Tom Bowman

U.S. Diplomat Reports Little Help During Benghazi Attacks

Tom Bowman — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:50:00 +0000

A congressional committee on Wednesday heard testimony from three witnesses about the events that led to deaths of four Americans at Benghazi in September, 2012. The Benghazi attack has become a political controversy — Republicans accuse the Obama administration of mishandling security there and of misleading the American public after the attack. One new allegation: that a four-person team set to deploy to Benghazi the night of the attack was told not to go.

From Battlefield To Boston: Marine Comforts Bombing Survivors

Tom Bowman — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy_LNYR-MiI

U.S. Faces Fight At Intersection Of Crime And Extremism

Tom Bowman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:20:00 +0000

A suspected drug kingpin from the tiny West African nation of Guinea-Bissau was captured on the high seas by agents from the U.S.

Pressure Builds On White House To Intervene In Syria

Tom Bowman — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. The White House tried to clarify its message on Syria today, saying it is still studying evidence that the government there has used chemical weapons. Here's press secretary Jay Carney.

JAY CARNEY: We are continuing to work to build on the assessments made by the intelligence community.

With Eye On Budget, Hagel Seeks Pentagon Changes

Tom Bowman — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:02:00 +0000

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in his first major policy speech, laid out Wednesday how to deal with threats in an era of tight defense budgets.

Hagel has ordered the Pentagon to take a hard look at how many soldiers and sailors it needs and what types of weapons it buys.

U.S. Flies B-2 Stealth Bombers Over South Korea Amid Escalating Tensions With The North

Tom Bowman — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:33:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

The United States flew two B-2 stealth bombers over South Korea today and dropped dummy munitions on an island range. The drill called Foal Eagle was part of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. It comes at a time of heightened tensions on the peninsula. Just last month, North Korea completed its third nuclear test. And in recent weeks, the North's new leader has repeatedly threatened the U.S.

As Qualified Men Dwindle, Military Looks For A Few Good Women

Tom Bowman — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:02:00 +0000

When the Pentagon said earlier this year that it would open ground combat jobs to women, it was cast in terms of giving women equal opportunities in the workplace — the military workplace.

But the move has practical considerations, too. The military needs qualified people to fill its ranks, and it's increasingly harder to find them among men.

"It's fairly common knowledge that our population of military-age young men, who qualify for the military, is declining," Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen.

U.S. To Boost Missile Defense Amid Threats From North Korea

Tom Bowman — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:39:00 +0000

The Pentagon announced plans on Friday to beef up missile defense along the West Coast, in part to defend against the threat from North Korea. The Pentagon plans on adding 14 interceptor missiles to a base in Alaska, supplementing the 30 that are already there.

U.S. Troops Train For Possible Mission To Secure Syrian Chemical Agents

Tom Bowman — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:16:00 +0000

Several weeks ago, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said the U.S. is planning what to do about Syria's vast chemical weapons program once Bashar Assad's regime falls. The Syrians are believed to have hundreds of tons of chemical agents, including sarin, one of the deadliest chemical agents.

Pentagon Won't Feel Most Of Sequester's Effects Until Summer

Tom Bowman — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:01:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

$46 billion: That's the amount the Pentagon must cut from its budget by the end of September under the new regime of austerity that kicks in today.

As Sequestration Looms, Defense Civilians Face Furloughs

Tom Bowman — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:12:00 +0000

Pentagon officials notified Congress on Wednesday that they will furlough some 800,000 defense civilians for one day per week should automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, kick in next month.

Gen. John Allen To Retire, Not Pursue NATO Commander Nomination

Tom Bowman — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:24:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block. The Marine general poised to lead all NATO forces has decided to resign. General John Allen served 38 years in the military, including as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. But his long career will also be remembered for his peripheral role in a recent scandal. Here's NPR's Tom Bowman.

TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: General Allen said in a statement his reasons for retiring were personal.

Obama To Announce Withdrawal Of 34,000 U.S. Troops From Afghanistan

Tom Bowman — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

The U.S. will bring home 34,000 troops from Afghanistan by this time next year. President Obama is expected to announce the news tonight in his State of the Union address. That will cut the force in half and set the stage for the pullout of most of the remaining U.S. troops by the end of 2014. The drawdown from Afghanistan is just one of several developments today on Capitol Hill that will have a big impact on the Pentagon.

And NPR's Tom Bowman joins me now to walk us through them. Tom, 34,000 troops out of Afghanistan in a year.

Republicans Criticize Pentagon's Response To Attack On U.S. Consulate In Benghazi

Tom Bowman — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testified before a Senate committee Thursday about the September attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans. Panetta was questioned about whether the U.S. response was fast enough and about why the U.S. military had not been better prepared for the possibility of an attack.

Pentagon Will Brief Congress On Deadly Sept. 14 Camp Bastion Attack

Tom Bowman — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:09:00 +0000

More than four months after a deadly attack at a sprawling allied base in Afghanistan that killed two U.S. Marines, there are lingering questions about how it happened.

Capitol Hill sources say they've been pressing for answers since the Sept. 14^th attack in Helmand Province, and say the military has not been forthcoming.

Pentagon Remains Big Target In Likely Budget Cuts

Tom Bowman — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:02:00 +0000

The economy shrunk in the fourth quarter — for the first time in three years — and one of the critical reasons was a drop in defense spending. Apparently, contractors took precautionary steps and held onto money in case the federal government failed to avert the fiscal and tax crisis known as the fiscal cliff.

But there's now a new deadline — automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, which may hit at the beginning of March.

