Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Chuck Hagel defends Gen. James Amos over inaccurate resume
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has entered the debate over the conduct of former Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos, vouching for the general's ethics while saying his disputed official resume was not created by him but rather by a data center. Published November 2, 2014
EXCLUSIVE: Budget cuts, errant B1 bomber blamed in deadly ‘friendly fire’ accident in Afghan war
The "friendly fire" airstrike that killed five American soldiers in Afghanistan on June 9 is the first known case of a battlefield catastrophe that can be linked to automatic defense spending cuts that greatly curtailed prewar training. Published October 29, 2014
U.S. military ordered to hide identities, change routines to avoid Islamist attacks
The agency in charge of protecting the Pentagon has sent out a warning that "ISIL-linked terrorists" want to attack employees and is urging them to change routines and mask their identities. Published October 29, 2014
Green Berets reveal Afghan National Army soldiers’ incompetence
Elite Army Green Berets are knocking the performance of the Afghan National Army, telling war tales of its soldiers hiding and quitting the fight. The Green Beret criticisms, contained in a U.S. Central Command "friendly fire" investigative file, provide a window into the flaws of a national army more than a decade in the making. Published October 26, 2014
Air Force fires controller who called in ‘friendly fire’ airstrike in Afghanistan
The Air Force has kicked out the air controller who called in the June 9 airstrike from a B-1B bomber in Afghanistan that killed five American soldiers. Published October 22, 2014
Marines engage in tweeting war over TWT report on commandant
A Marine Corps public affairs director is lashing out at The Washington Times on Twitter for a report about the former Marine commandant padding his official resume submitted to the Senate in 2010. Published October 19, 2014
Semper Lie: Marine Corps Commandant James Amos padded resume
The Marine Corps is acknowledging that the retiring commandant, Gen. James Amos, did not attend the Corps' officers training school, though he told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a signed resume that he had graduated in 1972. Published October 14, 2014
Hagel: Climate change will put strain on U.S. military
The Pentagon on Monday released an alarming new war plan to combat climate change, saying it will "likely lead" to food and water shortages, pandemic disease and overall destruction. Published October 14, 2014
Taliban adopts Islamic State terror tactics as U.S. troops exit Afghanistan
The Islamic State army's unleashing of terror bombings and assassinations in Iraq last year is being played out by insurgents in Afghanistan who want to intimidate and destroy local forces as American troops exit. Published October 12, 2014
Pentagon sees Baghdad at risk of Islamic State takeover, expects Kobani to fall
The Pentagon on Wednesday made the sobering prediction that more towns in Syria and Iraq will fall to the Islamic State in the coming weeks, and that air power alone is not going to be enough to prevent the fall of the Syrian city of Kobani near the Turkish border. Published October 8, 2014
Key House leader says Obama needs new war strategy, U.S. ground troops
The chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services said Wednesday that President Obama’s war strategy in Iraq is failing and the commander in chief needs a new plan. Published October 8, 2014
Automatic budget cuts will nearly break the Army, generals warn
The Army is calling on active and retired generals to spread the word in Congress that another spate of automatic budget cuts would cripple America's largest ground force, an internal memo says. Published October 6, 2014
Islamic State withstands bombing campaign, plots Baghdad invasion
The Islamic State holds just about the same number of towns in Iraq today as it did two months ago, when the U.S. began a bombing campaign to whittle down the terrorist army and support Iraqi ground troops trying to retake territory. Published October 5, 2014
U.S. Navy sailors harbor widespread distrust of senior leadership: report
Navy sailors harbor "widespread mistrust" in the admirals who command them, complaining of poor leadership and a disciplinary environment that tolerates absolutely no mistakes, says a survey of the fleet. Published September 30, 2014
U.S. military limits warplanes used for ISIS bombing in Iraq, Syria
The U.S. is relying mostly on warplanes already positioned in the region for its air war against the Islamic State, as opposed to dispatching a major buildup of aerial forces that happened in previous campaigns. Published September 28, 2014
U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State and Khorasan Group insufficient, critics say
President Obama is playing too nice in the air war against the Islamic State and the Khorasan Group, critics say, pointing to a spared bombing target in Syria as an example. Published September 24, 2014
NSA scores victory in foiling Khorasan Group’s U.S. terror plot
The U.S. ability to pinpoint with airstrikes the operational hubs of the al Qaeda offshoot Khorasan Group in Syria and penetrate one of its bombing plots shows the importance of the much-maligned National Security Agency, defense analysts said Tuesday. Published September 23, 2014
President Obama’s war advisers not instilling confidence on Islamic State strategy
President Obama's war Cabinet is not instilling confidence in the public about his "no boots on the ground" strategy to defeat the Islamic State now anchored in two countries and in more than a dozen towns. Published September 21, 2014
Iran’s Quds force aiding Iraqi Shiites with Obama administration’s blessing
The battle for Mosul Dam in northern Iraq could be the first clash in which Americans fought on the same side with Iranians. Published September 20, 2014
CENTCOM leader sought ground troops in Iraq
The top U.S. commander for the war against the Islamic State wanted to insert air controllers on the ground in Iraq to help warplanes locate targets, but he was discouraged by higher-ups. Published September 16, 2014
