Top Admiral Says U.S. May Need More Troops in Afghanistan

Staff / Truthdig Sep 16, 2009 There are already about 62,000 American troops in Afghanistan, and more may be sent to combat the Taliban and contain insurgent violence, according to Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said Tuesday that the next couple of weeks could be telling in terms of how many more troops the U.S. might deploy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pakistani Official: No New Nukes

Staff / Truthdig May 19, 2009 Responding to a recent assertion by Adm. Mike Mullen, current chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, that Pakistan is actively adding to its array of nuclear weapons, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira insisted on Monday that Mullen was in error. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Adm. Mike Mullen on Charlie Rose

Staff / Truthdig Mar 13, 2009 Get inside the head of Barack Obama's chief military adviser, Adm. Mike Mullen, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he chats up Charlie Rose in a telling discussion centered on international relations and the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pentagon Eyeing Military Option Aganst Iran

Staff / Truthdig Apr 26, 2008 On Friday, a day after an American cargo ship fired warning shots at two small boats off the coast of Iran, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said the Pentagon is considering various options, including military action, to deal with what he characterized as the Iranian government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Good News and Bad News from Adm. Mullen

Staff / Truthdig Oct 2, 2007 The freshly sworn-in chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, started his first day on the job with this revelation: "The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan will one day end." That's a relief, coming from the newest member of Team Bush, but don't get too excited, there's more: "We must be ready for who and what comes after." Oh dear. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Joint Chiefs Chairman Likely to Back Big Cut in Troops

Staff / Truthdig Aug 25, 2007 It looks as though Gen. Peter Pace, whose term as Joint Chiefs chairman and the president's top military adviser is about to expire, may go out with a bang. While Gen. David Petraeus is expected to back the White House's push for an extended surge, Gen. Pace is likely to call for a major reduction -- by almost half -- of U.S. forces in Iraq in order to address the long-term needs of an overextended military. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gen. Pace Isn’t Going Quietly

Staff / Truthdig Jun 16, 2007 Outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace says he did not resign voluntarily, but "I've been told I'm done." Defense Secretary Robert Gates openly admitted that he would not seek another term for Pace in order to avoid a difficult confirmation. Pace has been closely tied to the Iraq war and its fortunes from the start, and only made matters worse recently with a public declaration of homophobia. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

White House Boots Joint Chiefs Chairman

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2007 The Bush administration has announced plans to oust Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace and Vice Chairman Adm. Ed Giambastiani. Pace was involved with the planning and execution of the Iraq war from the beginning, and his reappointment would likely spark a debate and raise uncomfortable questions in the Senate during his reconfirmation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Wants to Expand Army, Marines

Staff / Truthdig Dec 20, 2006 President Bush has instructed Defense Secretary Robert Gates to provide a plan for increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps. A major increase would take years to achieve and would not alleviate problems associated with the White House's plan to "surge" troop levels in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Joint Chiefs Protest a Cartoon

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2006 All six Joint Chiefs of Staff write a very rare letter to the editor of the Washington Post, protesting an editorial cartoon by Tom Toles, which they say demeans wounded American soldiers. | story (Broken by AMERICAblog)Well, despite the fact that Toles has a valid satirical point to make about the Pentagon's overextension of troops in the field, we have to wonder: With the insurgency gaining strength every day, and reconstruction efforts crippled by high-level incompetency, this cartoon is what's upsetting our nation's military leadership? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )