http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/tag/afghanistan afghanistan news from TucsonSentinel.com - Tucson's independent nonprofit online news en Copyright 2013 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050313_afghan_security/govt-auditor-challenges-white-house-account-afghan-security/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050313_afghan_security/govt-auditor-challenges-white-house-account-afghan-security/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Since the United States first sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001, a signature goal of the war has been to increase the capability of Afghan national security forces. But estimates of the size of the Afghan force trained to take over this lead security role have suddenly grown fuzzy and possibly unreliable. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/fallen/our-fallen-tucsonans-killed-iraq-and-afghanistan-wars/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/fallen/our-fallen-tucsonans-killed-iraq-and-afghanistan-wars/#When: 15:42:000 Dylan Smith Updated: After nearly a decade of war, dozens from Tucson and Southern Arizona have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2013-04-30T15:42:57-07:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/043013_mccaskill_obit/d-m-pays-tribute-pararescueman-killed-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/043013_mccaskill_obit/d-m-pays-tribute-pararescueman-killed-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Over the weekend, the 943rd Rescue Group memorialized the life of a fallen pararescueman who was killed in Afghanistan on April 6 while working as a civilian security contractor. The memorial Saturday included family and friends of Chief Master Sgt. Nicholas L. McCaskill, 306th Rescue Squadron PJ. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/042913_handover_afghanistan/us-troops-afghanistan-packing-up-and-moving-out/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/042913_handover_afghanistan/us-troops-afghanistan-packing-up-and-moving-out/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Preparation to hand over U.S. bases to Afghan forces is a huge undertaking for US troops. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/042613_dla_billing/pentagon-claims-757-million-overbilling-by-contractor-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/042613_dla_billing/pentagon-claims-757-million-overbilling-by-contractor-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Pentagon allowed a private firm providing food and water to U.S. troops in Afghanistan to overbill taxpayers $757 million and awarded the company no-bid contract extensions worth more than $4 billion over three years, according to the Pentagon’s chief internal watchdog and congressional investigators. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/031213_staying_afghanistan/afghanistan-should-we-stay-or-should-we-go/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/031213_staying_afghanistan/afghanistan-should-we-stay-or-should-we-go/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Analysis: As Karzai insinuates Washington-Taliban collusion, fault lines deepen in an already troubled relationship. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/022813_hagel_op/hagel-sworn-in-now-hard-part-begins/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/022813_hagel_op/hagel-sworn-in-now-hard-part-begins/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Analysis: Chuck Hagel is now secretary of defense, but with a world of trouble awaiting him, he may wonder whether he really wants the job. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020613_drone_strikes/drone-strikes-test-legal-grounds-war-terror/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020613_drone_strikes/drone-strikes-test-legal-grounds-war-terror/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Obama administration has justified its counter-terror strategy on a law Congress passed just days after 9/11. But more than a decade later, does it fit the facts on the ground? 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012113_veterans_caucus/az-legislators-muster-veterans-caucus/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/012113_veterans_caucus/az-legislators-muster-veterans-caucus/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The group includes five Democrats and two Republicans, most of whom have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Members say they are working on bipartisan legislation that will benefit Arizona veterans. One early result is a bill boosting incentives for hiring disabled veterans. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/011613_explosives_disposal_unit/guard-unit-specializing-explosives-disposal-heading-overseas/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/011613_explosives_disposal_unit/guard-unit-specializing-explosives-disposal-heading-overseas/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Arizona Army National Guard’s 363rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company will spend 30 days at Fort Bliss in Texas for the final preparations before heading overseas. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/011213_everything_drones/everything-we-know-so-far-drone-strikes/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/011213_everything_drones/everything-we-know-so-far-drone-strikes/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The U.S. is conducting drone strikes in in at least three countries beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. Here’s a reading guide to understanding the U.S.’ shadow wars. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/122712_missing_afghan_gas/missing-200m-gas-receipts-nato-aid-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/122712_missing_afghan_gas/missing-200m-gas-receipts-nato-aid-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The U.S. government is unable to “account for $201 million” worth of fuel purchases for the Afghan Army, according to a special report by a government watchdog on Dec. 20. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/121712_gun_sales_surge/gun-sales-surge-america/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/121712_gun_sales_surge/gun-sales-surge-america/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Americans tried to buy 2 million guns in November this year, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/120612_ex_taliban/afghanistan-ex-taliban-its-peace-or-death/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/120612_ex_taliban/afghanistan-ex-taliban-its-peace-or-death/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Former members of the Taliban are desperate for peace. Their lives may depend on it. