Marines Allowed To Smoke In Afghanistan

Pentagon will not impose smoking ban.

V-22 Osprey Shows Serious Problems

More problems for V-22 Osprey.

Congress Limits The President’s Ability To Close Guantanamo Bay

First, the title of this post is a bit misleading.  President Obama never made a promise to close Guantanamo Bay (GTMO).  He only ordered that the detention facility, holding those captured in the GWOT be closed by January 2010.  That being said, the recent bill signed into law by the president, H.R. 2346: Supplemental Appropriations [...]

Supreme Court Will Not Take Action On Uighur Case Until Next Term

The Supreme Court will not hear Kiyemba, et al. v. Obama, et al. until next term, October at the earliest.
Because the Court took no formal action on Kiyemba Monday, there was no explanation.  It is possible to speculate on the reasons.
Among them could be that the Court did not want to be seen to be [...]

Osprey Gets Gun Turret

From Aviation Week,
The U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 squadron preparing to deploy to Afghanistan in the third or fourth quarter of this year is now flight testing a turreted gun to beef-up the aircraft’s fire-power.
The Bell/Boeing MV-22 unit is likely to be deployed to Camp Bastion in the Helmand region as part of the U.S.’s [...]

Uighurs To Bermuda

From Reuters,
Four Chinese detainees from Guantanamo Bay arrived in Bermuda on Thursday after being freed by U.S. authorities in the Obama administration’s latest move to close the controversial prison camp for terror suspects.
Their release took place the same day China repeated its demand for repatriation of all 17 members of the Uighur ethnic group held [...]

Uighurs Back To Supreme Court

The case of Jamal Kiyemba v. Obama, was decided on 7 April 2009 by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  The court held that no court had the power to order the Uighurs to be released to live in the United States. 
The case will be heard by [...]

Increased Legal Rights For Detainees May Lead To More Targeted Killings In Afghanistan

One of the consequences of the increased legal rights granted to detainees at Guantanamo Bay may be an increase in targeted killings in Afghanistan using Predator drones.

Guantanamo Bay: Majority Of American Oppose Closing Terrorist Detention Center

In a recent poll Americans say Guantanamo Bay should not be closed by a 2-1 margin.

Military Commissions: Omar Khadr Fires Military Lawyer

The latest on the military commissions being held in Guantanamo Bay,
Judge Patrick Parrish, a US Army colonel, decided to publicly hear arguments in the case of Omar Khadr, who was 15 years old when he allegedly killed a US sergeant with a grenade.
The case highlights the many challenges President Barack Obama faces in changing the [...]

Satellite Photos Of Pakistani Nuclear Weapons Complex

Satellite photos of nuclear weapons facility in Pakistan.

President Obama On Guantanamo Detainees And Military Commissions

President Obama gives speech outlining the way forward on Guantanamo Bay and military commissions.

Guantanamo Bay Detainees Not Going To Supermax Prison In Colorado

Detainees from Guantanamo Bay will not be moved to Supermax federal prison in Colorado.

Boumediene Released To France

Lakhdar Boumediene, of Boumediene v. Bush, has been rendered to France,
Lakhdar Boumediene, is on his way to France today, where he’ll face terrorism charges. Boumediene stood accused of planning to attack the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo; a U.S. judge ordered him released last year due to a lack of evidence.  In Boumediene, the Court invalidated [...]

Army Captain Pleads Guilty To Stealing Military Equipment In Iraq

From the Eastern District of Virginia,
Elbert Westley George III, 36, a U.S. Army captain who was stationed in Iraq, pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to steal U.S. government equipment and sell it to a local Iraqi businessman, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and Acting U.S. Attorney [...]

Drones Are The Only Game In Town For Combating Al Qaeda

According to CIA Director Leon Panetta drones are,
the only game in town in terms of confronting or trying to disrupt the al Qaeda leadership,” Panetta told the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles.
Pakistan has complained repeatedly about what it says are airstrikes on its territory by U.S.-operated drones. The U.S. military in neighboring [...]

Guantanamo Bay Detainees May Be Held Indefinitely

From WSJ,
The Obama administration is weighing plans to detain some terror suspects on U.S. soil — indefinitely and without trial — as part of a plan to retool military commission trials that were conducted for prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The proposal being floated with members of Congress is another indication of President Barack Obama’s [...]

Guantanamo Bay May Close But Those Held There May Not Come To The United States, So Says The Senate

President Obama will announce the continued use of military commissions for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. But the Senate will not approve any funding that would transfer any of the detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States.

President Obama Will Continue To Use Military Commissions For Detainees Held At Guantanamo Bay

President Obama to announce that he will continue to use military commissions to try detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

No Prosecutions For Drafters Of Torture Memos

From the NYT,
WASHINGTON — An internal Justice Department inquiry into the conduct of Bush administration lawyers who wrote secret memorandums authorizing brutal interrogations has concluded that the authors committed serious lapses of judgment but should not be criminally prosecuted, according to government officials briefed on a draft of the findings.

Dreadnaught prediction: no prosecutions.
yojoe out

Obama Administration Looks To Continue The Use Of Military Commissions For Guantanamo Detainees

Lawyers for the Obama administration are becoming more receptive to the use of military commissions for the prosecution of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.