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Articles written by Robert Burns


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  • Malmstrom leadership fired en masse

    ROBERT BURNS AP National Security Writer|Updated Mar 27, 2014

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force took the extraordinary step Thursday of firing nine midlevel nuclear commanders and announcing it will discipline dozens of junior officers at a nuclear missile base, responding firmly to an exam-cheating scandal that spanned a far longer period than originally reported. A 10th commander, the senior officer at the base, resigned and will retire from the Air Force. Air Force officials called the discipline unprecedented in the history of America's intercontinental ballistic missile force. The As... Full story

  • Obama, Karzai agree to speed military transition

    JULIE PACE, ROBERT BURNS,Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Friday they have agreed to speed up slightly the schedule for moving Afghanistan's security forces into the lead across the country, with U.S. troops shifting fully to a support role. The leaders also said Obama agreed to place battlefield detainees under the control of the Afghan government. The capabilities of the Afghan army are "exceeding initial expectations," the two said in a joint statement released after their private White House meeting a... Full story

  • Obama, Karzai agree to speed military transition

    JULIE PACE, ROBERT BURNS,Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Friday they have agreed to speed up slightly the schedule for moving Afghanistan's security forces into the lead across the country, with U.S. troops shifting fully to a support role. The leaders also said Obama agreed to place battlefield detainees under the control of the Afghan government. The capabilities of the Afghan army are "exceeding initial expectations," the two said in a joint statement released after their private White House meeting a...

  • Sources: Obama to nominate Hagel as Pentagon chief

    JULIE PACE , ROBERT BURNS,Associated Press

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, a senior administration official said Sunday, choosing a former Senate colleague and a decorated Vietnam veteran and signaling he's ready for a contentious confirmation fight likely dominated by questions about Hagel's stands on Israel and Iran. AP Photo/Nati Harnik Then-Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., speaks during an appearance at Bellevue University, in Bellevue, Neb., on Feb. 21, 2007. President Barack Obama will nominate Hagel a...

  • Sources: Obama to nominate Hagel as Pentagon chief

    JULIE PACE , ROBERT BURNS,Associated Press

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, a senior administration official said Sunday, choosing a former Senate colleague and a decorated Vietnam veteran and signaling he's ready for a contentious confirmation fight likely dominated by questions about Hagel's stands on Israel and Iran. AP Photo/Nati Harnik Then-Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., speaks during an appearance at Bellevue University, in Bellevue, Neb., on Feb. 21, 2007. President Barack Obama will nominate Hagel a...

  • Gen. Dempsey chosen to head Joint Chiefs of Staff

    DARLENE SUPERVILLE, ROBERT BURNS - Associated Press

    AP Photo/Charles Dharapak First lady Michelle Obama greets Bob and Elizabeth Dole before President Barack Obama speaks at the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday. WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama moved Monday to seal an overhaul of his national security team, selecting Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as the next Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman amid protracted battle in Afghanistan, U.S. involvement in the NATO-led effort against Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and a winding down of the war in Iraq. Obama announced...

  • Obama to address nation on Monday about Libya

    ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

    Obama to address nation on Monday about Libya ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama will give a speech to the nation Monday explaining his decision-making on the Libyan war. The timing comes as some lawmakers of both major parties have complained that Obama has not sought their input about the U.S. role in the war or explained with enough clarity about the U.S. goals and exit strategy. U.S.-led forces began launching missile strikes March 19 against embattled L... Full story

  • Obama likely to cut 10K troops from Afghanistan

    JULIE PACE, ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press

    AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File In a Feb. 14, 2010 file photo, a U.S. soldier returns fire as others run for cover during a firefight with insurgents in the Badula Qulp area, west of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. President Barack Obama is expected to withdraw roughly 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year, with one brigade of about 5,000 forces leaving this summer and a second brigade of similar size coming home by the end of the year, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. WASHINGTON — P...

  • Pentagon inquiry clears McChrystal of wrongdoing

    ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

    WASHINGTON — A Pentagon inquiry into a Rolling Stone magazine profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal that led to his dismissal as the top US commander in Afghanistan has cleared him of wrongdoing. The probe's results released Monday also called into question the accuracy of the magazine's report last June, which quoted anonymously people around McChrystal making disparaging remarks about members of President Barack Obama's national security team, including Vice President Joe Biden. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais Retired G... Full story