Army officials on Thursday announced that they are closer to identifying the remains of soldiers who were misplaced at Arlington National Cemetery, according to reports information is still being confirmed for 62,000 burial sites. Officials also announced that a new smart phone and computer GPS app will soon allow families and friends of fallen soldier to more quickly locate their tombstones exact location.

When the smart phone and computer GPS program rolls out maps will be made available through a front office kiosk after a user finds the relative or friend they wish to visit.

Along with their investigation Army officials say they have discovered more than 400,000 bodies are located on the premises, not the 330,000 originally believed to exist at Arlington.

When not searching for missing bodies officials are attempting to located nearly $12 million that had been appropriated to Arlington National Cemetery over the years but has went missing among a myriad of accounting problems on the Army level.

When pressed about the missing cash McCaskill promised to get to the bottom of the mix-up while noting:

“I don’t think there has been any indication of people walking away with money. It was just incompetence.”

In the meantime cemetery watchdog Sen. Clair McCaskill revealed:

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last 18 months. We’re not there yet.”

McCaskill, D-Mo., took over the job of straightening out cemetery concerns after hundreds of graves were discovered to be unmarked, mislabeled or wrongly identified on maps available through the cemetery’s office.

At this time executive director of the Army National Cemeteries Program Kathryn Condon says 210,076 graves are confidently confirmed for veterans and family members to find while her group is cross-checking data for other graves located on the 624-acre property.

Do you think officials at Arlington National Cemetery are taking the strides need to make a change for the better.

Arlington Cemetery Missing $12 Million As Officials Are Still Locating Misplaced Graves is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Obama White House today announced that a deal to sell $30 billion dollars worth of advanced f-15 fighter jets to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been finalized.  Obama has stated that the deal is meant to counteract Iran and provide job and export growth to the American Economy.

Congress approved the deal in 2010.  To fulfill the contract Boeing will provide 84 advanced F-15SA combat planes to the Royal Saudi Air Force.  In addition it will provide upgrades to 70 existing jets in addition to providing arms for the planes, spare parts and other resources for their upkeep.

White house Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that “This agreement will positively impact the U.S. economy and further advances the president’s commitment to create jobs by increasing exports.  According to industry experts, this agreement will support more than 50,000 American jobs, engaging 600 suppliers in 44 states, and providing $3.5 billion in annual economic impact to the U.S. economy.”

Additional military equipment being provided to Saudi Arabia as part of the $60 billion dollar deal approved in 2010 are 70 Apache attack helicopters, 72 Black Hawk helicopters, 26 Little Bird helicopters and assorted weapons systems for the aircraft.

The main reason for the arms package’s approval, at the time, was the insistence of both the Obama Administration and The Saudi Arabian government was that the Iranian threat  required a well armed Saudi Arabia.  Saudi Arabia has stood side by side witht he US in opposing Iran’s nuclear program.

Press Secretary Earnest further stated “This agreement reinforces the strong and enduring relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a strong Saudi defense capability as a key component to regional security,”

The Obama administration also sought to allay concerns that the arms package diminished Israel’s miltary edge in the region.

“All sales to the region must be evaluated for the impact on Israel’s qualitative military edge,” assistant Secretary of State Andrew Schapiro told reporters. “We conducted that assessment, and we are satisfied that this sale to Saudi Arabia will not detriment Israel’s qualitative military edge.”

Should America be so committed to improving the Saudi’s military?

Obama White House Selling F-15′s To Saudi Arabia, Worth $30 Billion is a post from: The Inquisitr

In the five years leading up to the Barack Obama presidency the United States had launched 44 drone attacks, all of which were focused on Pakistan and which killed 400 people. Since taking the Oval office job however that number has soared under Obama to more than 240 strikes with at least four times as many people dead.

Under the Obama administration the U.S. is also suspected of building dozens of secret drone facilities with bases located in at least six countries. According to the Washington Post the attacks are part of Obama’s “emerging global apparatus for drone killing.”

Obama however isn’t the first U.S. President to see the the drones as a tactical advantage for the United States, the program began to develop under former President George W. Bush but has been vastly expanded by President Obama over the last 3 years.

