12, 2012 How Will Marines Video Affect Relations Between U.S., Afghanistan, Taliban? U.S. and Afghan officials denounced a video Thursday that appeared to show American troops urinating on enemy dead in Afghanistan. Judy Woodruff discusses the video's effects on potential peace talks with Andrew Exum of the Center for a New American Security and The Washington Post's David Ignatius.

	Jan. 12, 2012 Taliban: Marines Video Shameful, Inhumane, but Won't Hamper Peace Efforts The U.S. military faced a new firestorm of criticism Thursday after a video appeared on YouTube, purportedly showing four U.S. Marines urinating on three bodies of Taliban fighters. The video triggered condemnations and investigations. Judy Woodruff reports.

	Jan. 11, 2012 What's Next for Gitmo, Detainees and U.S. Handling of Terror Suspects? A decade after the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, began accepting prisoners, the debate continues over how the U.S. treats terror suspects. Jeffrey Brown discusses the ongoing issue of military detention with Vincent Warren of the Center for Constitutional Rights and David Rivkin, an attorney with Baker Hostetler.

	Jan. 11, 2012 Protesters Mark 10th Anniversary of Gitmo Across from the White House on Wednesday, more than 200 protesters -- some wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods -- marked 10 years since the first 20 prisoners arrived at the American prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Jeffrey Brown reports.

	Jan. 5, 2012 Panetta on Pentagon Budget: 'Cutting Almost $500 Billion Is Not Chump Change' In an interview Thursday after his news conference at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Jeffrey Brown that the United States seeks to be a power in the Pacific and that defense budget cuts announced Thursday will be hard on the military and families, but he hopes a smaller, more flexible armed forces will emerge.

	Jan. 5, 2012 Weeks After Iraq Withdrawal, Obama Announces Plans to Shrink U.S. Military While unveiling the Pentagon's latest defense strategy Thursday, President Obama highlighted a new focus on Asia and a scaled-back military. Ray Suarez reports on the strategy shift, announced just weeks after the last American troops left Iraq.

	Jan. 3, 2012 Panetta to Unveil Plan for Military Cuts Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to unveil his plan later this week for cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from the U.S. military budget in coming years. He will address this and other matters related to the Defense Department on the PBS NewsHour on Thursday, Jan. 5.

	Jan. 2, 2012 Health Experts Question Army Report on Psychological Training Mental health experts say a U.S. Army report on training aimed at enhancing soldiers' psychological resilience is flawed.



	2011 DECEMBER Dec. 26, 2011 How the Iraq War Changed a Generation of Veterans After the withdrawal of the last U.S. combat troops, four Iraq war veterans share their experiences and reflect on the personal impact of the nine-year war. Jeffrey Brown leads the conversation.

	Dec. 23, 2011 Army's Mental Resilience Program: Your Questions Answered Viewers submitted many questions about our report on the largest psychological program in the Army's history. Col. Marsha Lilly of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Public Affairs Office and critic Bryant Welch, a psychotherapist, answer some below.

	Dec. 22, 2011 Will Pentagon's Errors Admission in Deadly Pakistani Airstrike Smooth Relations? A Pentagon inquiry released Thursday conceded that some mistakes were made in a November airstrike on two Pakistani outposts near the Afghan border that killed 24 troops. Margaret Warner discusses the Pentagon's expressed regret for the loss of life and strained U.S.-Pakistani ties with The Wall Street Journal's Adam Entous.

	Dec. 16, 2011 5 Resources on Accused WikiLeaks Source Bradley Manning's Trial Months of debate and demonstrations over the flood of classified U.S. government documents that spilled onto the Internet and into the international media have come down to a military court proceeding with an Army private. Here are some resources to help you follow the trial.

	Dec. 14, 2011 Army Program Aims to Build Troops' Mental Resilience to Stress In 2009, the Army launched a program designed to help the country's 1.4 million people in uniform cope after tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. Betty Ann Bowser reports on the goals of the $140 million Comprehensive Soldier Fitness initiative, and the controversy it has created.

