Obama: Sexual assault threatens trust in military

Choosing future Navy and Marine leaders as his audience, President Barack Obama issued a pointed call Friday for an end to sexual assaults in the military, appealing to graduating midshipmen to display honor and moral courage to contain what has become a growing epidemic.

Commissaries to close Mondays, some Tuesdays due to furloughs

All 247 military commissaries will be closed on Mondays when civilian defense worker furloughs begin July 8, and many will be closed on Tuesdays as well, the Defense Commissary Agency said Friday.

DODEA director Fitzgerald says she'll retire in late summer

The director of the Department of Defense education arm responsible for the nearly 200 military-run schools at bases across the world has announced her plan to retire in late summer.

DOD civilians use 'strength in numbers' to fight LQA loss

Facebook is turning into a rallying point for those who are now on the hook for housing allowance. “People are finding out about it by word of mouth,” Army civilian Rik Thibodeau said. “We’re finding strength in numbers.”

sex assault military - MCT illustration clone1

Does military culture foster environment of sex abuse?

Nearly a decade into the Pentagon’s efforts to stop sexual assault and harassment in the military, some parts of the armed services still allow — and even encourage — the kind of anti-woman sentiment that directly contradicts the Defense Department’s oft-cited “zero tolerance” policy.

Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?

A funny thing happened on the way to a predicted disaster: The Pentagon is learning to live with the automatic budget cuts its leaders had warned would threaten national security if they took effect.

Stars and Stripes sequestration coverage

Veteran jobs

See more at the Stars and Stripes Veteran Job Center.

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Ernie Gates, Stars and Stripes' ombudsman

Official 2013 military pay tables

Find your 2013 Basic Allowance for Housing rate

Bill would widen military whistleblower protections

Noting that almost 1 of every 3 members of the military who reported a sexual assault last year also said they faced retaliation, Sen. Mark Warner is introducing a bill today to provide stronger whistleblower protection for victims and others who report assaults.
11:16 May 24, 2013
WWII Medal of Honor recipient Vernon McGarity dies
Wounded get Segways in ceremony honoring Memorial Day
Audio: Confusion reigned before destroyer Porter's collision
Obama sees narrower terror threat, defends drones
Congress clears bill on lying about medals
Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen
Suspected Chinese subs raise concerns in Japan
Protests on Okinawa aren't always what they appear to be
DODEA to announce dates for school closings related to furloughs

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Mideast
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UK arrests two men over incident with Pakistan plane

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft after an incident on a plane flying from Pakistan to Britain, officials said, rattling the U.K. just days after a British soldier was killed on a London street in a suspected terror attack.
Russia says Syrian regime agrees to peace talks
Austria wants EU arms embargo to Syria extended
Czech police say US suspect in 4 murders arrested
Q&A: On Turkey's proposed alcohol restrictions
French help Niger to kill last jihadist bombers
White House adviser on Afghanistan nominated as new US envoy to NATO

Aid group official says 4 wounded in Afghan attack

A spokesman for an international aid organization says that four of its staff were injured in an attack on a guest house it uses in the Afghan capital.
US diplomat kills pedestrian in accident
Kerry blasts Iranian election maneuvering
Russia says Syrian regime agrees to peace talks
Canada: Qatar gives up bid to relocate UN agency
Austria wants EU arms embargo to Syria extended
UN nuke agency's Iran probe driven by US-led intel

IRS replaces official who revealed targeting

The Internal Revenue Service official who led the unit that targeted tea party groups and publicly disclosed the activity has been replaced, making her the third top IRS official moved aside since the episode was revealed two weeks ago.
Biographer regrets affair with former CIA director
UN nuke agency's Iran probe driven by US-led intel
Brewers team up on beer to help military families
Woman meets Air Force NCO who shared the shirt off his back after tornado
Audio: Confusion reigned before destroyer Porter's collision
More than 1,000 worn flags to be burned

Abe on first trip to Myanmar by Japan PM in 36 years

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is traveling to Myanmar on the first visit to the country by a Japanese leader in 36 years, as Tokyo bids to reassert its position as a top economic partner after decades of frosty relations with the previous military regime.
07:28 May 24, 2013
No guarantee of peace, N. Korean envoy warns China
N. Korean envoy delivers letter to China's Xi
2 former sex slaves cancel Japan mayor meeting
Statue dedicated to Korean 'comfort women' to be set up in California
Protests on Okinawa aren't always what they appear to be
Chinese media: North Korea envoy offers talks

DOD civilians use 'strength in numbers' to fight LQA loss

Commissaries to close Mondays, some Tuesdays due to furloughs

DOD civilians use 'strength in numbers' to fight LQA loss

Congress vows close scrutiny of VA's backlog progress

Germans prep for post-2014 role in Afghanistan

Aggressive use of craniectomy keeps Ranger and others like him alive

More US can do to reform Congolese military

Among the Congolese soldiers accused of significant human-rights abuses, including mass rape, are members of the U.S.-trained 391st Commando Battalion. Units are only as good as their commanders, but the U.S. still should lead efforts to build a credible and effective Congolese military justice system.

Gallery

After Hours: An order of fur with purr on the side

Kubasaki tops ASIJ, will meet St. Mary's

Live now on the Tablet Edition

Germans prep for post-2014 role in Afghanistan

The German armed forces will continue an assist-and-advise mission in the Afghanistan's north.
For S. Korean police, a primer on Americans in 238 pages

New book looks to ensure USFK-Korean relations don't get lost in translation.
Gallery

From the archives: Cold War chronicles

Throughout the Cold War, Stars and Stripes reporters were at the ready to report every rise in temperature.
Improved grenade design on the way

Troops can soon look forward to small improvements, even a possible complete redesign, of the fragmentation hand grenade.

Latest Blog Postings

Spouse Calls

Homeward bound

An Army wife writes about the journey she and her children shared with a soldier finally coming back to his loved ones
The Ruptured Duck

House Republicans push for backlog commission

The 15-person panel would weigh in on VA’s claims processing and evaluation problems.
Stripes Central

Busy lawmakers take time to help Muppets and the USO

When Cookie Monster asks for a favor, even Congress listens.
Europe Traveler

Hear some free music in Europe this summer

What beats an outdoor music concert? A free one! As summer kicks in, enjoy loads of musical performances at no cost during several weeks. Here's a hearty sampling.
Stripes Central

House moves to block another BRAC round

Defense budget language introduced by House lawmakers forbids DOD from planning or initiating another round of Base Realignment and Closure.
Good Game

All for One and One for all?

Microsoft unveiled the successor to its Xbox 360 on Tuesday and showed off a console that tries to do it all.

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DOD civilians use 'strength in numbers' to fight LQA loss May 24, 2013
Does military culture foster environment of sex abuse? May 23, 2013
Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration? May 23, 2013
Female Marine gets reprimand, loss of pay in adultery case April 25, 2013
Audio: Confusion reigned before destroyer Porter's collision May 23, 2013
Stryker brigade in Hawaii needs review, Army general says May 23, 2013
DODDS-Europe baseball - Day 2 May 23, 2013
ISB wins again, spoils Heidelberg's final game May 23, 2013
DODDS-Europe soccer championships - Day 4 May 20, 2013
DODEA director to retire May 24, 2013

VA researcher quits over burn pit studies 17:36 May 19, 2013
DODEA to announce dates for school closings related to furloughs 17:26 May 22, 2013
WWII-era Navy photographer Wayne Miller dies 23:43 May 22, 2013
Kenya police kill 'terror couple' 08:25 May 19, 2013
Does social media add fuel to servicemembers' degrading actions? 04:01 May 20, 2013
Welsh: Open to all options to stop military sexual assault 19:17 May 19, 2013
Air Force aims to reduce alcohol-related incidents by 20% in 2007 22:31 May 11, 2010
What do you want to be when you grow up? 17:19 May 23, 2013
Minor changes needed to AFN decoders to keep viewing programming 06:39 May 23, 2013
Suspected Chinese subs raise concerns in Japan 01:01 May 23, 2013

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