WASHINGTON — A two-year investigation by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee has found that the CIA and the military acted properly in responding to the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and asserted no wrongdoing by Obama administration appointees.

Debunking a series of persistent allegations hinting at dark conspiracies, the investigation of the politically charged incident determined that there was no intelligence failure, no delay in sending a CIA rescue team, no missed opportunity for a military rescue, and no evidence the CIA was covertly shipping arms from Libya to Syria.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, intelligence about who carried it out and why was contradictory, the report found. That led Susan Rice, then U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to inaccurately assert that the attack had evolved from a protest, when in fact there had been no protest. But it was intelligence analysts, not political appointees, who made the wrong call, the committee found. The report did not conclude that Rice or any other government official acted in bad faith or intentionally misled the American people…”

Forrás : http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/11/21/house-intelligence-panel-debunks-many-benghazi-theories.html?ESRC=marine.nl

“By Brendan McGarry Friday, November 21st, 2014 12:54 pm
Posted in Land, The Defense Business

The U.S. Army and Marine Corps have finished testing prototypes of the Humvee replacement known as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

But results of the evaluations haven’t been released and manufacturers are still waiting for the program office to issue a request for proposals — initially expected this month — to begin the next round of competition.

Defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin Corp., truck-maker Oshkosh Corp. and Humvee-maker AM General LLC each delivered 22 JLTV prototypes to the Army for testing under engineering and manufacturing development contracts signed in 2012. Now, the companies are competing against each other to build 17,000 of the vehicles under a much bigger low-rate initial production contract.”

Forrás : http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/11/21/army-marine-corps-finish-testing-jltv-prototypes/?ESRC=marine.nl

“Nov 18, 2014 | by Richard Sisk

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel traveled to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to meet the female Marines who are seeking roles in the infantry, armor and artillery that previously were restricted to men.

Hagel asked the women at a town hall meeting about their motivation to fight and work in the most grueling combat positions in the U.S. military.

The women told Hagel that they wanted to serve their country and also “wanted to do something special.” He added that the Defense Department was working to ensure that there were no unfair limitations on “people who want to give that kind of service.”

“It’s the right thing to do” to open up military occupational specialties that previously were barred to women, Hagel said. He stressed that “we’re not going to lower standards.”…”

Forrás : http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/11/18/hagel-visits-female-marines-training-for-combat-roles.html?ESRC=marine.nl

“Veterans Day is an important day for showing appreciation to members of our military, past and present. If you’re looking for an appropriate way to honor a veteran in your life, or would like to contribute in a way that’s meaningful for veterans everywhere, here’s a list of suggestions to start you off…”

Forrás : http://www.military.com/veterans-day/8-ways-to-express-appreciation-on-veterans-day.html?ESRC=vetday.se