Darts and Laurels

Sex-assault double standard

Sex-assault double standard

DART to Army Secretary John McHugh for creating a corrosive double standard.

Faced with an angry Congress demanding that military leaders curb the epidemic of sex assaults in the ranks, McHugh has …

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Fill DoD posts faster

Fill DoD posts faster

DART to the Obama administration for being slow to fill important senior Defense Department posts. When Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter steps down next month after five grinding years as DoD’s chief …

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Underqualified undersecretary

Underqualified undersecretary

DART to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus for nominating Jo Ann Rooney to be his undersecretary.

Perhaps there have been Navy undersecretaries with less naval experience than Ms. Rooney, who is less than …

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Don’t Cut ONA

Don’t Cut ONA

DART to the DoD budget-cutters, no doubt well-intentioned, who appear to have trained their red pens on the Office of Net Assessment.

Some say ONA, founded in 1973 and still run by …

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Budgetary irresponsibility

Budgetary irresponsibility

DART to the House of Representatives for adding to the budgetary chaos that is hindering the U.S. military. In 1986, then-AFJ editor Benjamin Schemmer looked into the possibility of suing Congress for …

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Hypersonic success

To the X-51A hypersonic vehicle program.

Looks like the fourth time’s the charm. After a trio of attempts at sustained air-breathing hypersonic flight, the DARPA/Air Force Research Lab/Boeing/Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne team …

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Serious mine games

To the Navy for continuing its large-scale international mine countermeasures exercises in the Persian Gulf.

Nearly 40 allied and friendly navies joined U.S. warships in May for the International Mine Countermeasure Exercise, …

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