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/112612_taliban_afghanistan/afghanistan-taliban-take-another-province/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/112612_taliban_afghanistan/afghanistan-taliban-take-another-province/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Logar, a strategic province that neighbors Kabul and is home to an all-important copper mine, is increasingly under Taliban control as NATO sources begin to withdraw. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111412_general_correspondence/general-correspondence/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111412_general_correspondence/general-correspondence/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The penis mightier than the sword. If you’ll pardon the pun. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/111312_missing_war_records/missing-war-records-complicate-vets-benefit-claims/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/111312_missing_war_records/missing-war-records-complicate-vets-benefit-claims/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith A failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War has complicated efforts by soldiers to claim benefits and makes it harder for military strategists to learn the lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/111312_a_son_lost/a-son-lost-iraq-but-where-casualty-report/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/111312_a_son_lost/a-son-lost-iraq-but-where-casualty-report/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The day after Jim Butler learned his son had died in Iraq in 2003, a U.S. Army casualty officer showed up at the family’s small ranch to explain what happened. Your son was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in the city of As Samawah, the officer said. But he had no other details to offer. For the grieving father, it wasn’t enough. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111112_veterans_day/a-moment-silence-veterans-day/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111112_veterans_day/a-moment-silence-veterans-day/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith TucsonSentinel.com will observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 in recognition of the sacrifices of those who have served the United States and our allies, their families, and those who paid the ultimate price in war. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/110112_solar_soldiers/americas-solar-soldiers/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/110112_solar_soldiers/americas-solar-soldiers/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith They’re some of the country’s most important environmental activists, poised to change the way we create, consume and conceive of energy. But you won’t find this cadre of green preachers on a college campus, or emceeing the Sierra Club’s annual meeting; they’re behind the guarded walls of the Pentagon. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/103012_va_claims_backlog/thousands-az-veterans-face-backlog-va-disability-claims/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/103012_va_claims_backlog/thousands-az-veterans-face-backlog-va-disability-claims/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Veterans Affairs’ Phoenix Regional Office has a backlog of more than 17,000 disability compensation claims that have been pending for longer than 125 days. Claims have risen in the county by 50 percent since 2008, and many regional offices are having trouble keeping up with the volume of new cases. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/102312_homestretch_fact-stretchers/facts-stretched-election-homestretch/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/102312_homestretch_fact-stretchers/facts-stretched-election-homestretch/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith In the homestretch to Election Day, both sides stretch the facts in their TV spots. President Obama greatly exaggerates his differences with Mitt Romney over troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan, while Romney repeats a false claim that the president plans a $4,000 tax increase on “the middle class.” 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/101612_romney_defense/will-romney-increase-defense-spending-by-2-trillion/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/101612_romney_defense/will-romney-increase-defense-spending-by-2-trillion/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Paul Ryan insisted in the Oct. 11 debate that Mitt Romney will not increase defense spending. Joe Biden interrupted Ryan twice to say Romney will increase it by $2 trillion. Who’s right? The answer depends on another question: compared with what? 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/101512_debate_foreign_policy/debate-preview-who-can-toughest-global-challenges/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/101512_debate_foreign_policy/debate-preview-who-can-toughest-global-challenges/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Presidential candidates compete in debates to show how muscular they are on foreign policy, even when clear solutions are often not available. Closely-fought presidential campaigns can confound expectations by constricting—rather than broadening—public debate about significant issues. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/101412_savard_afghanistan/sierra-vista-soldier-killed-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/101412_savard_afghanistan/sierra-vista-soldier-killed-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard of Sierra Vista was killed Saturday while on patrol in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Sunday. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/101212_vp_debate/factcheck-veep-debate-violations/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/101212_vp_debate/factcheck-veep-debate-violations/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Biden-Ryan debate was marked by some spirited claims that didn’t always match the facts. The participants in the vice-presidential debate roughed up the facts in their one and only meeting. (with full video) 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/092812_sparks_afghan_obit/tucson-soldier-killed-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/092812_sparks_afghan_obit/tucson-soldier-killed-afghanistan/#When: 15:18:000 Dylan Smith Updated: A Tucson soldier, Army Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday. 2012-09-28T15:18:00-07:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/092512_mccain_obama/mccain-obamas-middle-east-failures-not-bumps-road/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/092512_mccain_obama/mccain-obamas-middle-east-failures-not-bumps-road/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith President Obama recently said the broader Middle East has been experiencing some ‘bumps in the road.’ If the President had taken some time to hold even one meeting with his foreign colleagues during his visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York today, perhaps they would have told him what has really happened in the Middle East on his watch. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/091712_jcscottshow_mon/jc-scott-goddard-how-fix-broken-border/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/091712_jcscottshow_mon/jc-scott-goddard-how-fix-broken-border/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Terry Goddard, former Attorney General, on his prescription for securing the border, plus Fred Taylor of the Southwest Prostate Cancer Foundation, and GOP congressional candidate Martha McSally. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/091612_military_recruiting/in-weak-economy-more-college-grads-enlisting-military/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/091612_military_recruiting/in-weak-economy-more-college-grads-enlisting-military/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith In a weakened economy, more college graduates are signing up as enlisted personnel. Although college degrees are normally associated with officers, nearly 6,000 recruits with bachelor’s degrees enlisted in the Army last year, a 57 percent increase from 2008. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/091112_jcscottshow/jc-scott-remembering-9-11/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/091112_jcscottshow/jc-scott-remembering-9-11/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Janna Gee, choir director for Corpus Christi Catholic Church, and 9/11 survivor Jim Campbell, plus Middle East expert Prof. Stephen Zunes. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/091112_afghan_fuel/pentagon-loses-afghan-fuel-records/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/091112_afghan_fuel/pentagon-loses-afghan-fuel-records/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith What happened to almost $475 million worth of oil destined for the Afghan National Army? That’s what the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) would like to know. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/083112_clintandleonid/clint-and-leonid/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/083112_clintandleonid/clint-and-leonid/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith In which President Barack Obama hosts a conference call with Clint Eastwood, George W. Bush and Leonid Brezhnev. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/080912_jcscottshow/jc-scott-jeff-flake-olivia-cajero-bedford/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/080912_jcscottshow/jc-scott-jeff-flake-olivia-cajero-bedford/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Interviews with state Sen. Olivia Cajero Bedford, the Democratic incumbent candidate in LD3, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican running for U.S. Senate. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/sports/report/080512_400_meters_winner/for-first-time-since-1980-no-american-winner-olympic-400/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/sports/report/080512_400_meters_winner/for-first-time-since-1980-no-american-winner-olympic-400/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith For the first time since the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, there will not be an American winner of the men’s 400 meters. In fact, there will be no U.S. medalists, something that has not happened – Moscow aside – since the 1920 Games in Antwerp. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/073112_the_seat_fillers/olympic-seat-fillers/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/073112_the_seat_fillers/olympic-seat-fillers/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith It’s the age-old problem for an Olympic organizer: how to fill the seats for events few people are interested in. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/073012_army_tank/the-army-tank-that-could-not-stopped/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/073012_army_tank/the-army-tank-that-could-not-stopped/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Corporate cash and adroit lobbying have helped crush the Army’s effort to stop work on its premier tank, the M1 Abrams. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/072612_scottsdale_soldier/scottsdale-soldier-killed-roadside-bombing-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/072612_scottsdale_soldier/scottsdale-soldier-killed-roadside-bombing-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Richard L. Berry was the 44th Arizonan service member to die in Afghanistan and the sixth this year. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/071812_soldier_killed/soldier-from-lake-havasu-city-dies-after-firefight-eastern-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/071812_soldier_killed/soldier-from-lake-havasu-city-dies-after-firefight-eastern-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith A Lake Havasu City soldier died in Afghanistan Saturday from wounds he suffered in an attack while on patrol in the eastern province of Khost, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/070212_military_pay/congress-cant-say-no-military-pay-raises/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/070212_military_pay/congress-cant-say-no-military-pay-raises/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith While civilian salary increases have slowed to a crawl in the last five years, a new Pentagon report shows rapidly-growing military payrolls have proved immune to the economic pain felt in the private sector. In many cases, soldiering now pays much better than civilian work. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/061912_obama_drones_numbers/white-houses-drone-death-figures-dont-add-up/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/061912_obama_drones_numbers/white-houses-drone-death-figures-dont-add-up/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith ProPublica collected claims by the Obama administration about deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan and compared each one not to local reports but rather to other administration claims. The numbers sometimes do not add up. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/061312_drone_poll/poll-most-non-americans-oppose-us-drone-attacks/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/061312_drone_poll/poll-most-non-americans-oppose-us-drone-attacks/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith America’s use of unmanned drones to kill terror suspects is widely opposed around the world, according to a survey. