Top Military News Headlines | February 17, 2011

The Pentagon now supports the idea of federal legislation to better protect troops’ child custody rights. And, troop casualties in Afghanistan reduce by 37% due to better IED detection.

US Monitors as Bahrain Protests Turn Deadly

The small island kingdom of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and a critical forward naval base for American forces, continues to reel with anti-government protests and escalating violence as police launched a deadly surprise attack on demonstrators overnight.

Pentagon to support bill to protect troops’ child custody rights

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – In an about-face, the Pentagon now supports the idea of federal legislation to better protect troops’ child custody rights.

Obama requests $65.5 billion for veterans benefits

President Barack Obama unveiled his new budget for fiscal year 2012 on Monday, requesting more than $124 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Of the total, $65.5 billion will go to fund veterans benefits initiatives and programs.

Gates Sees Need to Keep Troops in Iraq

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a House committee Wednesday that the Obama administration is interested in having more U.S. military personnel in Iraq after 2011 than the roughly 150 who are currently scheduled to remain.

General: Army Probing Assault Complaints

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Missouri — The Army is aggressively investigating sexual assault complaints, the commanding general at Fort Leonard Wood said Wednesday — a day after more than a dozen U.S. veterans filed a lawsuit accusing the Pentagon of failing to take their complaints of sexual abuse by older Soldiers seriously.

House cancels funding for second F-35 engine

WASHINGTON — Determined to reduce deficits, impatient House Republican freshmen made common cause with President Obama on Wednesday, scoring their biggest victory to date in a vote to cancel $450 million for an alternative engine for the Pentagon’s next-generation warplane.

Wife charged with murder in Kadena airman’s death

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The wife of a Kadena airman found dead in his off-base apartment earlier this month has been charged with his murder, according to the 18th Wing and Japanese police.

Better IED detection reduces casualties 37% in Afghanistan

The military has reduced the number of troops wounded or killed by homemade bombs in Afghanistan by 37% since August by improving its ability to find the explosives before they blow up.

Pentagon Denies Petraeus Leaving Afghanistan Post Early

WASHINGTON — Afghanistan war commander Gen. David Petraeus is not leaving his post anytime soon, the Pentagon said late Tuesday, tamping down a flurry of late-day news articles after London’s The Times newspaper reported he was on his way out. 

Some Afghans say insecurity persists despite surge

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Schoolteacher Abdul Rahman drops his voice to a whisper as he watches U.S. troops guard a street where insurgents attacked a police headquarters a day earlier in this capital of the province that was the birthplace of the Taliban.

Pentagon Red Tape Delayed Iraq’s Life-Saving Lasers

Military bureaucrats needlessly blocked U.S. troops in Iraq from getting laser weapons — tools that could’ve kept civilians from getting killed. That, in a nutshell, is what the Pentagon’s Inspector General concluded after an investigation of the Marine Corps’ botched attempts to send the nonlethal lasers to the war zone.

Navy says more sailors turning to designer drug Spice

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — More than 150 sailors worldwide are being booted from the Navy for use or possession of the designer drug Spice, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West said in a recent message to all sailors.