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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down under pressure, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate and a beleaguered national security team that has struggled to stay ahead of an onslaught of global crises. The president, who is expected to announce Mr. Hagel’s resignation in a Rose Garden appearance on Monday, made the decision to ask his defense secretary — the sole Republican on his national security team — to step down last Friday after a series of meetings over the past two weeks, senior administration officials said.

Secretary Chuck Hagel is resigning, The New York Times reported on Monday. A senior administration official subsequently confirmed to Business Insider that Hagel would resign Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/report-defense-secretary-chuck-hagel-is-resigning-2014-11#ixzz3JzprGedA

Defense: Members of Congress warn that the State Department is working on arms accords to demilitarize space and ban anti-satellite weapons, leaving Russia and China with a huge lead in military space capabilities. On Jan. 17, 2012, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement announcing the Obama administration's intention to work with the European Union on an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. It was supposed to be sort of a "rules of the road" for space-faring nations to deal with issues such as the accumulating space junk jeopardizing satellites and manned space activities such as the...

Swedish military has called off the search for a 'Russian underwater vessel' thought to have been lurking in the Stockholm archipelago, after admitting that it was 'definitely not' a submarine. Navy top brass has today been forced to concede that although 'underwater activity' is confirmed, the military has ruled out the possibility that it could have been a Russian sub. This comes after Moscow blasted the hunt as 'groundless actions by the Swedish military, based on a Cold War-rhetoric'.

Devon Woltring I am not a fan of warning shots.   The bullet has to go somewhere;  in densely populated areas, there is a chance that an innocent person could be injured.   Still, I run across stories where warning shots seem to have "worked".  That is, the warning shot seems to have accomplished some good purpose, whether to defuse the situation without anyone being killed or wounded, or, as in this case, to bring help. The suspect above is accused of stealing money from a resident, then returning to attack a resident of the home involved.  From kgw.com: "The resident...

The Obama administration stopped shipping to Israel all defense items – and not just Hellfire missiles as previously reported – for a short time in the middle of the war against Hamas, reported Israel Defense’s Amir Rappaport, the well-informed and highly credibly editor of the website. Makor Rishon added to that report that the US actually cut off all communications with Israel’s Ministry of Defense purchasing offices in the US for days.

"The message of the Sikh faith, although peaceful, has a strong theme of justice and upholding human rights running through it." My dear friend's cousin, Major Kamaljit Khalsi, will be going in front of congress to fight for Sikhs Service in the US Military. We need 100,000 signatures but are only at 5700. Please sign the petition and please share with your friends and family to help everyone. This isn't only for Sikhs but anyone from different faiths that look to join and serve their country." To: We, the undersigned individuals, respectfully call on your Administration to give devout Sikh...

Military work is physically demanding—and we're not just talking about soldiers on the battlefield. Travel down the chain, and you'll find plenty of positions where strength and stamina are highly valued skills. Take the Navy for example. The Navy needs ships and those ships need to be built and maintained—a rough, physically draining job. Sandblasting, riveting, and grinding excess metal off the ships can take a toll on the human body. You're often carrying tools that can weigh upwards of 30 pounds. "There's a lot of wear and tear on you," says Adam Miller, director of new initiatives for Lockheed...

The Pentagon released a report Monday asserting decisively that climate change poses an immediate threat to national security, with increased risks from terrorism, infectious disease, global poverty and food shortages. It also predicted rising demand for military disaster response as extreme weather creates more global humanitarian crises. The report lays out a road map for how the military will adapt to rising sea levels, more violent storms and widespread droughts. The Defense Department will begin by integrating plans for climate change risks across all of its operations, from war games and strategic defense planning situations to a rethinking of the...

A senator. A House member. A former presidential campaign manager. An adviser to President Obama. All Democrats, these officials have made it a habit to call or email me almost every week of Obama's second term to share their concerns about the course of his presidency. They ask only that I don't identify them. Some fear retribution; others don't want to compromise their financial or political standing inside their party. These Democrats speak admirably about the president's intellect, integrity, and intentions, but they question his leadership—an admittedly squishy term that can be unfairly deployed against people with the guts to...

