Are We Making Any Progress on Police Brutality?
Plus: The editors consider the ongoing debt ceiling drama and answer a listener question about ending the war on drugs.
Plus: The editors consider the ongoing debt ceiling drama and answer a listener question about ending the war on drugs.
Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans "have to give up the sacred cow" of military spending in order to make a deal that will address the debt ceiling and balance the budget.
The actual total is probably higher according to the Government Accountability Office's new report.
Like other authorizations for the use of military force—or AUMFs—it would be an unnecessary, unwise expansion of executive power.
They say the U.S. is pivoting to other conflicts, but the Pentagon hasn't exactly left the Middle East and North Africa behind.
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Poor accounting practices mean the Department of Defense can't even tell how much money or equipment it has lost.
GAO: Congress has been buying planes that lack crucial parts and haven't undergone full testing, so costly upgrades will eventually be needed.
Congress continues to allocate funds to produce weapons that the Pentagon itself says it doesn't need.
A new, heavily investigated report shows a Pentagon uninterested in correcting its deadly errors.
Seven children were among the 10 killed.
There will likely never be a full accounting of the war's cost, but as much as $600 billion might have simply vanished due to waste, fraud, and incompetence.
The Pentagon says 12 Americans were killed and 15 more wounded in a pair of suicide attacks near the Kabul airport. At least 60 Afghans died as well.
After a nearly 20-year occupation, this was one inevitable outcome.
The final price tag could eventually exceed $6 trillion, and American taxpayers will be paying the tab when the 50th anniversary of 9/11 arrives.
Upon his passing, it's worth remembering how badly things can go when a man has such great power, even a man with elements of conventional decency.
A heterodox hero and committed antiwar activist, Gravel put the Pentagon Papers in the public record.
Whistleblowers and publishers are crucial for keeping government officials reasonably honest.
The study comes as House Democrats press to completely abolish the Pentagon program.
By playing with definitions, the military is able to keep more troops in Afghanistan than it publicly reports.
Civilian control over the military still matters.
Auditors now say the military may be able to pass an audit before the end of the next decade, so at least that's something.
Let’s not let fears of “Trump loyalists” overshadow positive outcomes.
If we can't trim the Pentagon's budget this year, will we ever?
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That includes 1,114 armored personnel carriers.
The horses used to belong to the Air Force, which makes only slightly more sense.
Empty displays of ritual militarism are always a waste of time, money, and goodwill, but especially during a pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic should certainly occasion more prudence at the Pentagon in strategy and spending alike.
Glenn Fine was abruptly removed from his post without explanation.
"Absent policy changes, the federal government continues to face an unsustainable long-term fiscal path," America's top auditor warns. But is anyone listening?
The administration also plans to move $2.2 billion originally earmarked for purchasing vehicles, ships, and aircraft to cover wall construction costs.
Civilian deaths are also on the rise, and it's increasingly obvious that there is no clear strategy for the U.S. to "win" its longest military conflict.
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That horse has left the barn.
Despite the failure, Pentagon officials are spinning the audit as a step in the right direction.
The mishandling of the Syrian withdrawal appears to have created less stability in Syria and considerably weakened Trump's ability to dictate foreign policy—a situation where actually bringing the troops home now seems even more farfetched.
If Trump wants credit for ending wars in the Middle East, he'll have to actually reduce the number of Americans deployed there.
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State-level licensing laws can make it nearly impossible for workers to move from place to place, and that's a particular problem for military spouses. This bipartisan proposal could be a step towards fixing it.
There is no military solution to be had. It's time to simply come home.
Chalk it up to use-it-or-lose-it spending.
Though a "U.S.A." chant didn't really seem to catch on.
Reason editors' best and worst moments of 2018, including the president's welcome and long-overdue drawdown from Afghanistan
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After announcing draw-down from Syria, the president may be seriously contemplating getting out of Afghanistan as well.