July 10, 2018
Pentagon Questioned Over Blackout On War Zone Troop Numbers
For more than a decade, if you wanted to know how many U.S. troops there were in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, you could readily find that information at a public Pentagon website that's updated every three months.
But since late last year, the Pentagon's stopped posting those numbers for Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
That public information blackout, along with the recent suspension of Pentagon reports on airstrikes and collateral damage in Afghanistan, has some lawmakers on Capitol Hill raising red flags.
"What's your view on the detail of the information that should be released?," Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed asked Lt. Gen. Scott Miller at his June 19 confirmation hearing to be the next U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
Miller assured Reed, the Senate Armed Services Committee's top Democrat, that if confirmed, he would be "very transparent" about what's going on in Afghanistan during appearances before Reed's oversight panel. Listen to this story and more from NPR
More from CNAS
-
Congressional Testimony
National Security Human Capital
The Airpower We Need for Irregular WarfareWhy does providing aircraft to partner forces so often fall short of building an effective air force? Retired Lieutenant General Anthony Rock, Michael Horowitz, and Tobias Swi...
By Tobias Switzer
-
Reports
National Security Human Capital
Redrawing the MapExecutive Summary The United States is home to 17.3 million veterans in 2026—a population that has declined from 21.0 million in 2015, as older, conscription-era veterans have...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Podcast
National Security Human Capital
CDC, National Dept, General OfficersThe remarkable Kate Kuzminski, director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, joins us this week discuss the health of the general officer corps in the US mili...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Podcast
National Security Human Capital
The USS Abraham Lincoln and the Toll of the Iran WarKatherine Kuzminski, director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, joins KQED to discuss the USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship has not stopped at port since Decem...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