According to the report the drone program expansion has occurred largely because several members of the President’s inner circle have become “enamored” by them, specifically Hillary Clinton, Leon Panetta and John Brennan. In fact only one top member of the Obama administration has been critical of the program and that member, Donald Blair, has since been fired from his post.

While a former Obama official says the President was initially “oddly passive” of the program, although another official disputes that claim.

Even with successful drone missions flow on a regular basis there is still a level of concern, because the CIA and military split up strikes there is often little to no oversight. The CIA and military each have their own “kill lists” for example which makes it hard for congress to gather a whole picture of the campaigns overall efficacy.

Do you think the U.S. of military drones is better than putting military lives at risk in traditional fight jets or should the U.S. back off it’s drone expansion program?

Obama Administration Has Used Record Number Of Military Drones is a post from: The Inquisitr

In the early morning Sunday hours 110 armored trucks and other vehicles carrying more than 500 soldiers began a five-hour drive from Iraq to Kuwait down the main supply route previously referred to as Main Supply Route Tampa, thus marking the end of a U.S. occupied era in Iraq.

According to CNN those soldiers were the last of 12,000 who were stationed at the Camp Adder base just one month earlier, a base that even as of Thursday’s flag-casing ceremony was still home to more than 1,000 troops.

The base, formerly full of coffee shops, an Italian Restaurant and other shops, is now in the hands of the Iraqi government to do with it what they please.

According to the Associated Press troops cheered, pumped their fists in the air and hugged one another as they left the base while one military member shouted “We’re on top of the world!”

Many of the men and women to leave with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division had been with the war since it started, some serving on their 2nd, 3rd and even 4th deployments into the country. Speaking to CNN one staff sergeant who entered the country in 2003 noted:

 ”The biggest thing about going home is just that it’s home.” That soldier added, “It’s civilization as I know it—the Western world, not sand and dust and the occasional rain here and there.”

Do you think it’s about time the soldiers in Iraq come home? Unfortunately for many of the soldiers happy to be leaving one war they will soon embark on deployments to Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries with terrorist interests.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Last American Troops Left Iraq This Morning is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s bad form to pose as a dead body in a casket, it’s in extremely bad form to pose in that casket if it’s the same type used to send the dead back from war and it’s in astronomically bad taste to post that photo on Facebook but that’s exactly what a group of enlisted Air Force men and women recently did and now an investigation has been launched.

In the photo (pictured above), a colleague is wrapped in chains with a noose around his neck. The photo was sent to Air Force Times by an angry Sergeant who was alerted to the photo by a former soldier who saw it posted on their friends Facebook page.

In his letter to AFT the Sergeant wrote:

“I cannot help but picture the faces of dead that we drug out of burning vehicles, dug out from collapsed buildings.”

In a statement about the situation Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said this type of behavior ”is not representative of the airmen I know.”

News of the photo couldn’t come at a worse time for the Air Force who admitted earlier this month to dumping the bodies of 274 soldiers into a Virginia landfill when they could not make a positive ID.

Donley continues to reveal in his statement:

“It saddens me that this may cause additional grief to the families of our fallen warriors.”

How do you think the Air Force should react to this type of blatant tomfoolery from their enlisted men and women?

Air Force Launches Investigation Into Dead Body Casket Gag is a post from: The Inquisitr

On Thursday afternoon Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will hold a quiet ceremony in Baghdad where he will formerly announce the withdrawal of American Troops just in time for the holidays.

Under a US-Iraq agreement U.S. troops were to be withdrawn from the region by December 31, 2011, however after eight years, eight months and 25 days Panetta plans to bring American military personnel home a few weeks early.

In celebration of the occasion Panetta will then leave with his staff followed by the troops guarding the ceremony.

While the withdrawal is a time for celebration among military families the response from Iraqi citizens has been met with mixed emotions. In celebration of the news thousands of people burned American and Israeli flags over the last several days while one resident told the Washington Post :

“What’s the point of lighting a candle at the beginning of a tunnel when you know you will be walking in darkness?” he asked. “I am happy they are going, but I know my happiness won’t last for long.”

