Sometime in the next few months, lawmakers on Capitol Hill say they will begin work toward repealing the controversial law and testing those theories. At the heart of the matter: whether the U.S. military should be allowed to maintain a different set of employment rules regarding homosexuals than nearly every other U.S. public and private workplace, firing employees based solely on their sexual orientation.

Advocates of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban contend that it’s necessary because of the unique nature of military service, which includes public showers, assigned bunkmates and uncomfortably intimate working conditions. How, they argue, can a soldier concentrate on a mission if he’s worried a colleague is ogling him?

What’s more, they argue, if gays are allowed to serve openly in the military, thousands of straight servicemembers will decide to leave.

“Most of the folks who say they’d be fine with it aren’t the ones in the middle of the military, serving overseas,” said Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, which supports the ban. “And those who are opposed to [lifting the ban] are told by their commanders and public affairs officers that they’re not allowed to speak.”

Opponents of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law scoff at such objections, saying they are born of fear and ignorance. Being openly gay doesn’t make someone a sexual predator, they say, and such insinuations insult the professionalism of gay troops already in the ranks who are concealing their sexual preference

I'm all for peoples rights. You might say its the most important issue on the planet, our rights. So I'm fine with every group having equal rights. But the Army is a choice, you don't have to sign up! The Army has had this policy forever. This article is pretty weak, really. Focusing on the idiotic theory that straight guys are scared of gays in the shower. The real problem is individuality. While independent thinking and creativity are encouraged, following orders and being a member of your unit is much more important and saves lives. Soldiers have to bond and be very close and depend on each other. Gays seem to think they need to be validated and acknowledged. Why can't they serve quietly like everyone else? Being a soldier isn't about being part of a religion, race or sexual orientation. It's about being part of something bigger than you, like serving your country.

What do you think? Should we let openly allow gays in the military? If not, why not, or why should we?

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The Army wants to instantly get eyes in the sky to watch over a potential enemy. But spy drones or satellites or even fighter jets can be too slow to handle the job. The answer: missiles that carry surveillance drones inside.

That’s right. The military wants to shoot off loads of flying, spying robots, using missiles to make for faster surveillance and attack. “ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) platforms delivered from missiles can potentially provide battlefield information that is only seconds old when transmitted from long ranges,” the Army explains in a request for research proposals.

The Army's technology continues on it's science fiction like path. Adding to the already existing robots and UAVs currently being used, now the U.S. Army aims at launching missiles that will deploy smaller Spy Bots to gather near real time data. Real time combat data will speed up decision making and ultimately save more lives. And the application could go beyond, including assessing damage after a major weather event or during other natural catastrophes.

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A 21-year-old single mother serving with the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division is facing a possible court martial because she failed to turn up for deployment to Afghanistan, saying that she could not find anyone to care for her infant son.

This story will no doubt get lots of press. I mean, how dare the Army deploy it's soldiers? Here's the best part:

The case has highlighted the tensions within the US military, which has a policy of treating women personnel with children sensitively yet is under extreme pressure to maintain troop numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to a report last month from the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, more than 212,000 women have been deployed in the US military to the two war zones, making up 11% of the forces there. More than 120 have been killed, and 600 wounded. The deployments include some 30,000 women who are, like Hutchinson, single mothers.

First off, this is the Army. When you join, you know there is a chance you will be deployed. It's not a maybe, it's an inevitability that you'll end up somewhere and odds are, a family won't be tagging along. So, while I feel for this mother not having anyone to take care of her kid, she had to know that going in to the Army. People keep coming into the Military and then acting like they had no idea they'd have to work or go to war or otherwise serve their country. That's the job. If you decide you're up for it and enlist, then you best be ready for it. I expect they'll show her some sympathy, even thought they really shouldn't.

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President Barack Obama, facing withering criticism for a prolonged decision-making process on Afghanistan, asserted Friday he doesn’t want the next move to be seen as an “open-ended commitment.”

In a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Obama also said he was bent on “getting this right.” He denied that his administration has been dithering and said that whatever policy change he announces must be aimed at protecting America from terrorist networks.

Soon? Really? Every expert in the world is telling you that the only way to do this is more troops. What's the hold up? Give our soldiers already there the support they need and deserve. We've been covering this story for over a month now and the decision had been delayed by 6 or so weeks even then. Whats' the hold up?

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U.S. Army officials say the alleged gunman in last week's shooting rampage at Fort Hood -- Major Nidal Malik Hasan -- has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder.

Chris Grey, a spokesman for the Army's criminal investigation division, announced the charges Thursday at Fort Hood.

Grey said it is possible that additional charges could be added as the investigation continues.

Hasan, the gunman behind the shooting at Fort Hood, will be charged with 13 counts of Premeditated murder. That's a great start, if you ask me. I still think we should bring back the firing squad for this special occasion. While questions of ties to radical Muslims and possible terrorists continue, more details continue to emerge. We already knew the FBI had reviewed and cleared him sometime in 2008 and now reports say he was also written up several times and some of his superiors felt he could pose a threat. He also stated on his records that he belonged to no religions affiliation, but argued strongly with other soldiers about his Muslim background. He loudly objected to the warn in Afghanistan and Iraq, which is at the core of what they believe motivated these shootings. I still just think he's a coward and hoped for a nice like career behind a desk.