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has lobbed a series of damning accusations against his old boss, President Barack Obama. In his new book, Panetta says that Benghazi was always an obvious terrorist attack. He says that Obama approaches the world like a law professor, meaning that he does not usually see reality if it does not comport with his preconceived notions. Panetta writes that Obama’s decisions on Syria and Iraq have paved the way for the rise of of the Islamic State. Panetta writes that Obama has given up on the job, rather than continue to try working with Republicans...

It’s funny how President Obama is always talking about “I” and “me” whenever it makes him look good, but suddenly it’s “they” and “we” when mistakes are made. For instance, for years Obama boasted about how he ended the Iraq War and how he withdrew American troops. “You know I say what I mean and I mean what I say,” he boasted on the campaign trail in 2012. “I said I’d end the war in Iraq. I ended it.” Then, over the summer, as one Iraqi city after another fell to Islamic State militants, and as critics insisted that Obama’s...

President Barack Obama dismissed the F-22 fighter jets used during Monday’s airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria as “outdated and unnecessary” in a speech on July 21, 2009. “I reject the notion that we have to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on outdated and unnecessary defense projects to keep this nation secure” Obama said. "That's why I'm grateful that the Senate just voted against an additional $1.75 billion to buy F-22 fighter jets that military experts and members of both parties say we do not need.” ...more (w/video)...

Zeins also suggests keeping another item in your bedroom: "Buy a can of wasp hornet spray in the hardware store or the supermarket, keep it by your bedside or the floor," he said. "It's more powerful than police Mace. "The great part is, when you spray, it will go 20 to 25 feet," Zeins added. An intruder hit with the spray will be temporarily blinded. Please check your state and local laws on the legality of using these sprays for self-defense. Zeins has another tip: Sleep with all your bedroom doors open. You want your kids to hear what's going...

Armed citizens can be EVERYWHERE!

Hagel suggested that America should focus on Obama’s prepared remarks and ignore the president’s extemporaneous musings on America’s objectives and capabilities. Obama was “pretty clear,” Hagel insisted. America’s goal is to “degrade and destroy the capability of ISIL to come after U.S. interests all over the world and our allies.” “However way he addressed that later in the news conference, I wasn’t aware of that,” the secretary added, if you can believe it. “That’s the end game? Degrade and destroy, not contain?” Sciutto asked. “No, it’s not contain,” Hagel replied. “It’s exactly what the president said: ‘Degrade and destroy.’” But...

OTTAWA - Stephen Harper has been one of the toughest-talking leaders throughout the Ukraine crisis, yet newly released figures show National Defence is expected to face an even deeper budget hole in the coming year than previously anticipated. The ongoing reductions come as the prime minister is expected to resist pressure from allies at this week's NATO summit to spend substantially more on the military. Annual spending on the military, when compared with 2011, is slated to shrink by a total of $2.7-billion in 2015, according to a briefing note prepared for the deputy defence minister. That would be almost...

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi starts a five-day visit to Japan on Saturday, looking to deepen defense and commercial ties between the two Asian countries as they grapple with an increasingly assertive China. Mr. Modi is to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials for what are expected to be wide-ranging discussions about regional security as well as a possible deal on civil nuclear cooperation. […] “It is a watershed meeting,” said Brahma Chellaney, a strategic affairs analyst at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. “It is crucial to preventing the rise of a Sino-centric Asia.”...

The development is about 15 years old One of the major reasons for those who push for a disarmed population to desire the registration of all firearms is that it makes the ownership of the means to self defense contingent on government approval.  This is the philosophy that "everything that is not permitted is forbidden", rather than the standard English/American philosophy that "everything that is not forbidden is allowed".  It is an enormous difference in perspective.  In Revere, Massachusetts, a homeowner evicted from a party after getting in a fight.   He returned with his 50 year old step father.  ...

Ministry of Defense of Poland will provide humanitarian aid deliveries to the military in the zone of ATO. This is stated in a message on the website of the Ministry of defence of Poland. "Next week the city will be delivered the first batch of planned almost 320 tons of Polish aid»,-said in a statement. The Ukrainian military will, in particular, food, mattresses and blankets. In the Polish Office stressed that the assistance will be provided on the basis of the Protocol signed between the defense ministries of the two countries. "