For most of his 26 years in the military, Maj. Jeff Hackett was a standout Marine. Two tours in Iraq destroyed him. Home from combat, he drank too much, suffered public breakdowns and was hospitalized for panic attacks. In June 2010, he killed himself. Read full article > >

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Marine’s suicide is only start of family’s struggle

CAIRO — Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most powerful political force, say they want to offer the country’s ruling generals immunity from prosecution for alleged crimes committed since they took power in February, an attempt to ensure that the military returns to its barracks and allows a peaceful transition to democratic rule. Read full article > >

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Brotherhood floats immunity for generals in post-Mubarak Egypt

As President Obama stood at the podium in the Pentagon briefing room Thursday to outline the nation’s defense priorities, the military stood with him. Their primary audience was a few miles across the river — in Congress. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whose beloved army will face a significant troop reduction under Obama’s plan, was at the president’s side. Marine Corps commandant Gen. James F. Amos, whose service will also shrink, stood just behind him. And over Obama’s right shoulder loomed Gen. Ray Odierno, the former commander in Iraq who is now the army chief of staff. Read full article > >

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In creating new defense strategy, Obama attempts to outflank Congress

PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea identified Kim Jong Il’s son as head of a top ruling party body Monday, a post that gives him authority over political matters in addition to the military control attributed to him in recent days. Kim Jong Eun has rapidly gained prominence since the death of his father on Dec. 17, with the state media showering new titles on him almost daily. Read full article > >

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Kim Jong Eun named head of key Workers’ Party committee as North Korea succession gains momentum

The Sudanese army has killed Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of Darfur’s main rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement, the military says.

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Sudan army ‘kills’ Darfur rebel

A day after the prime minister warned of conspiracies to subvert the civilian government, the military issued an unusual refutation of rumors that it was planning to take power.

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Pakistan Military Denies Conspiracy to Seize Power

We are coming up on bad times. Nationalism is surging throughout Europe. In the Arab world, spring is suddenly winter and the sects, the tribes, the clans, the religious, the very religious and the military are taking a step back, eyeing one another for the coming rumble. Now comes a strong and wholly gripping film by Angelina Jolie about the 1990s’ ugly war in Bosnia. I do not know if it’s about what has passed or what is coming. I fear the latter. Read full article > >

Excerpt from:
Angelina Jolie’s movie, reminding us this is no time to turn inward

A published report says the remains of many more troops have been dumped in a Virginia landfill than the military originally acknowledged.

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Remains of 274 Troops Dumped, Report Says

Don’t call it “withdrawal.” The U.S. military prefers a softer term for its decision to close the press desk in Iraq, labelling it a part of the “reposture” of the military in the country. Our colleague Liz Sly reports that although the press shop won’t be in Iraq, it’s apparently still spinning. “ ‘Reposture efforts’ is the phrase the military has determined most appropriate to describe what news outlets are calling a ‘withdrawal,’ ” she writes. Read full article > >

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Iraq ‘withdrawal’ gets rebranded and a vintage Clinton moment (read-this roundup)

A congressional investigative committee disclosed Monday that it has begun a wide-ranging probe into operations at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary, escalating public scrutiny of the military installation charged with handling America’s war dead . The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform told Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in a letter Monday that it would examine any allegations of “mismanagement, dishonesty and misconduct” at Dover over the past decade — a more extensive review than other recent investigations into the mortuary. Read full article > >

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Congressional panel investigates Dover Air Force Base mortuary

CAIRO — Egypt’s military rulers appointed a new prime minister Friday as protesters staged massive demonstrations for a seventh day to demand the immediate transfer of power to civilian rule. Kamal el-Ganzouri, 78, a former prime minister under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, was asked to form a new cabinet to replace the caretaker government that resigned this week to protest violence by Egyptian security forces to suppress the growing demonstrations. The former government, headed by Essam Sharaf as prime minister, also had been formed under the auspices of the military rulers. Read full article > >

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New Egyptian premier appointed as protests grow

Suicide bombers target the headquarters of the military and secret service in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, army officials say.

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Nigerian security bases attacked

JERUSALEM — Israel’s navy boarded two small protest boats trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip on Friday and towed them to an Israeli port just north of the Palestinian territory, officials said. The military said no one was hurt. Troops boarded the boats without incident after repeated calls for them to turn around were ignored, the military said. Read full article > >

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Israeli navy boards 2 protest boats approaching blockaded Gaza, tows them to Israeli port

Haqqani militants move about freely in Pakistan, indicating a degree of protection from the military and intelligence service that makes it unlikely American concerns will be addressed.

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News Analysis: Haqqani Militants Act Like Pakistan’s Protected Partners

Of all the senior foreign-policy officials during the tumultuous George W. Bush presidency, Condoleezza Rice was the least complicated. The others — Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld — had at one time or another imagined themselves as a potential president, been captains of industry or the military and were experienced in the dark arts of bureaucratic Washington. Read full article > >

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‘No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington’ by Condoleezza Rice