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Military families face dozens of challenges every day. The life of a military spouse and a military family is never easy. It's a life of sacrifice and patience, but it's also one of pride and patriotism.

To help families better stay in touch with their loved ones, this Veterans Day we're partnering with Blue Star Families to give priority Google Voice invitations to the families of U.S. service members involved in the organization. Blue Star Families is a group of military spouses from all over the country who work hard to educate civilian communities and leaders about the hardships faced by military families.

Google has teamed up with Blue Star Families to offer Google Voice invites to military families. Google Voice is one of Google's latest products and this one gives you the ability to make calls via the Internet. It supports video, voicemail, sms and other standard phone features. You can even get it on quite your cellphone. It's great to see Google giving priority to people who need the service most and not just the tech crowd who love anything new and shiny. Big thanks to Google for supporting our troops! And thanks to all our Veterans out there for keeping us safe and free!

Read More here and here.

Nearly a year before Maj. Nidal Hasan allegedly went on a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood army post in Texas, terrorism investigators conducted an "assessment" of him before deciding he did not pose a threat.

After the shooting, the FBI is doing a new assessment — of its own conduct.

The Army psychiatrist is thought to have acted alone despite repeated communications — intercepted by authorities — with a radical imam overseas, U.S. officials said Monday. The FBI will conduct an internal review to see whether it mishandled early information about the man accused in the bloody rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 29.

No wonder the FBI was so quick to get involved with this case. They previously reviewed Hasan after reports he was communicating with a hostile, radical imam. While reports have said Hasan declared himself of no particular religion his ties with a radical Muslim bring questions about those beliefs and how what role the played in the Fort Hood shootings. Now that Hasan is out of his coma he will no doubt be questioned repeatedly. Right now he's being held by the military and the intend to be the ones who put him on trial. If it turns out there is indeed a terrorist link then this will most likely move to the feds. The same ones who cleared Hasan in 2008. I think this is going to get a lot more confusing before we get any real facts.

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Electricity has been the military’s fuel of choice for the very large (2,500-ton submarines) and the very small (12-pound unmanned aerial vehicles), but not for the vast middle ground of tactical vehicles.

A vehicle maker hopes to change that with the HEMTT-A3, a hulking hybrid truck. Oshkosh Corp. says the vehicle consumes 20 percent less fuel, requires less maintenance than current trucks and can double as a power source for field hospitals or command centers.

Dubbed the “heavy expanded mobility tactical truck,” the vehicle is headed to Army proving grounds this fall to undergo durability, reliability and performance tests.

The U.S. has spent years testing vehicles that run in part or entirely on electricity, said Paul Skalny, director of the Army’s National Automotive Center. So far, the service has not embraced them.

This story is pretty exciting. Electric cars are popular with the environmentalists right now but concerns on distance, power and reliability still keep them from becoming adopted by the general public. Electric cars are here to stay but they have some ways to go to prove themselves. Now the Army is testing electric ground vehicles and this could be a huge boost for the technology. The Military might not a place where people think of high tech innovation, but the technology of the military eventually makes its way into civilian life, like advances in life saving medical tech. If the military manages to prove the electric vehicle and improve on it, we could be seeing a lot more of them on the streets.

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Department of Emergency Services officials confirmed at approximately 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 that more than one shooter fired shots into the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center and Howze Theater on Fort Hood.

Emergency personnel have responded to the scene and evacuated several wounded.

At least 12 people were killed and 31 wounded in shootings on the post Thursday, officials said. The gunman is identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, who is in custody.

Details are coming out now about the tragic shooting rampage at Ft. Hood. 13 were killed, 12 soldiers and 1 civilian and several others were wounded but are in stable condition. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was shot 4 times and is now under constant guard while he recovers from his wounds. First responders exchanged fire, one being wounded while shooting Hasan 4 times ending the spree. Thankfully, both responders are in stable condition. Right now they do not believe this was a terrorist attack. All signs suggest it was because Hasan, who has repeatedly tried to get out of being deployed, was recently given orders and would be heading to Afghanistan. Reports say he has been very vocal about wanting the U.S. out of Iraq and Afghanistan and has tried before to make sure he wasn't deployed. If these details are true, and I have no reason to doubt them, this man is the worst kind of coward. Instead of taking his own life, or simply going AWOL, he chose to kill innocent people to avoid going to war, which is what he signed up for, in an effort to avoid being shot or killed in battle. That clearly didn't work out well for him. Now, not only did he end up shot and wounded, he's facing the wrath of the entire U.S. Military. Lets hope for swift Military justice. I'm thinking firing squad. It's been a while since we've used the method, but I'm sure there will be plenty of people willing to do the job.

