Alcohol redefined as 'weapon' by prosecutors in sexual assault cases

The alcohol — rum, vodka, wine and hard cider — listed in the latest allegation of sexual assault between Air Force Academy cadets is being viewed in a new way by the military and civilian prosecutors.

Horror in Japan as video purports to show hostage beheaded

Appalled and saddened by news of journalist Kenji Goto's purported beheading by Islamic State extremists, Japan ordered heightened security precautions Sunday and said it would persist with its non-military support for fighting terrorism.

US, other Japan allies condemn Goto’s execution

The world's problems enter Japan's psyche, again

Controversy-adverse Japan self-censors media linked to hostage crisis

US prosecutors: New spy case shows Russia up to old tricks

Prosecutors say two diplomats and a banker were under orders from Russian officials in Moscow to gather intelligence on the U.S. economy.

'Free' ferry running up multimillion-dollar tab for Alaska borough

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s “free” ferry Susitna, a beach-landing prototype built by the Office of Naval Research, has cost local taxpayers more than $4.4 million. No ferry landings were ever built, so the vessel waits at Ward Cove in Ketchikan ... and the bills keep adding up.

Study examines impact of service dogs on veterans with PTSD

Doctors from the Department of Veterans Affairs say that the benefits of service dogs working with the physically disabled are well-documented. Now, VA and other veterans groups hope that a new study will support the theory that they are equally beneficial to those with mental scars.

US, allies plan tough battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State

Working from this sun-scorched desert base, U.S. and allied commanders are beginning perhaps the most perilous phase of their fight against Islamic State: an attempt to recapture Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, from the entrenched militant forces.

Senior Kurdish general, 8 troops killed in militant battle near Kirkuk

Islamic State fighters acknowledge defeat in Syrian town of Kobani

Stars and Stripes examines the efforts by cities across the country to bring homelessness among veterans to an end.

The difference a home makes

Living with fellow veterans in permanent supportive housing offers a healing camaraderie, an oasis of shared experience and empathy. “For some of them, being here is the first time they’ve felt connected to anyone since they got out of the military.”

Ending veteran homelessness: How cities around the US are doing
Can homelessness among veterans ever be conquered?

Despite dedicated efforts across the country, there has been no standard or official definition of what “eliminating veteran homelessness” really means.
Ohio-based nonprofit helps veterans reclaim their lives by covering rent deposits

Veteran jobs

See more at the Stars and Stripes Veteran Job Center.

Find your 2014 Basic Allowance for Housing rate

Ombudsman

Ernie Gates, Stars and Stripes' ombudsman

Official 2014 military pay tables

Nonprofit on path for Operation Desert Storm memorial

More than 20 years after American forces attacked Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, a memorial to those who served in the Persian Gulf War is progressing ever closer to fruition.
Afghans often unintended victims of Taliban attacks on Jalalabad Road

At a time when coalition fatalities are at 10-year lows — NATO deaths fell for the fifth straight year in 2014 — the United Nations counted 3,188 Afghan civilians killed and 6,429 injured nationwide last year, a record high. And some suspect the count is much higher.
New Army sergeant major: Great leadership molded 'average kid'

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey takes over the post as the force is emerging from more than 13 years of warfare, and is facing major troop level cuts and budget restrictions that are already impacting servicemembers and their families.
Alcohol redefined as 'weapon' in sexual assault cases by prosecutors, military officials
US, other Japan allies condemn Goto’s execution
Terrorists? Extremists? White House wrangles with rhetorical terms
Navy abandons 'Global force for good' to broaden appeal
Just whose Internet is it? New federal rules may answer that
Fate of Jordanian pilot unclear after Islamic State beheads Japanese journalist
Remains of MIA Kelder identified, but family still has questions

Good cop, bad cop on North Korea? Washington plays the tough guy

No danger of a rift between the United States and South Korea exists yet, but there’s a saying in Korean that perfectly sums up their situation: same bed, different dreams.
Analysis

The world's problems enter Japan's psyche, again

As Japan has learned before, venturing out inevitably carries risks.
US, other Japan allies condemn Goto’s execution
After deaths of 44 Filipino officers in raid, question remains: Is Marwan dead?