It’s still unclear how much sectarian violence will be witnessed in the area, since the war began more than 100,000 Iraqi citizens and 4,487 American lives were lost.

Are you happy that American troops are being sent home after nearly one decade of fighting in the region?

American Troops Leaving Iraq, Leon Panetta To Hold Quiet Ceremony is a post from: The Inquisitr

U.S. officials have found the remains of 274 troops dumped in a Virginia landfill, more than the military originally acknowledged.

News of the dumped bodies was discovered at the pressing of the Washington Post at which time records from the Dover Air Force Base mortuary revealed that 274 troops were sent to the landfill along with 1,762 unidentified remains that were collected from battlefields around the world.

Damaged remains that were dumped only occurred when DNA testing could not find a match among military databases.

Exposed last month the practice of dumping military remains was stopped in 2008 after it was determined that the military was not alerting the families of fallen troops to their practices.

Speaking about the embarrassment last month Pentagon officials said that it would take “massive effort” in order to identify the remained that have been disposed.

Angered by the situation New Jersey lawmaker Rush Holt noted:

“We spent millions, tens of millions, to find any trace of soldiers killed, and they’re concerned about a ‘massive’ effort to go back and pull out the files and find out how many soldiers were disrespected this way?” he says. “They just don’t want to ask questions or look very hard.”

Do you think the military should do more to ensure such practices do not occur in the future?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

274 American Troops Found Dumped In Landfill is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States Senate on Thursday passed a massive $662 billion defense spending bill that brings with it various sanctions, harsher treatment of suspected terrorists and more.

Under the bill the U.S. plans to issue crippling sanctions against Iran in the hopes of choking off finances to the country by marking their entire banking sector as a “primary money laundering concern.”  By marking the Iran banking system in such a way the US and other international banks will closely monitor transactions and deny fund transfers from the countries lending institutions.

Sanctions against Iran were met with a 100-0 unanimous vote despite the possibility that gas prices could be pushed up in the United States because of the tighting control over Iran’s finances.

Speaking about sanctions against Iraq Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) noted:

“Iran’s actions are unacceptable and pose a danger to the United States and the entire world,” and ”Iran supports terrorist groups, arms the killers of American soldiers, lies about its nuclear program, violates its citizens’ basic rights and threatens Israel’s security.”

The bill will also allow the U.S. military to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely without trial even if they are captures on US soil and if they are American citizens.

Because of the bills ramped up security against “possible” terrorists the White House has already threatened to veto the bill. The White House issued the following statement:

“Applying this military custody requirement to individuals inside the US would raise serious legal questions, and would be inconsistent with the fundamental American principle that our military does not patrol our streets.”

The terrorist section of the bill would also require that all terrorists linked to al-Qaeda and their affiliates be placed under direct military custody, while American citizens would be exempt from such military holdings control.

The bill has managed to anger civil rights groups, including the the senior legislative counsel for the ACLU who revealed:

“Since the bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent, American citizens are at greater risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial if this bill becomes law.”

It’s not just the American Civil Liberties Union that opposes more military control over terrorist suspects, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also opposed the bill as did FBI Director Robert Mueller who both said the bill “challenges or constrains the president’s authorities to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the nation.”

The section of the bill authorizing money for military personnel, weapons systems, national security programs in the Energy Department and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 was met with a vote of 93-7.

It should be noted that the bill is $27 billion less than President Obama requests and $43billion less than what Congress awards to the Pentagon in the 2010 fiscal year.

As of Thursday the White House has said the threat of a veto still stands if the bill remains in it’s current state.

Do you think the U.S. Senate has overstepped their bounds is the treatment of potential terrorists? Would you pay more for gas at the pump if it meant constraining the power of Iran?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

US Senate Passes Massive $662 Billion Defense Spending Bill is a post from: The Inquisitr

Drones are big thing for today’s military from the huge Predator flying drones to the dog-like pack drone being developed with the military. The use of drones seems almost unlimited and now the soldier in the field will be able to have their own personal drones to use.

