Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Assad’s fall could solve Iraqi weapons mystery
If Syria's regime falls, the U.S. will be in a better position to answer one of the lingering questions from the long Iraq War: Did Baghdad ship weapons of mass destruction components to Syria before the 2003 American-led invasion? Published January 22, 2012
Many Bush-era hard-liners are Romney security advisers
GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has assembled a cast of conservative George W. Bush-era veterans as his key national security advisers. Some of them played important roles in the war on terror and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Published January 18, 2012
New Navy budgets may sink plans for aircraft carriers
As Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta prepares to introduce the strategy's first budget next month, the Navy has been in a furious fight behind the scenes to protect only 10 carriers, sources familiar with the issue told The Washington Times. Published January 15, 2012
Navy readies for Chinese power grab on shipping
The Navy's top officer detailed Tuesday the strategy for making sure the South China Sea and Western Pacific remain open to international shipping, saying an emerging China might try to "limit access in the region." Published January 10, 2012
Obama’s war plan pins hopes on peace
In dumping the Pentagon's two-war strategy, President Obama is reversing a doctrine adopted by Republican and Democratic presidents, including himself. Published January 8, 2012
Tehran warns U.S. to stay out of Gulf
Iran's stepped-up bellicosity, including a warning Tuesday that a U.S. aircraft carrier should not return to the Persian Gulf, is a reaction to increased talk in the United States and Israel of a strike on its nuclear sites, and of the West adding economic sanctions on its already struggling economy, analysts say. Published January 3, 2012
Iraq surge’s advocates fear gains will be lost
The outside advisers who worked to persuade President Bush in 2006 to send a "surge" of reinforcement troops to Iraq now fear their efforts are on the verge of being erased. Published December 28, 2011
Three months on, ‘don’t ask’ repeal gets mixed review
Three months after President Obama lifted the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military, Pentagon officials say heterosexual troops are adjusting well to the new policy. Critics, however, say they are just following orders, and a recent survey showed many troops reporting a rise in tension. Published December 23, 2011
U.S. exit from Iraq leaves a power void
The Iraqi government lost more than a fighting ally when the last U.S. troops left the country Sunday. Published December 22, 2011
Gear galore left in Iraq as last troops pull out
If the U.S. military held a yard sale, the rummaging would look a lot like what has been going on in Iraq. Published December 15, 2011
![President Obama speaks to returning troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, about the end of the Iraq war with the withdrawal of all U.S. forces at the end of this month. "Our commitment [to you] doesn't end when you take off the uniform," Mr. Obama said. (Associated Press)](https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2011/12/14/20111214-195659-pic-723452757_c0-318-3632-2434_s652x380.jpg?80ab5baf2b677d6c0e6581485dc09a28549067ad)
U.S. to leave Iraqi airspace clear for strategic Israeli route to Iran
The U.S. military's fast-approaching Dec. 31 exit from Iraq, which has no way to defend its airspace, puts Israel in a better place strategically to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Published December 14, 2011
Gingrich tough on women, gays in military
Republican presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich is siding with social conservatives on how the U.S. armed forces should treat gays and women, according to a survey released Monday. Published December 11, 2011
Pentagon conducts budget war games
The nation's highest-ranking military officers convened at the Pentagon last week to discuss the smaller armed forces they will inherit once $450 billion in cuts commence in 2013. Published December 6, 2011
U.S. ready for eviction of drones in Pakistan
Pakistan's decision to evict the United States from a Predator-drone launching base will have little impact on the CIA's ability to strike terrorists in the country's austere tribal areas because the U.S. built backup bases in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said Sunday. Published December 4, 2011
Pentagon’s inspector general finds no misconduct in briefing program
The Pentagon's inspector general has released his final report on a Donald H. Rumsfeld-era program for briefing TV and radio military analysts, concluding for a second time that there was no wrongdoing. Published December 1, 2011
For Marine, a rush to judgment and a belated vindication
As William C. Rodriguez inspected the badly decomposed bodies of two Iraqis, he was troubled by the large crowd of observers in the military's national morgue at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Published November 30, 2011
Pakistan secretly helps, publicly hits U.S. interests
Pakistan has cooperated secretly with the U.S. on several war-fighting missions in an odd-couple alliance that also sees factions in Islamabad backing the fiercest American enemy. Published November 26, 2011
House panel seeks briefing on senator’s contacts with Pentagon IG
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has asked the Pentagon inspector general to report whether Sen. Carl M. Levin is trying to influence the wording of a report that exonerates a Pentagon war-briefing program. Published November 18, 2011
Agreement elusive on women in combat
Top defense officials are grappling to find a unified position on whether to allow women in direct ground combat, as the Pentagon prepares a landmark report to Congress on the military's coed future. Published November 17, 2011
Attack on Iran could risk Gulf oil supplies
Iran is contemplating violently shutting down shipping in the Persian Gulf as one of several counterattack options if Israel strikes its nuclear facilities, regional and intelligence analysts say. Published November 14, 2011