A knock at the door, then shock: When parents die at war

Marathon bombing defense likely to focus on dead brother

When Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's case begins, his lawyers are likely to pin their hopes — and the bombings themselves — on his older brother, Tamerlan.
US prosecutors: New spy case shows Russia up to old tricks

Prosecutors say two diplomats and a banker were under orders from Russian officials in Moscow to gather intelligence on the U.S. economy.
Yale student-based think tank to focus on conflicts, terrorism
Obama ties foreign profits tax to public works
Pennsylvania man to get congressional medal
3 men shot in Afghanistan worked for North Carolina firm
Military contractor killed in Kabul attack remembered as 'friend to everybody'
US soldier’s death a tale of war, terrorism hatched from afar

Egypt releases Australian Al-Jazeera reporter

A senior Egyptian prison official and the country's official news agency say Al-Jazeera's Australian reporter Peter Greste has been freed from prison and is on his way to Cairo airport to leave the country.
Bomb on bus in central Damascus kills 7

A bomb exploded on a bus near Damascus' medieval city center on Sunday, killing at least seven people, including Lebanese Shiite pilgrims, according to Syrian activists and Lebanese media.
US defense contractor says staff targeted in Saudi shooting
UN says violence in Iraq kills at least 1,375 in January

Civilians flee east Ukraine town as fighting intensifies

Outgoing heavy-caliber fire boomed incessantly, shaking the ground and rattling windows around the besieged town. Residents of Debaltseve, seemingly inured to the racket, listened impassively as they mustered at the town hall on Saturday to be evacuated with as many belongings as they could carry.
50 years after funeral, Churchill towers over UK politicians

Fifty years after Winston Churchill's funeral, British politicians paid tribute Friday to the wartime leader — and tried to energize their election campaigns with a little of the Churchill magic.
Former German president Richard von Weizsaecker dies at 94
Ukraine to ask UN states to call Russia a terrorism sponsor

US, other Japan allies condemn Goto’s execution

Study examines impact of service dogs on veterans with PTSD

Oliver sentenced to life with parole for killing of AFN broadcaster

GALLERY

B-29 co-pilot talks to Marines about Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Afghans often unintended victims of Taliban attacks on Jalalabad Road

How I found the grave of Pvt. Elmer Kenneth Gorham, WWI medic

Suddenly, the Democrats have ideas too

In politics, nothing concentrates the mind like electoral defeat — unless it’s the low roar of an oncoming presidential campaign.

Detectives review video to find clues in 'Suge' Knight case

Boys basketball roundup

Hot Ramstein keeps Wiesbaden's cold streak alive

Latest Blogs

Archive Photo of the Day

DOD official Anna Rosenberg, 1951
Archive Photo of the Day

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in France, 1953
Archive Photo of the Day

Peter Sellers, 1965
Spouse Calls

'Johnnie' comes marching

When Kathleen Rodgers wrote “Johnnie Come Lately,” pieces of her military background found their way into the story. In fact, a lot of her life found its way into the story of Johnnie Kitchen and her family in the book, which hits bookstore shelves Sunday. The action takes place in Texas, for instance; Kathleen and her husband, now retired from the Air Force, also live in Texas. However, the b
Stripes Central

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers surprises children of fallen servicemembers

Aaron Rodgers, starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, is lending his considerable star power to a nonprofit that reaches out to children of fallen servicemembers.
Archive Photo of the Day

Patrol Base Diamond II, 1969
Archive Photo of the Day

Bob Hope and friends at Wiesbaden, 1948
Archive Photo of the Day

Aaron Tippin, 2008
Pacific Sportsblog

USFJ dependents to play in charity game for Yankees great Jeter

Charity baseball game set for March 21 at Tokyo Dome, proceeds going to in-need children affected by the March 11, 2011, earthquake.
Europe Traveler

Alps craft fair, Jan. 30-31

Aosta, an Italian city nestled in the Alps close to the French and Swiss borders, hosts its traditional crafts market on the same date each year: Jan. 30 and 31.
Pacific Sportsblog

Kanto teams dominate prep rankings

It’s all-Kanto, all the time atop the latest edition of Sports Blog’s high school basketball Top 10s and wrestling Fine Five.
Archive Photo of the Day

Patrol in Bosnia, 1997