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I don't usually get political, but Obama and his administration are working on a secret treaty that will destroy the copyrights and the Internet, all in one fell swoop. This secret copyright treaty has already been signed in South Korea and it's being drafted and proposed to every country we do business with. Despite extreme attempts to keep the details secret, information wants to be free. Here are some of the highlights from the Boing Boing Article:

* * That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability.

* * That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel.

* * That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright.

* * Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even if doing so for a lawful purpose (e.g., to make a work available to disabled people; for archival preservation; because you own the copyrighted work that is locked up with DRM)

The implications for everyone who publishes a web site or anything online are massive. It would mean certain death to small companies as they couldn't afford to hire enough staff to police their sites. It would mean bigger companies would be less likely to innovate and create spaces where people can share ideas and interact. I'm honestly shocked. This isn't just wrong, it's harmful and we can't let it happen.

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About a month ago we posted that 70 % of teens were unfit to serve in the U.S. Army and now, that number has risen.

According to an alarming new report, 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are unable to enlist in the military because they fail to graduate high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and some of America's top retired military brass will hold a news conference at the National Press Club Thursday to call for immediate action to address this national security threat.

As you can see, in barely a month the number of teens and young adults unfit to serve has jumped from 70 to 75%. That's out of control. America has got to get it's act together if we are to stay competitive in the world theater. We've got to be stronger, faster and smarter to succeed. What do you think is root cause of this decline in overall fitness? Video games? Internet? Parents?

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US Army and federal investigation agents confirmed the arrest of an unnamed Army Special Forces trooper around Clarksville on the Tennessee-Kentucky border.

Around 100 pounds of the military explosive C-4 was discovered at his residence in the state of Tennessee.

What was this guy thinking? Stealing is bad enough, but taking off with military ordinance has to be one of the dumbest moves in in Army history. Maybe he wanted to the explosives for self protection. After all, he was caught near the Tennessee / Kentucky border and they do love some militia around there. If his goals were more sinister, like selling these to terrorists or other hostile groups then he's in even bigger trouble. This guy was Special Forces and I find this all a bit hard to believe, all humor aside. I get a slight twinge of conspiracy theory off this, like perhaps he was on a black op here in the U.S. Could this be a cover story for something else. Building up his criminal record so he can infiltrate some enemy organization? Ok, yes, I've seen to many movies. What do you think?

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Texting took a back seat to safety this month with an executive order prohibiting text messaging while driving on military installations or driving anywhere in government vehicles.

Executive Order 13513, signed by President Obama Oct. 1, specifically bans federal employees from texting while driving government owned, leased or rented vehicles. It prohibits texting while driving privately-owned vehicles on official government business. The policy also extends to federal contractors.

"Despite the shocking accident reports and warnings, people still text while driving, said Mario Owens, safety officer for the Army's Installation Management Command.

President Obama has issued an executive order banning texting while driving. While this may seem obvious to most, texting while driving is on the rise. How soon before we can see this kind of legislation for civilians? And do we really need more people telling us to wear seat belts and to not talk/text while driving? I'm pretty sure Darwin already had that sorted out: Survival of the Fittest.

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A U.S. Navy admiral expressed new concern Friday over China’s military buildup and urged Beijing to be clearer about its intentions.

With China’s military growing at an “unprecedented rate” — spending was up almost 15 percent in the 2009 budget — the U.S. wants to ensure that expansion doesn’t destabilize the region, Rear Adm. Kevin Donegan told reporters on a visit to the Chinese territory of Hong Kong.

“When we see a military growing at that rate, we’re interested in transparency and the understanding of the uses of that military,” said Donegan, commander of the George Washington aircraft carrier strike group, a key part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Donegan’s comments come as a top Chinese general visits the United States on a mission to strengthen trust between the two militaries and dispel U.S. concerns about the growth of the People’s Liberation Army.

China is still a major player in the world theater so I understand our military being concerned. They are still communists after all. My guess would be China is building up to protect their interests in oil and who can blame them. They are one of the top world consumers and show no signs of slowing down. For them, making sure that oil keeps flowing is vital. I don't think there is any cause to worry about a war with China. They rely to heavily on commerce from the U.S. and other countries. I'm sure we'd do the same. Not to mention with China's male population out numbering females like 20 to 1, they could probably use a few skirmishes to correct that little problem.

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he latest trend involves trolling internet dating sites and convincing women that they are honorable Soldiers who have fallen in love and would do anything to communicate with the object of their affection. But, because they are deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq, they need you to sign up for an expensive telecommunications service like "Military TELEX" in order to make that happen. They profess unending love as their motivator and, unfortunately, many women have fallen for it.

Like soldiers don't have enough to worry about, they are also being used and targeted in various scams. On the one hand, people pose as soldiers, especially those deployed in Iraq, to gain the trust of unsuspecting people and ask for their help. Usually in the form of money. The latest scheme is to visit dating sites and pose as a soldier stationed in Iraq. Eventually, they'll want to "meet" or some other ploy to get you to send money to help them out. Please be careful out there, and be sure to read the full details below.

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