Archive for the 'War' Category
Siri, Have Those People Killed
October 28th, 2013Via: GQ: In 2011, Air Force psychologists completed a mental-health survey of 600 combat drone operators. Forty-two percent of drone crews reported moderate to high stress, and 20 percent reported emotional exhaustion or burnout. The study’s authors attributed their dire results, in part, to “existential conflict.” A later study found that drone operators suffered from […]
Mexico Towns Lose Power in Suspected Cartel Sabotage
October 28th, 2013Via: AFP: Unidentified assailants armed with guns and Molotov cocktails attacked power stations in a violence-torn western Mexican state Sunday, leaving 11 towns without electricity in a suspected drug cartel attack. The interior ministry said in a statement that national power company equipment, six gas stations and a convenience store were targeted in 11 towns […]
Black Box in Your Car to Tax and Track You
October 28th, 2013In other news, Iraq, Afghan wars will cost to $4 trillion to $6 trillion: The U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will cost taxpayers $4 trillion to $6 trillion, taking into account the medical care of wounded veterans and expensive repairs to a force depleted by more than a decade of fighting, according to a […]
Afghanistan: U.S. Bought Diesel Fuel for $500 Per Gallon
October 24th, 2013Via: CNN: That was the exorbitant figure paid with U.S. tax dollars to a contractor building a hospital in rural Afghanistan, according to a report from the government watchdog tasked with investigating expenditures on Afghanistan’s reconstruction. In the report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the International Organization for Migration was found […]
Rights Groups Say Some U.S. Drone Strikes May Be War Crimes
October 23rd, 2013Via: Wired: Two prominent human rights groups today blasted America’s drone wars in Pakistan and Yemen, painting a grim picture of massive civilian deaths and potentially grave violations of international law. One report by Amnesty International (“Will I Be Next?“) focuses on recent drone strikes in Pakistan while the other, by Human Rights Watch (“Between […]
Nuclear Officers Napped With Blast Door Left Open
October 23rd, 2013Via: AP: Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to long-range nuclear missiles have been caught twice this year leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post, Air Force officials said. The blast doors are never to be left open […]
The Navy’s Newest Warship Is Powered by Linux
October 18th, 2013Via: Ars Technica: The USS Zumwalt will be a floating data center—armed with missiles and robot guns. When the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) puts to sea later this year, it will be different from any other ship in the Navy’s fleet in many ways. The $3.5 billon ship is designed for stealth, survivability, and firepower, […]
Next Homeland Security Chief Held Pentagon Post
October 18th, 2013Via: USA Today: President Obama plans to nominate former Pentagon attorney Jeh Johnson as the next secretary of Homeland Security, a White House official said Thursday. Johnson, general counsel for the Defense Department during Obama’s first term, will be introduced by the president at a ceremony on Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, Johnson would […]
France to Increase Troops in Central African Republic
October 15th, 2013Via: Reuters: France will boost its troop presence in the Central African Republic by the end of the year under a forthcoming U.N. resolution to help prevent the country from spiralling out of control, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday. Fabius and the European Union aid chief, Kristalina Georgieva, are in the country to […]
Fort Benning: Companies Demo Armed Robots for Ground Combat
October 15th, 2013You know why they chained the weapon to posts in the ground, right? *chortle* See: ED209 Malfunction Via: Computerworld: A weaponized robot acting as a member of a squad of U.S. soldiers fighting on the battlefield is no longer science fiction. They may not be two-legged, humanoid robots yet, but with wheels or tracks they […]
