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Diplomatic revolt. Over 50 U.S. diplomats have signed an internal State Department memo sharply critical of the Obama administration’s Syria policy, in which they call for airstrikes against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The memo says Washington’s Syria policy has been “overwhelmed” by the continuing slaughter of civilians in Syria, and demands “a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process.” The memo, sent along an established “dissent channel” within State that allows officials to vent frustrations and suggest changes in policy, would flip the existing...

5/17/2006 - Fort Sam Houston, Texas (AFPN) -- Brooke Army Medical Center hosted a military amputee advance skills training workshop for Veterans Affairs’ prosthetists and therapists. Nearly 100 VA rehabilitation team members from 15 medical centers attended the workshop May 10 through 12 to learn the patient care methods used at Department of Defense facilities to help injured servicemembers recover, adjust to using prosthetics, and return to duty or to a full civilian life. “We are learning what the military is doing so that when a Soldier comes to their local VA it is a seamless transition,” said Bob Gailey,...

4/20/2006 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) -- Almost nothing changed on the outside of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing headquarters here until the final week of the renovation. There was always something indicating work -- trenches, heavy machinery, dusty workers taking a quick break at the gazebo. But the metal exterior itself didn’t give any indication of the work going on inside until the end. “You couldn’t see any difference on the outside,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Williams. “People were probably watching this whole time thinking -- what have those guys been doing all day?” What they’ve been doing...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2006 – Following an initiative that delivered almost 1,000 binders full of encouraging notes to deployed troops overseas for the holidays, the director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation is declaring the fourth season in a VFW/Wal-Mart partnership a major success. The "Message Books for Troops" effort teamed the two organizations to help lift the spirits of servicemembers away from home during the holidays through notes of thanks and encouragement, Mike Gormalley told the American Forces Press Service. The effort began in mid-October, when the Wal-Mart Foundation asked its Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market stores...

BOSTON - In a trailblazing pairing of robotics and tractor companies, iRobot and John Deere announced plans Monday to build a 9-foot-long semi-autonomous battlefield vehicle. Burlington-based iRobot Corp. will adapt the artificial intelligence technology used in its Roomba vacuums and portable PackBot military robots for a two-seat John Deere utility vehicle similar to ones the Pentagon (news - web sites) already uses. The Military Robotic Gator, or R-Gator, will be the first of its kind to use off-the-shelf technology, making it easier and less expensive to produce than existing, custom-made vehicles, the companies said. While the Pentagon is expected to...