A couple of weeks ago, Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. military forces in the Middle East and South Asia, demurred on an attempt by David Gregory to compel him on ‘Meet The Press’ to offer a personal view on whether the military’s ban on open gay service ought More…
Whatever’s happening with the Baradar capture, President Obama convenes his national security team today for what I think is the first all-hands meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan since the December West Point speech. The (very long) guest list:
Speaking of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he just published a blog post reiterating and expanding upon his commitment to repeal the ban on open homosexual military service in a deliberate manner:
“I also believe the great young men and women of our military can and
Adm. Mike Mullen is now joined by the influential former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” General Powell said in a statement issued by his office. He added: “I
The Pentagon’s top civilian and military leadership made an unequivocal and at times emotional appeal Tuesday to end the decades-long ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, and spelled out a year-long process for securing uniformed and congressional support to change the policy.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates More…
Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is perhaps the barometric view here. Mullen said the heads of the military services did not yet have firm military advice for the president. But then, in a hearing just getting underway in the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mullen More…
The only one on the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning who says the defense budget should be on the table for President Obama’s spending freeze is a former Navy secretary — Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). Saying that there’s no reason military spending should be “sacrosanct,” Webb urged Defense More…
Marc Ambinder has a preview of what Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will tell the Senate Armed Services Committee today about the administration’s plans to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Robert Gates repeated at his Pentagon press conference that he wants to give troops at war at least two years’ time at home for every year deployed. But there’s a new surge going on in Afghanistan, and accordingly, the plan takes a back seat to that. So when More…
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have just begun their Pentagon budget and QDR press briefings. Here’s what they’re asking Congress to approve for the next year: $548.9 billion for the so-called base budget next year, excluding the cost of More…
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