Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
From Iraq to Washington: Petraeus has long record of facing tough situations
The fall of David H. Petraeus as the nation's spy chief does not erase his long record as a military commander who turned the tide of the war in Iraq and set up new tactics for killing Islamic terrorists, his friends and military observers say. Published November 12, 2012
Security taken early, arrived late in Benghazi
The Obama administration's new timelines for the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, reveal a significant delay in getting ground troops to the area and the negative impact of the State Department's decision to remove from the country a site security team and its aircraft that could have aided a rescue. Published November 11, 2012
Head of Africa Command not forced out
The Obama administration's decision to grant retirement to the top general of U.S. Africa Command is part of the internal jockeying that goes on among the military branches to win top war-fighting assignments and was not related to the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, a well-placed military source told The Washington Times. Published November 7, 2012
Behind the crisis in Benghazi, a commander’s lack of firepower
As Americans fought for their lives in Benghazi, Libya, the Pentagon's options for direct intervention were narrowed to one: a fleet of F-16 fighters parked across the Mediterranean at NATO's air base in Aviano, Italy. Published November 4, 2012
Congress angered by DHS failure to get flood prevention off drawing board
Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security announced a successful test for a giant high-pressure balloon that can plug a mass-transit tunnel, in theory preventing damaging floods such as the ones flowing through New York's subway system. Published November 1, 2012
Lack of strike force impeded Benghazi response
As U.S. Africa Command waited for any order to rescue Americans on Sept. 11 at the besieged consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, it was missing a key unit that the Pentagon gives every regional four-star commander — an emergency strike force. Published October 28, 2012
Pentagon mum on Libya response
The Pentagon is staying mum on why combat assets were not immediately sent to Benghazi, Libya, to aid the U.S. Consulate under attack by militants for hours on Sept. 11. Published October 24, 2012
Army gives public relations push to anti-IED system panned by troops
The Army has hired private firms to help improve a $2.5 billion intelligence analytical processor used in Afghanistan by troops who have given it poor reviews in identifying the enemy and deadly buried explosives. Published October 22, 2012
Defiant insider: Benghazi attack clearly planned
The Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was planned and "not spontaneous," a U.S. intelligence official has told The Washington Times. Published October 21, 2012
Colonel’s class on radical Islam leaves career in limbo
When Army Lt. Col. Matthew Dooley last year began teaching a class to fellow officers on the dangers of radical Islam, he seemed to have landed in a perfect spot. Today, Col. Dooley finds himself at a dead end while being targeted for criticism by American Islamic groups and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Published October 14, 2012
State Department creates own board to look at Libya security query
The State Department's top security officer is coming under scrutiny for playing a role in creating a special board that is investigating last month's fatal attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Published October 9, 2012
Syria strife lures in militants from Libya
The arrival of Libyan fighters in Syria is raising questions about the motives of some seeking to overthrow the Assad regime. Published October 7, 2012
Pentagon quickly eyed al Qaeda despite White House claims
The day after the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, military intelligence was spreading the word inside the Pentagon that an al Qaeda-linked group was likely responsible. Published October 2, 2012
Social Security numbers of military heroes posted online
The Social Security numbers of some of the nation's most highly decorated Army war heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan were posted this week by a civilian contractor on a publicly available website. Published September 28, 2012
Official warns Pentagon managers not to plan for budget cuts
The Pentagon's No. 2 official has issued a new warning to Defense Department civilians and commanders not to make any plans for automatic budget cuts that are set to take effect Jan. 2, even as Congress and the White House show no sign of halting the cuts. Published September 27, 2012
Pentagon issues rules on how to discuss SEAL’s book
The Pentagon's top intelligence official has issued guidance on how to read and discuss "No Easy Day," an ex-Navy SEAL's unauthorized account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Published September 25, 2012
In anti-IED software case, Army’s buying rules trump troops’ safety
As the Army's 3rd Infantry Division wages war in southern Afghanistan, some of its soldiers back home at Fort Stewart, Ga., have found themselves in the middle of a different kind of battle. Published September 23, 2012
Pentagon ends more mingling of U.S., Afghan troops
The 2-year-old U.S. practice of mixing American and Afghan forces 24 hours a day has produced cultural clashes that have led to an increase of "green-on-blue" slayings of U.S. troops in which Afghan security personnel turn their weapons on their trainers, says an adviser to U.S. commanders and policymakers. Published September 18, 2012
Details of bin Laden raid leaked first by Obama aides
The Obama administration has gone to extraordinary lengths to publicize details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, even as it threatens to file criminal charges against a former Navy SEAL because he provided the same type of mission rundown in his recently published book. Published September 16, 2012
Experts question security at Libyan consulate
Experts are questioning the level security for the Benghazi consulate and slain U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. Published September 12, 2012
