This week we look at the impact of the mineral wealth discovered by US geologists in Afghanistan; and the Baltimore police officer charged in the off-duty shooting of an unarmed former Marine has been denied bail.

An uneasy calm falls on Kyrgyzstan

Osh, Kyrgyzstan (CNN) — A tense calm fell on the streets of Osh on Tuesday as Kyrgyzstan’s interim government sent more security forces to the area to quell violent ethnic clashes.

American arrested for hunting bin Laden

A 52-year-old American citizen who said he was searching for Osama bin Laden was detained in Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan this week, Pakistani police said Tuesday.

NKorea Ups Readiness; No Activity Seen

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has raised its military readiness though no signs of fresh provocation were visible amid high tensions after the South blamed it for a deadly warship attack, the South’s defense chief said Tuesday.

Amos expected to be named commandant

Gen. James Amos is expected to be named the 35th commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, sources told Defense News on Monday. If nominated, Amos could become the first Marine jet aviator named to the top post, and he would alter recent custom by becoming the first assistant commandant in several decades to succeed his immediate boss.

Cop Who Shot Former Marine Denied Bail

The Baltimore police officer charged with first-degree murder in the off-duty shooting of an unarmed former Marine outside a Mount Vernon club began hitting back at the accusations, with his attorney questioning the behavior of the victim and saying the officer “did what he had to do.”

Huge mineral discovery could alter Afghan war

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. geologists have discovered vast mineral wealth in Afghanistan, possibly amounting to $1 trillion, President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman said Monday.

Budget Pressures Will Push Toward Future “Swing” Force That Can Do Both COIN and Conventional Ops, RAND Says
One of RAND’s bigger brains, Greg Treverton, has an excellent new paper that takes the National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World, and comes up with the policy implications now that might shape that future.

60 years on, Korea vets recall oft-ignored war

WAEGWAN, South Korea — The old soldier stood erect on the riverbank, his cane at his side, a baseball cap emblazoned “2nd Infantry Division” square above his brow. He looked out, then turned away from the slow, silty Naktong.

Military fails on brain-test follow-ups

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has failed to comply with a congressional directive to give all troops tests before and after they serve in combat to measure their thinking abilities and uncover possible brain injuries, military records show.

Vets Hooked by Over Prescribed Meds

Two doctors who worked at the Hampton VA Medical Center say powerful narcotics are being over prescribed to veterans there, leaving them addicted while their underlying medical conditions go untreated.