	Dec. 14, 2011 As Troops Leave Iraq, What Happens to Military Bases, Equipment? President Obama hailed the end of the war in Iraq on Wednesday, with all U.S. troops due to return home before month's end. Judy Woodruff discusses what will happen to the military equipment and bases left behind with retired Army Lt. Gen. Gus Pagonis and Elizabeth Dwoskin of Bloomberg Businessweek.

	Dec. 14, 2011 Submit Questions About New Army Mental Resilience Program On Wednesday's NewsHour, Betty Ann Bowser profiles the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, which was launched in 2009 with the intent of boosting the mental toughness of every man and woman in uniform.

	Dec. 12, 2011 Obama Marks Troop Withdrawal: U.S. Will Be 'Enduring Partner' for Iraq President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held a final summit Monday before the last American troops withdraw from Iraq. Jeffrey Brown reports on the Dec. 31 deadline that comes after 8 years of war and nearly 4,500 Americans killed.

	Dec. 12, 2011 Obama: Time to 'Turn a New Page' in U.S.-Iraqi Relationship It's been nearly nine years since U.S. soldiers and Marines invaded Iraq. With the last U.S. troops due to leave by year's end, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met with President Obama in Washington Monday to chart a new course for the two nations.

	Dec. 12, 2011 The Army's Newest Drill: Building Mental and Emotional Resilience The program -- the largest of its kind in the Army's history -- was launched in 2009 with the intent of boosting the mental toughness of every man and woman in uniform. Army officials hope to reverse the number of troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and, all too often, suicide.

	Dec. 8, 2011 Report Raises New Concerns About Air Force's Disposal of Remains The Washington Post reported Thursday that incinerated partial remains of 274 troops had been taken from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and disposed of in a landfill in Virginia. Jeffrey Brown discusses the new concerns with The Post's Craig Whitlock, who broke the story.

	Dec. 6, 2011 Possible Compromise on Labeling of Combat-Related PTSD Some Army officers and mental health advocates have been calling for a change in the "PTSD" moniker on the basis that calling it a "disorder" is stigmatizing soldiers and preventing them from getting the help they need.

	Dec. 1, 2011 Proposed Military Custody for Terror Suspects Could Derail Defense Bill As the Senate prepares for a final vote on the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012, battles from the early days of the war on terror threaten to derail a $662 billion defense authorization bill and bring a presidential veto.



	NOVEMBER Nov. 24, 2011 Packing Up After 8 Years in Iraq After a nearly nine-year war, all but a handful of U.S. forces will be leaving Iraq by the end of this year. As they close up shop, we checked in with Major Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, chief spokesman for the United States Forces-Iraq, to get a sense of what life is like there now.

	Nov. 24, 2011 Iraq: Breaking Down a Base In the months leading up to their departure by the end of 2011, U.S. troops were packing up and moving out of bases that will be transferred to Iraqi hands. View a slide show of the troops' final weeks in Iraq.

	Nov. 16, 2011 What Does U.S. Military Deployment Mean for Asia-Pacific? President Obama announced Wednesday that more than 2,000 U.S. troops will head to Australia, but he stopped short of saying the move was meant as a message to China. Ray Suarez explores what the move means for regional politics with Jeffrey Bader of The Brookings Institution and John Higley of the University of Texas at Austin.

	Nov. 16, 2011 With Eye on China, Obama Boosts U.S. Military Presence in Australia President Obama announced Wednesday that more than 2,000 American troops are heading to Australia under a new security agreement, but Chinese leaders expressed some skepticism and displeasure at the move. Ray Suarez reports.

	Nov. 11, 2011 Job-Seeking Vets Confront Stigma of 'Falling Behind' While Deployed More than 12 percent of the roughly 2 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were jobless last month, compared to 9 percent of the total population. As part of his reporting on Making Sen$e of financial news, Paul Solman looks at the problems many service members face in finding a job back home.

	Nov. 11, 2011 Obama Urges U.S. Employers to Hire Veterans President Obama declared that the "tide of war is receding" at a ceremony honoring the nation's veterans on Friday, as the military prepares to leave Iraq and begin winding down combat operations in Afghanistan. Judy Woodruff reports.

