National Security

Staff Sgt. Jessica Keown, with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss in El Paso Texas, served with a female engagement team, or FET, in Afghanistan.

National

Women In Combat, And The Price They Pay

2:30pm March 25, 2013

For years, the Army has effectively ignored the ban against women in combat, though it's still hard for them to receive full recognition for what they've achieved. "Battle-fatigued female soldiers" is a new and uneasy concept for American society.

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The Value And Risk Of Drawing A Red Line

9:20am March 24, 2013

The term "red line" has been used by the U.S. and other countries to refer to unacceptable actions including Iran's development of nuclear weapons and North Korea, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria. While there is value in having clear-cut parameters for intervention, there is also great risk.

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National

Pentagon May Take Over CIA's Drone Program

9:23am March 21, 2013

The Obama administration is taking steps to put the CIA's drone program under Pentagon control. The CIA has been covertly using drones to target and kill suspected terrorists. Putting the program under Pentagon control would make it more transparent and legally restricted.

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The Iraq War: 10 Years Later, Where Do We Stand?

10:32am March 17, 2013

by NPR Staff

The war has cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars, and there are many who will live with its legacy forever. Now, as it tries to stabilize without U.S. combat troops, the conflict in neighboring Syria could threaten its security.

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National

Is All The Talk About Cyberwarfare Just Hype?

10:00am March 15, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

U.S. officials and security experts regularly highlight the cyberthreat, but they also note that the prospects of a major cyberattack are remote. Cyberespionage and "nuisance" cyberattacks may be a problem now, but all-out cyberwar is not.

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National

Cyberattacks, Terrorism Top U.S. Security Threat Report

6:42pm March 12, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

In his annual assessment of threats, the director of national intelligence also cited Iran and North Korea. He warned the spending cuts mandated under the sequestration jeopardized the nation's safety.

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Standing in front of the Constitution, President Obama delivers an address on national security and terrorism in 2009 at the National Archives in Washington.

Obama Team Stops Saying 'Global War On Terror' But Doesn't Stop Waging It

5:36pm March 11, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

When President Obama took office, he changed the rhetoric from the Bush years. But he never abandoned the idea of global war — a concept with profound legal implications.

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John Kerry, A 'Recovering Politician,' Settles Into Diplomatic Role

8:44pm March 06, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

John Kerry's first trip as secretary of state took him to Europe — where he spent time growing up as the son of a diplomat. Kerry, who also had stops in the Middle East, says he can't speak as freely now as when he was a senator.

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National

Drones Come Home, Privacy Concerns Fly High

8:45am March 06, 2013

Across the country, law enforcement and first responders are flying unmanned aircrafts to take aerial photographs of traffic accidents and crime scenes. As the technology improves and more police departments acquire permits to fly them, concerns about privacy and regulation increase.

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People walk down a market street in Eastleigh, a predominantly Muslim Somali neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2009. The neighborhood has come under scrutiny as the U.S. cracks down on terrorism financing.

Fighting Stream Of Terrorist Capital, Kenya Cracks Down On Somali Businesses

10:26pm February 23, 2013

by Gregory Warner

U.S. counterterrorism efforts include choking off the flow of cash to extremists and urging friendly countries to help. But in places like the Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh, where Somali refugees have flocked, it's hard to distinguish between tainted money and honest cash.

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