Threats

Dempsey Says Iraq Can’t Beat ISIL, Won’t Rule Out More U.S. Troops

Don’t call it ‘mission creep’ in Iraq, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dempsey says, call it ‘mission match.’ By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Obama Sends Another 300 U.S. Troops to Iraq

Increasingly worried about the unraveling security situation in Iraq, President Obama puts more boots on the ground. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

A Political Solution to Iraq Crisis Won’t Come Easy

Secretary of State John Kerry is urging Iraq to create a new government – but that’s going to take time as ISIL fighters continue to advance. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Obama Outlines Limited Military Help for Iraq

President Obama is sending more U.S. troops to Iraq to fight back ISIL – but that’s just a Band-Aid to the country’s larger problems. By Molly O’Toole and Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Iraqi Forces Can Hold Baghdad, Pentagon Says

With ISIS members inching towards Baghdad, Pentagon officials say they believe the Iraqi forces can hold the nation’s capital. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Obama to Iraq: ‘We Can’t Do This for You’

President Obama says any decision to intervene will depend on whether Iraq can take control ‘without resorting to war or relying on the United States military.’ By Stephanie Gaskell and Molly O’Toole

Threats

Gen. Allen: Obama Should Strike Iraq Insurgents With ‘A Hard Blow’

In an exclusive interview, Gen. John Allen, a former top U.S. military commander in Iraq, urges President Obama to strike ISIS with ‘a hard blow.’ By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Pentagon Officials Cautious on Iraq, Point to Maliki

At the Pentagon where so many spent years fighting in Iraq, the sense is that this is Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki’s mess to clean up. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Where Will CENTCOM’s Post-War Funding Come From?

U.S. Central Command won’t be able to rely on the Pentagon’s war budget anymore to pay for counterterrorism operations around the world, a new report warns. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Taliban Tells Bergdahl ‘Don’t Come Back to Afghanistan’

The Taliban released a dramatic video Wednesday showing Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl being handed over to U.S. special forces. By Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

Why No One Is Calling Sgt. Bergdahl a Hero

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl spent 5 years being held captive by the Taliban. Now he’s heading home and it’s clear he won’t be getting a hero’s welcome. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

Shinseki Resigns

With mounting calls for his resignation and a growing scandal over wait lists at veterans hospitals, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki steps down. By Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

Obama’s Foreign Policy Balancing Act

In the post-war era, the U.S. will have to strike a delicate balance between interventionism and isolationism, President Obama said in a major foreign policy speech Wednesday. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Obama Wants All U.S. Troops Out of Afghanistan by 2017

President Obama wants to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan next year, then shrink to a ‘normal embassy presence’ by 2017. By Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

Fixing the VA Is (Finally) Obama’s Problem

By shielding VA Secretary Shinseki, President Obama just took ownership of the problem. Now he has to prove that his administration can finally fix it. By Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

Why Is Shinseki Refusing More Authority To Fire VA Employees?

Under pressure to clean house, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki says a House bill that gives him more power to fire bad employees goes too far. By Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

Shinseki Won’t Resign, Vows To Stop VA’s ‘Secret Wait Lists’

Embattled VA Secretary Eric Shinseki squared off with senators and reporters Thursday. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

Shinseki Under Fire Over Claims VA Kept Secret Waiting List

Criticism is mounting over recent allegations that several Veterans Affairs clinics hid their real waiting lists to hide the backlog of vets awaiting care. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Hagel Wants Finance Ministers To Attend NATO Meeting on Defense Spending

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has a new idea to get NATO to spend more on defense. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

Pentagon Says Reporting Is Up, But Sexual Assaults Are Not

Pentagon officials say even though there’s been a 50 percent increase in reports of sexual assaults in the ranks, there’s no correlating increase in the crime. By Stephanie Gaskell