Pete Mansoor tells Tom Ricks he doesn’t think Iran would be able to withstand the international pressure not to close off the oil choke-point in the wake of an Israeli attack: The Iranians need gasoline and other products too, and they would face an internal crisis alongside an international cudgel. Reaction would be swift for [...]

Josh Rogin reports from a breakfast we both attended this morning with my favorite Dane, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The NATO civilian leader expressed his own opposition to the scheduled Florida Koran bonfire: “I strongly condemn that. I think it’s a disrespectful action and in general I really urge people to respect other people’s faith and [...]

I have a post up at Danger Room reporting on an Army-funded effort to build a portable laser to protect helicopters from heat-seeking missiles. And owing to this latest outburst of anti-Muslim hysteria, I’m compelled to note that the entire project is the brainchild of a University of Michigan professor named Mohammed Islam. During interviews [...]

I found President Obama’s brief tribute to this civil-rights hero who passed away on Monday to be justly elegant: Michelle and I are saddened by the passing of Jefferson Thomas, who as one of the “Little Rock Nine,” took a stand against segregation and helped open the eyes of our nation to the struggle for [...]

But maybe you’re the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainsville that just can’t resist a public religious desecration. And so: The U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Monday criticized a Florida church’s plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11, warning the demonstration “could cause significant problems” for American troops overseas. “It could endanger [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 803-10 September 03, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 31 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Killed were: Staff Sgt. Vinson [...]

Leave it to Josh Foust to tease out the implications of some of my reporting better than I did. Not only is ISAF re-highlighting its (apparently) civilian-casualty-free airstrikes, but it’s also letting the public know more about special-forces activity than it (I gather) ever has. Last month, Gen. Petraeus shared with me some rather detailed [...]

I love tattoos. And, to be corny, I love the people who serve in the military. These are two complementary tastes. Every generation of soldier, sailor, airman, marine & coast guardsman comes up with their own distinct style of body modification, staking a claim on their skin about who they are, what they stand for, [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 799-10 September 02, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 30 in Malajat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 800-10 September 03, 2010 DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Joshua T. Twigg, 21, of Indiana, Pa., died Sept. 2 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, [...]