The Effect On Contractors

Kevin Graybeal sells components for electronic systems.

Hagel Grilled By Fellow Republicans At Conformation Hearing

Tom Bowman — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:59:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

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President Obama's nominee to lead the Pentagon spent the day getting grilled by his former colleagues in the Senate. Chuck Hagel is a Republican and President Obama picked him in part as a gesture to the GOP. But today's hearing did not feature a lot of bipartisan warmth.

U.S. Military Seeks Its Role In Troubled North Africa

Tom Bowman — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:28:00 +0000

The recent crises in northern Africa, from Libya to Mali to Algeria, have raised a host of questions about the role of the American military command responsible for the entire continent.

Founded in 2007, the United States Africa Command, or AFRICOM, was created to train African militaries so U.S. troops would not be called upon in times of crisis.

But the command was controversial from day one. When President George W. Bush visited Ghana in 2008, the command was barely up and running. During that visit, Ghanaian President John Kufuor told Bush bluntly that he would not allow the U.S.

How Many U.S. Forces Will Afghan Mission Need After 2014?

Tom Bowman — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:39:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Those decisions about U.S. troop levels will have an impact on the lives of people in Afghanistan, especially in places where the Taliban insurgency remains active, like Kandahar. Kandahar is, of course, the birthplace of the Taliban movement. And to find out more about what Afghans are thinking about the U.S.

Islamist Militant Groups On The Rise In Africa

Tom Bowman — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Robert Siegel talks to Ofeibea Quist-Arcton and Tom Bowman about the U.S. fight against terrorism in Africa, where the number of Islamist militant groups is on the rise — some with close ties to al-Qaida.

U.S. Military Builds Up Its Presence In Africa

Tom Bowman — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 09:41:00 +0000

An Army brigade from Fort Riley, Kan., some 4,000, soldiers, will begin helping to train African militaries. The idea is to help African troops beat back a growing terrorist threat posed by al-Qaida.

The American troops will head over in small teams over the course of the next year. The Dagger Brigade returned to Kansas last year from a deployment to Iraq, where it trained and advised that country's security forces.

Now unit commander Col. Jeff Broadwater is preparing to do the same kind of mission but in a different place.

Hagel Would Be First Former Enlisted Soldier To Run Pentagon

Tom Bowman — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is said to be on President Obama's short list to be the next defense secretary.

U.S. Officials: Syria Has Prepared Several Dozen Chemical Bombs

Tom Bowman — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:41:00 +0000

U.S. and allied officials say the forces of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad have prepared several dozen bombs and shells loaded with the lethal chemical sarin.

The number is a larger estimate than has previously been reported.

Syrian Government Harbors Tons Of Chemical Agents

Tom Bowman — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:05:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

More now on those warnings to President Assad that Kelly mentioned about chemical weapons. Here's President Obama speaking yesterday.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Today I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command, the world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.

BLOCK: That's the president yesterday at the National Defense University. The warning came after the U.S.

Farewell, USS Enterprise

Tom Bowman — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Sailors, veterans and their families are saying goodbye in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday to the USS Enterprise, which was the largest ship in the world and the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier when it was commissioned in 1961.

In its illustrious history, the Enterprise served at the center of international events for a half-century — from the Cuban missile crisis to Vietnam to the Iraq War.

And it had a distinguished Hollywood career as well, playing a leading role in the 1986 film Top Gun, which starred Tom Cruise as a young naval aviator.

When the Enterprise slipped into the

Panetta Calls For Military Ethics Review

Tom Bowman — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:52:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

That resignation of David Petraeus, a retired four-star general, has raised a fundamental question: Is something wrong with the top leadership of the military? For months now, one high-ranking officer after another has gotten into trouble on charges ranging from sexual misconduct to the misuse of government funds. So today, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called for an ethics review of the senior officer corps.

Gen. John Allen Pulled Into Petraeus Scandal

Tom Bowman — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:29:00 +0000

The scandal that forced CIA Director David Petraeus to resign last week just got more complicated. The Pentagon revealed on Tuesday that the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, had email communications with a woman connected to the Petraeus case. The FBI referred the Allen emails to the Defense Department's Inspector General. Melissa Block talks to Tom Bowman.

Report Finds Commander Of U.S. Forces In Europe Violated Travel Regulations

Tom Bowman — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 23:15:00 +0000

The Defense Department inspector general found that Adm. James Stavridis, the commander of all U.S. forces in Europe and the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces, violated travel regulations and accepted gifts from foreign governments without reporting them in a timely manner.

The AP reports that the IG found that "Stavridis never attempted to use his public office for private gain nor did he commit personal misconduct"

Still, the case has had deep repercussions for Stavridis. He was once thought to be in line to become the top Navy officer, the chief of naval operations.

U.S. Offers New Details Of Deadly Libya Attack

Tom Bowman — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:31:00 +0000

Once a mob began attacking the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on the night of Sept. 11, officials in Washington, D.C., watched with alarm. Now, new details are emerging about their response to the deadly attack.

President Obama and his entire national security team monitored what was going on half a world away. Army Gen.

U.S. Eager To Step Aside; Are Afghan Forces Ready?

Tom Bowman — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:04:00 +0000

America's exit strategy in Afghanistan is to have Afghan forces take the lead in fighting for their country. But too often these days, the job still falls to U.S. troops.

A senior officer in Afghanistan tells NPR that Americans continue to coddle Afghan forces and that this must stop. Tough love is in, the officer says. He says the Afghan forces are far more capable than the U.S. estimates and have simply grown accustomed to the U.S.