	Nov. 11, 2011 France, Britain Remember End to Bloody World War Today in France and on Sunday in Britain -- in Paris and London and in countless rural villages-- presidents and royals, farmers and shopkeepers will gather at memorials and pay tribute to the millions killed in a war that ended nearly a century ago.

	Nov. 11, 2011 Veterans Day Around the Nation We look at coverage of veterans' issues from our public media partners around the country, including higher-than-average unemployment and the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

	Nov. 10, 2011 'Where Soldiers Come From' Tracks Close-Knit Unit In "Where Soldiers Come From," a documentary airing Thursday night on POV, filmmaker Heather Courtney follows a Michigan National Guard over a four-year span that include a deployment to Afghanistan, where they spend their days searching for IEDs.

	Nov. 9, 2011 Air Force Admits 'Gross Mismanagement' of Soldiers' Remains Dover Air Force base in Delaware receives America's war dead in solemn ceremonies, but after a year-long investigation, the Air Force acknowledged "gross mismanagement" of some remains within the base's mortuary. Margret Warner discusses the revelations with The Washington Post's Craig Whitlock.

	Nov. 4, 2011 Army General Calls for Changing Name of PTSD Some members of the Army hope that renaming Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, as an injury will encourage more soldiers to seek help.



	OCTOBER Oct. 27, 2011 A Life Under Fire: Combat Photographer Captures, Carries Wounds of War Combat photographers have been documenting the terror, violence and boredom of war since the invention of photography. Tom Bearden profiles Air Force Sgt. Stacy Pearsall, who has documented the effects of war -- and has paid a heavy price.

	Oct. 27, 2011 Military Photographer: 'The Medic Could Not Get There Fast Enough' Generations of Stacy Pearsall's family have worn uniforms: Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. So it probably wasn't much of surprise when she asked her parents to join the Air Force at age 17. She served as a combat photographer. Here, she describes a firefight where she got the final injury that ended her military career.

	Oct. 21, 2011 McDonough: U.S. Military Brass 'Absolutely' OK With Iraq Withdrawal by 2012 President Obama announced Friday that all but a few dozen American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year as planned, and that the "long war" will come to an end. Margaret Warner discusses the withdrawal logistics and the politics of the president's announcement with Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough.

	Oct. 21, 2011 Obama: Iraq War Over, Troops to Leave by Year's End President Obama announced Friday that American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year as planned, and that the "long war in Iraq" will come to an end.

	Oct. 14, 2011 U.S. Assists with Hunt for Lord's Resistance Army Leader President Obama is sending 100 military advisers to Uganda to help with the search for notorious leader Joseph Kony and other members of the Lord's Resistance Army.

	Oct. 10, 2011 Does U.S. Drone Use Set a New Precedent for War? The U.S. has dramatically increased its use of unmanned aerial vehicles to go after targets in Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and especially Pakistan. Jeffrey Brown discusses the use of drones with former Air Force lawyer retired Maj. Gen. Charles Dunlap and David Cortright of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

	Oct. 10, 2011 Amid Criticism, U.S. Increases Use of Drones as Weapons of War The U.S. use of drones to find and kill militant targets in other countries has increased exponentially under the Obama administration. Jeffrey Brown reports on the criticism of using remote-control bombing attacks as weapons of war.

	Oct. 10, 2011 Controversy Surrounds Increased Use of U.S. Drone Strikes The use of drones to find and kill militant targets in other countries has increased exponentially under the Obama administration. But the accidental deaths of civilians is increasingly turning a once-receptive public against the combat tool.

	Oct. 7, 2011 In Photos: 10 Events of the Afghan War The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, 2001. Soon after, the ruling Taliban regime fell, followed by the formation of a new government and Afghans holding their first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years. We illustrate some of the key developments in Afghanistan during the past 10 years.

	Oct. 7, 2011 10th Anniversary of the Afghan War In the decade since the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, 2001, the Taliban regime fell, Afghans held their first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years, and retaliatory attacks against U.S. and allied forces intensified.