Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Gates alters rules for investigating gay troops
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Thursday took steps to soften the military's ban on openly gay service members while retaining the law's core restriction that avowed homosexuals face discharge. Published March 26, 2010
Health-vote ally Nelson to get new VA hospital for Nebraska
The Obama administration has delivered another budget plum to Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and the state of Nebraska, adding more than a half-billion dollars for a new veterans hospital in Omaha. Published March 18, 2010
E-mails suggested Fort Hood suspect subpar for Army
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, charged in the Fort Hood shootings, was too fat and "chronically" unprofessional during his psychiatric training, according to internal e-mails exchanged by his superiors. Published March 16, 2010
Group wants same military benefits for gay spouses
A leading gay rights group says married gay service members should have the same rights as straight couples once President Obama ends the military's ban on open homosexuality in the ranks. Published March 8, 2010
Breaking ranks on gays in military
Conservative groups have begun to mobilize to stop President Obama plan's to open the military to acknowledged gays, as some prominent right-leaning Washington figures are breaking with the movement and siding with the White House. Published March 1, 2010
Military chiefs resist push to end gay ban
The four U.S. military service chiefs are bucking higher-ups by refusing at this point to endorse removing the ban on open gays in the ranks. Published February 25, 2010
NATO neglect lets Taliban build 35% more strength
The Taliban has reaped a recruiting bonanza the past two years, capitalizing on NATO's stagnant posture in southern Afghanistan by increasing fighter ranks by 35 percent, U.S. officials say. Published February 22, 2010
Military chiefs’ views crucial in gay ban row
The military service chiefs will soon present their views to Congress marking the next stage in the debate on gays in the military amid signs they will not be as effusive in endorsing an end to "don't ask, don't tell" as has Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Published February 16, 2010
Veteran groups resist ‘don’t ask’ repeal
The nation's two most prominent veterans groups have come out in opposition to President Obama's plan to end the military's long-standing ban on open homosexuals in the ranks. Published February 4, 2010
Tough fight set for gays in military
President Obama's pledge to lift the military's ban on openly gay service members this year seems at best headed for extremely close votes in the House and Senate, according to Congress watchers. Published February 1, 2010
Support swells for 3 accused SEALs
When a small team of Navy SEALs set out to capture one of Iraq's most-wanted terrorists in September, they never dreamed it would go so smoothly. Published January 22, 2010
EXCLUSIVE: Marine leads ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ fight
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway has emerged in internal Pentagon deliberations as the most outspoken opponent of permitting gay men and women to serve openly in the U.S. military, according to a former senior Pentagon official. Published November 2, 2009
Obama adviser Jones shifted Afghanistan views — a lot
National security adviser James L. Jones - the president's point man in a momentous debate on U.S. policy in Afghanistan - has repeatedly shifted his assessments of the war as he transformed himself from a top Marine general to a civilian adviser in recent years. Published October 16, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: Taliban makes IEDs deadlier
The Taliban has been building simpler, cheaper anti-personnel bombs made of hard-to-detect nonmetal components, increasing the number of lethal attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan, according to a confidential military report. Published September 15, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: Lack of translators hurts U.S. war on terror
U.S. national security agencies remain woefully short of foreign-language speakers and translators nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks resulted in a war on an enemy that often communicates in relatively obscure dialects, current and former officials say. Published August 31, 2009
EXCLUSIVE: General mulls more fighters in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's top U.S. military commander is examining whether some support personnel could be replaced by combat forces to increase America's war fighting capacity without requesting a major addition of new troops. Published August 14, 2009
ANALYSIS: Gates’ budget cuts sour conservatives
Some conservatives who welcomed President Obama's decision to keep Robert M. Gates as defense secretary are already having second thoughts. Published May 11, 2009
Defense chief proposes weapons cuts
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday he plans to cut the F-22 fighter jet and other big-weapon systems as part of a "fundamental shift" in how the Pentagon buys weapons and fights wars, including the one in Afghanistan. Published April 6, 2009
Rehabilitation never tried at Gitmo
The Pentagon never instituted an anti-extremism rehabilitation program for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, even as it released hundreds of detainees to their home countries and saw scores go back to practicing terrorism. Published February 19, 2009
ANALYSIS: Timing of Israeli invasion limited Obama’s options
Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in a bid to destroy archenemy Hamas before President-elect Barack Obama takes office Tuesday, preventing the new president from negotiating with a militant group that would no longer exist, Middle East analysts say. Published January 19, 2009