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/061112_war_mistakes/us-military-admits-major-war-mistakes/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/061112_war_mistakes/us-military-admits-major-war-mistakes/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Some of the military’s most senior officers, in a little-noticed report this spring, rendered a harsh account of their work that highlights repeated missteps and failures over the past decade, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/060512_obama_drones/dissecting-obamas-standard-drone-strike-deaths/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/060512_obama_drones/dissecting-obamas-standard-drone-strike-deaths/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Human rights groups and others have expressed outrage at the method reportedly used by the Obama administration for counting civilian deaths from drone strikes. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/053112_drones/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-drones/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/053112_drones/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-drones/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Drones’ surveillance power is being hyped for everything from fighting crime to monitoring hurricanes or spawning salmon. Meanwhile, concerns are cropping up about privacy, ethics and safety. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/052912_heading_for_exits/heading-exits/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/052912_heading_for_exits/heading-exits/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The last U.S. and NATO troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. With very little to show for their efforts ... 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052812_tomb_of_unknown/obama-lays-wreath-tomb-unknown-soldier/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052812_tomb_of_unknown/obama-lays-wreath-tomb-unknown-soldier/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery was visited by President Obama Monday morning, where he praised the sacrifices of American soldiers. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/052812_memorial_day_op/honoring-our-heroes/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/052812_memorial_day_op/honoring-our-heroes/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith We pause to reflect on the service of the brave men and women who left their homes and their families since the founding of this great nation to protect their country and advance the pursuit of security and prosperity the world over. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052712_military_deadliest_places/the-five-deadliest-places-us-military/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052712_military_deadliest_places/the-five-deadliest-places-us-military/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith As America commemorates Memorial Day, approximately 4,500 U.S. service members have died in Iraq and more than 1,840 in Afghanistan— five provinces in those countries saw the highest casualties. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052412_female_soldier_suit/women-soldiers-sue-lift-combat-ban/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052412_female_soldier_suit/women-soldiers-sue-lift-combat-ban/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Two female are suing the U.S. government in an attempt to lift the country’s ban on women in combat. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052012_afghanistan/nato-withdrawal-brings-fears-civil-war-aghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/052012_afghanistan/nato-withdrawal-brings-fears-civil-war-aghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith NATO states now meeting in Chicago are reaffirming the departure of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. But many Afghans have little faith in their own security forces. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/051612_f-22_restrictions/pentagon-limits-f-22-fighter-jet-flights-amid-safety-worries/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/051612_f-22_restrictions/pentagon-limits-f-22-fighter-jet-flights-amid-safety-worries/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the Air Force on Tuesday to investigate safety problems with the F-22 fighter jet and restrict missions to regions where pilots can quickly land if they experience oxygen problems. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/051612_army_women_combat/army-opens-combat-related-roles-women/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/051612_army_women_combat/army-opens-combat-related-roles-women/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Female soldiers serving in the U.S. Army will now be able to take up new positions in traditionally all-male units, as the Army formally opens combat-related roles to women. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/050712_military_compensation/time-control-runaway-military-personnel-costs/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/050712_military_compensation/time-control-runaway-military-personnel-costs/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Military personnel costs have nearly doubled since fiscal year 2001. If these costs are allowed to continue rising at their current rate, they will eat through the entire defense budget by FY 2039. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050312_afghan_corruption/corruption-still-threatens-us-efforts-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050312_afghan_corruption/corruption-still-threatens-us-efforts-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith As U.S. heads for the door in Afghanistan, deep corruption persists in the country, and can easily undermine the success of U.S. development efforts there. A report expressed concern about continuing thefts of fuel and cash, the shortcomings of local security forces, bribery of local and U.S. officials, and contractors that fail to deliver. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050112_obama_afghanistan/obama-makes-surprise-visit-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050112_obama_afghanistan/obama-makes-surprise-visit-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, on the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/041112_americasmostwanted/americas-most-wanted/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/041112_americasmostwanted/americas-most-wanted/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The FBI has finally filled Osama bin Laden’s spot on its 10 Most Wanted list. The good news is, the new guy probably won’t cost you $1.3 trillion. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040412_f35_simulator/f-35-takes-skies-but-still-ground/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040412_f35_simulator/f-35-takes-skies-but-still-ground/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Sargent Aeropace & Defense, a Marana government contractor, showed off a low-level F-35 flight simulator on Monday morning to about 50 employees and guests. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040412_buckmaster/buckmaster-flake-defends-stand-against-earmarks/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040412_buckmaster/buckmaster-flake-defends-stand-against-earmarks/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Today on Buckmaster — Rep. Jeff Flake, Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Megan Jasper about a benefit for the Boys & Girls Clubs, Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. John Wickham, and Mike Feder with an opening-night preveiw for the Tucson Padres. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040312_dupnik_border_gear/dupnik-bring-surplus-military-gear-border/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/040312_dupnik_border_gear/dupnik-bring-surplus-military-gear-border/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik says military equipment left over from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could help bolster security in Arizona. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/033112_vets_home_parade/tucson-welcomes-home-veterans-with-parade/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/033112_vets_home_parade/tucson-welcomes-home-veterans-with-parade/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Hundreds of Tucsonans lined sidewalks downtown Saturday for the Tucson Welcomes Home Veterans Parade to show appreciation to military members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. (with video) 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/033112_pcc_fallen_names/names-6800-fallen-troops-read-13-hour-ceremony/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/033112_pcc_fallen_names/names-6800-fallen-troops-read-13-hour-ceremony/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The names of the dead were read Friday in Tucson. For more than 13 hours, volunteers at Pima Community College read the names of U.S. service members who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032712_afghanistan_poll/poll-69-americans-want-us-out-afghanistan/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032712_afghanistan_poll/poll-69-americans-want-us-out-afghanistan/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith More than two-thirds of Americans want U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, the latest poll finds. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/032612_pcc_fallen_soldiers/pima-college-parade-honor-fallen-troops-veterans/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/032612_pcc_fallen_soldiers/pima-college-parade-honor-fallen-troops-veterans/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Two events this weekend will honor America’s active duty military, veterans and those who died serving the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032612_bomber_program/will-55-billion-bomber-program-fly/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032612_bomber_program/will-55-billion-bomber-program-fly/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Air Force accelerates work on a new multi-billion dollar strategic bomber despite the critics. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032412_kandahar_shootings/kandahar-shootings-what-really-happened/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032412_kandahar_shootings/kandahar-shootings-what-really-happened/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Little is known for certain about what happened on March 11, when Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly massacred 16 Afghan civilians. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032312_bales_charges/soldier-accused-afghan-killings-faces-17-murder-charges/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032312_bales_charges/soldier-accused-afghan-killings-faces-17-murder-charges/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The U.S. soldier accused of killing civilians on a shooting rampage in two villages in Afghanistan will be charged with 17 counts of murder. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032012_afghan_bales_anam/soldier-accused-afghan-killings-likely-had-unreliable-brain-test/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/032012_afghan_bales_anam/soldier-accused-afghan-killings-likely-had-unreliable-brain-test/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith An unreliable test used to detect traumatic brain injuries in soldiers may have failed on a 38-year-old staff sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/031712_afghan_bales_analysis/the-lessons-staff-sgt-robert-bales/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/031712_afghan_bales_analysis/the-lessons-staff-sgt-robert-bales/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Staff Sgt Robert Bales’ odyssey began just over 10 years ago when he joined the military in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031412_afghanistan_panetta/man-crashes-car-afghanistan-airfield-as-panetta-arrives/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031412_afghanistan_panetta/man-crashes-car-afghanistan-airfield-as-panetta-arrives/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith A man crashed a stolen vehicle on the runway of an Afghanistan air base as Secretary of Defense Leon Panett’s plane arrived Wednesday, days after the killings of 16 civilians blamed on an American soldier. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031212_us_military_poll/poll-fewer-americans-believe-us-has-mightiest-military/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031212_us_military_poll/poll-fewer-americans-believe-us-has-mightiest-military/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Reversing the trend of the last decade, fewer Americans now believe the United States to be the world’s pre-eminent military power than at any time since 1999, according to a new survey. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031212_syria_intervene/syria-intervene-or-not-intervene/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031212_syria_intervene/syria-intervene-or-not-intervene/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith As the Syrian revolt approaches the 12-month mark, divisions between Syrians over whether or not to support foreign military intervention to curtail government attacks on civilians and rebels are becoming more pronounced. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031212_taliban_afghan_shootings/taliban-vows-revenge-deaths-16-afghan-civilians/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031212_taliban_afghan_shootings/taliban-vows-revenge-deaths-16-afghan-civilians/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Taliban has vowed revenge against the United States after an American soldier allegedly went on a house-to-house shooting rampage in Kandahar province, killing 16 Afghan civilians. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/031112_behaviorchange/coming-home/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/031112_behaviorchange/coming-home/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith It’s not what you know, it’s what you can convince other people you know. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031112_afghanistan_shootings/us-soldier-accused-killing-16-aghan-civilians/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031112_afghanistan_shootings/us-soldier-accused-killing-16-aghan-civilians/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith An American soldier walked into a village near his base in southern Afghanistan, and shot and killed at least 16 civilians early Sunday morning. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/030812_mccain/mccain-reminds-us-why-we-voted-obama/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/030812_mccain/mccain-reminds-us-why-we-voted-obama/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith On Syria, John McCain reveals why he would have been a terrible president. In a McCain presidency we might have had upward of two million tired and over-rotated U.S. troops now engaged in shooting wars in the Middle East. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/030712_vets_ptsd_drugs/vets-with-ptsd-more-likely-get-addictive-painkillers/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/030712_vets_ptsd_drugs/vets-with-ptsd-more-likely-get-addictive-painkillers/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Recently returned war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are twice as likely to be prescribed addictive painkillers. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/030612_veterans_poverty_op/veteran-poverty-by-numbers/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/030612_veterans_poverty_op/veteran-poverty-by-numbers/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Our veterans have a lot at stake this year in the debates over the deficit and budget cuts. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/030312_az_military_bills/lawmakers-aim-help-military-members-veterans/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/030312_az_military_bills/lawmakers-aim-help-military-members-veterans/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Lawmakers are weighing bills that would support student veterans, require government offices to fly a special flag when Arizonans are killed in action, and note on driver’s licenses whether a person is a veteran. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021812_az_clergy_vets/national-guard-clergy-team-help-stop-suicides/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021812_az_clergy_vets/national-guard-clergy-team-help-stop-suicides/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith The Arizona National Guard is teaming with clergy and church members to help identify service members and veterans at risk for suicide and build relationships that help connect them with services. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021512_az_kyl_medicare/kyl-urges-doctors-fight-medicare-cuts/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021512_az_kyl_medicare/kyl-urges-doctors-fight-medicare-cuts/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., urged doctors at an American Medical Association conference Tuesday to take their fight against looming cuts in physicians’ Medicare reimbursements to their elected officials in Congress. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/021012_military_suicides/military-suicides-high-even-as-wars-wind-down/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/021012_military_suicides/military-suicides-high-even-as-wars-wind-down/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Even as the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, the U.S. military remains embroiled in what seems to be a losing battle: the fight against the growing number of suicides by active duty troops, and Iraq or Afghanistan veterans. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020812_national_security_poll/poll-most-americans-support-obamas-security-policies/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020812_national_security_poll/poll-most-americans-support-obamas-security-policies/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith A new poll finds overwhelming approval for President Obama’s national security policies among Americans. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020712_manning_nobel/bradley-manning-nominated-nobel-peace-prize/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020712_manning_nobel/bradley-manning-nominated-nobel-peace-prize/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private accused of leaking information to WikiLeaks, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the group The Movement of the Icelandic Parliament. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020112_afghanistan_panetta/panetta-troops-end-combat-role-afghanistan-2013/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020112_afghanistan_panetta/panetta-troops-end-combat-role-afghanistan-2013/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that U.S. troops in Afghanistan would step out of combat into an “advise-and-assist” role in Afghanistan as early as mid-2013. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020112_dover_whistleblowers/4-punished-blowing-whistle-dover-afb-body-handling/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/020112_dover_whistleblowers/4-punished-blowing-whistle-dover-afb-body-handling/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Four civilian employees at the Port Mortuary at Delaware’s Dover Air Force Base were illegally punished after blowing the whistle on the mortuary’s mishandling of dead troops’ remains, the Office of Special Counsel said in a report sent to Air Force officials on Monday 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/013012_soldierbraininjury/specialized-rehab-rare-brain-injured-soldiers/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/013012_soldierbraininjury/specialized-rehab-rare-brain-injured-soldiers/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Although 230,000 soldiers have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, only 20 at a time get advanced personalized rehabilitation at a new state-of-the-art treatment center — and they must stay in the military to do so. