Study shows from 2005 to 2009 the number of soldiers leaving the Army due to mental disorders increased by 64 percent. And, lawyers for a Republican gay rights organization will ask a judge for an injunction to halt the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during their closing arguments in a federal trial challenging the law.

1 soldier in 9 exits Army for mental disorder

The number of soldiers forced to leave the Army solely because of a mental disorder has increased by 64 percent from 2005 to 2009 and accounts for one in nine medical discharges, according to Army statistics.

Photo spotlight: On patrol in Kandahar

A young Afghan shepherd watches U.S. soldier Trebor Moore on patrol in the Dand district of Kandahar province this week. NATO and the U.S. forces have turned their focus to the Taliban’s southern stronghold of Kandahar province for an upcoming offensive.

NKorea: ‘Physical Response’ to US Drills

HANOI, Vietnam — North Korea on Friday threatened the United States and South Korea with a “physical response” to planned weekend naval exercises as tensions with the communist nation rose in the aftermath of the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North.

Lawyers Seek Injunction to Halt DADT

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Lawyers for a Republican gay rights organization will ask a judge for an injunction to halt the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during their closing arguments in a federal trial challenging the law.

Business board: Close Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), freeze hiring

An influential Pentagon advisory board is poised to recommend Defense Secretary Robert Gates close contractor-heavy U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) and rid his office and the Joint Staff of redundant functions, moves that could save billions of dollars.

New Ammo Slashes Machine Gun Weight

Army Engineers at the Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.-based Joint Service Small Arms Program office have been working for the last six years on a radical approach to ammunition and weapons that has the potential to cut the weight Soldiers carry by nearly 50 percent.

Rep.: VA Must Speed up PTSD Research

The chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday asked Pentagon and Veterans Administration officials why they have been slow to try out alternative treatments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. Although he used humor at times, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., pushed for answers after a roundtable discussion that included testimony from a wide range of experts and researchers into PTSD and TBI.

NKorea Warns US Exercises Threaten Region

HANOI, Vietnam — North Korea warned the United States and South Korea on Thursday to call off military exercises scheduled for this weekend and to back off any new sanctions against the communist country or risk placing the entire region in danger.

CG’s Gulfport Station Chief Relieved

GULFPORT, Miss. – U.S. Coast Guard officials told the Sun Herald the man who had been in charge of Coast Guard Station Gulfport has been temporarily removed and is under investigation.

U.S. steps up Kandahar operation in Afghanistan

ARGHANDAB VALLEY, Afghanistan — The operation began before dawn. Two hundred Army soldiers moved into a village in the Taliban’s southern stronghold of Kandahar province over a few hours’ time, their military vehicles rumbling past lush orchards seeded with mines.

Afghan Deadline Is Cutting Two Ways

When President Obama announced a new strategy for Afghanistan in December, he argued that by setting a deadline of next summer to begin drawing down troops he would create a sense of urgency for the Afghan government to take the lead in the fight, while acknowledging the limits of America’s patience with the longest war in its history.