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/012612_army_cuts/army-chief-ok-with-brigade-cuts/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/012612_army_cuts/army-chief-ok-with-brigade-cuts/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said he is comfortable with the downsizing of his force, after the Pentagon announced it would be cutting the Army brigade. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/011212_marines_taliban_urinating/marines-accused-urinating-taliban-dead/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/011212_marines_taliban_urinating/marines-accused-urinating-taliban-dead/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned a video that appears to show United States Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters. The unverified 39-second video, posted online Wednesday, claims to show combat-ready soldiers desecrating the remains of several bodies on the ground. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/011012_army_radios/armys-quest-perfect-radio-failing-troops/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/011012_army_radios/armys-quest-perfect-radio-failing-troops/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Overly ambitious, poorly managed and saddled by incompatible goals, a program to create a single field radio that included testing on Fort Huachuca burned through $6 billion dollars while producing little working hardware. Another $11 billion was spent on old radios for the wars. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/010512_brain_injuries/new-technologies-works-better-diagnose-brain-injuries/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/010512_brain_injuries/new-technologies-works-better-diagnose-brain-injuries/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Traumatic brain injuries have been called the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, affecting more than 155,000 men and women in uniform. But these traumas don’t always have outward signs, making them difficult to diagnose. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/121411_az_vets_homeless/az-joins-effort-aid-homeless-vets/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/121411_az_vets_homeless/az-joins-effort-aid-homeless-vets/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith More than 2,200 veterans are homeless in Arizona on any given night, making up one of every five people on the street. Now state and private organizations are joining a national effort to make help available. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/120211_house_brain_injuries/congressman-slams-militarys-brain-testing-program/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/120211_house_brain_injuries/congressman-slams-militarys-brain-testing-program/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., took to the House floor on Thursday to denounce flaws in the military’s cognitive testing program and garner support to fix it following a ProPublica and NPR story on the issue earlier this week. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/120211_military_dogs_ptsd/military-dogs-suffer-ptsd/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/120211_military_dogs_ptsd/military-dogs-suffer-ptsd/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Soldiers returning from battle are not alone in their difficult readjustment to civilian life: their brave canine counterparts are also struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/112811_brain_injuries_testing/testing-fails-soldiers-leaves-brain-injuries-undetected/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/112811_brain_injuries_testing/testing-fails-soldiers-leaves-brain-injuries-undetected/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith A measure requiring the military to test soldiers’ brain function before they deployed and again when they returned has failed to deliver, offering injured soldiers the appearance of help, but not the reality. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/112111_tx_mayors_border/mayors-disagree-war-zone-equipment-border/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/112111_tx_mayors_border/mayors-disagree-war-zone-equipment-border/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Mayors of cities along the Texas-Mexico border intent on protecting the images of their communities are drawing vastly different conclusions about a proposal that would bring in equipment from overseas war zones to bolster border security efforts. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/111811_border_defense_technology/lawmakers-want-defense-technology-border/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/111811_border_defense_technology/lawmakers-want-defense-technology-border/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith With American troops leaving Iraq and an eventual withdrawal from Afghanistan expected, advocates for military technology on the border said it is an attractive option because it could save taxpayer money, could complement the U.S. Border Patrol’s human resources and has proven successful before. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/111111_carmona_dover/carmona-steps-down-from-dover-mortuary-review/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/111111_carmona_dover/carmona-steps-down-from-dover-mortuary-review/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith Richard Carmona has resigned from a panel examining whether the remains of troops were mishandled at the military’s Dover, Del., mortuary, just two days after the Pentagon announced he would head the investigation. Carmona announced his Senate candidacy Thursday. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111111_vets_numbers/honoring-our-veterans-by-numbers/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111111_vets_numbers/honoring-our-veterans-by-numbers/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith This by-the-numbers look at service members and veterans paints a picture of the many men and women who have served our country and the difficulties they face before, during, and after deployments, including combat stress injuries and trouble finding jobs and affordable housing. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111111_veterans_day/a-moment-silence-veterans-day/ http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/111111_veterans_day/a-moment-silence-veterans-day/ 03:13:00Z Dylan Smith TucsonSentinel.com will observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 in recognition of the sacrifices of those who have served the United States and our allies, their families, and those who paid the ultimate price in war. 2013-05-21T03:13:58+00:00