Called Switchblade this unmanned aerial system (UAS) from AeroVironment is light enough that it can carried by a single soldier, deployed in minutes and capable of sending back video to the soldier on the ground. It is also silent due to the fact that it is electric powered which can make it doubly difficult to detect at night.

The real kicker to the Switchblade though is that it can also carry a warhead, making it a portable weapon so a soldier can take out a target of opportunity should the occasion arise. It is “intelligent” enough due to the on-board imaging sensors that it is capable of identifying, tracking and guiding itself right to that target.

It is because of this expendability that the Switchblade is referred to as a kamikaze drone but depending on its actual success in the field we will probably be seeing more of these types of single use drones in the future.

via GizMag

US Military to get Kamikaze drones is a post from: The Inquisitr

With the United States recently singing a new security agreement with Australia President Obama announced on Wednesday that the United States does not fear china.

News of the Australian security agreement comes at a time when many politicians have grown weary of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness.

Announced during a joint news conference between President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard the deal will position more U.S. personnel and equipment in the country while increasing American access to bases.

Under the plan 250 U.S. Marines will begin a new rotation in 2012 in the Northern Territory with an increase of 2,500 military personnel entering the region by 2016-2017.

In covering the deal U.S. officials were careful to point out that they were not attempting to create a permanent American military presence throughout Australia.

“It also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region that want to feel that they’re getting the training, they’re getting the exercises, and that we have the presence that’s necessary to maintain the security architecture in the region,” Obama said.

On Thursday President Obama will speak to the Australian Parliament before flying to Darwin, a city where some of the Marines will be stationed in 2012.

When asked if the new agreement was meant to “contain China” President Obama said that the U.S. was attempting to send a clear message that China needs to accept the responsibility of being a world power. In his speech Obama revealed of China:

“It’s important for them to play by the rules of the road and in fact help underwrite the rules that have allowed so much remarkable economic progress to be made over the last several decades,” and “When China is playing by those rules, recognizing its new role, I think this is a win-win situation.”

Speaking directly about the “fear” of China the President said:

“I think the notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we’re looking to exclude China is mistaken.”

Directly following Obama’s announcement China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said his people were discussing whether or not the increased military presence was in line with common interests that serve the international community.

In responding to Liu’s comments Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes said the increased U.S. presence was requested by various members of the international community who say the increased presence is a necessity as China continues to claim dominion over large swaths of the Pacific, areas the U.S. and other countries consider international waters.

Further concerns over China’s increase in military spending up to $160 billion last year along with the testing of new stealth jet fighters and the launch of the countries first aircraft carrier which launched this year helped lead to the increased military presence.

In speaking to Australian official President Obama said:

“Our alliance is going to be indispensable to our shared future, the security we need, and the prosperity that we seek, not only in this region but around the world,” while adding, “This is a region of huge importance to us. This is right up there at the top of my priority list. We are going to make sure that we are able to fulfil out leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Also included in their strengthened agreement will be increased space for U.S. aircraft including B52 bombers and jet fighters. Australian officials will also work to boost use of the Western Australia’s Stirling naval base for US vessels.

While President Obama says the United States does not fear China a special commission has asked that the Government Accountability Office evaluate the ability of the Pentagon’s early warning system. The argument is that the People’s Liberation Army (China’s military wing) is attempting to exploit weaknesses in a vast military network.

“The PLA’s military strategy is designed to provide the army with the means to defeat a technologically superior opponent, such as the U.S. military … degrading an opponent’s technological advantages and striking first in order to gain surprise.”

While U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has pushed for stronger diplomatic talks with China in recent years the U.S. recently backed a Philippines protest after China attempted to claim an island chain that has long been tied to the Philippines.

Do you believe that the United States military needs to expand into new territories to help slow the expansion of China’s territorial claims?

[Image via Walter G Arce / Shutterstock.com]

President Obama: United States Does Not Fear China is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tom Harrison waited 66 years for the war medals he earned after being freed from a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the Second World War.

Earlier this month, the 93-year-old Utah veteran finally received his seven military medals in the mail, including the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star.

Immediately after the war, a shortage of precious metals such as silver and bronze meant many veterans needed to apply to receive their medals. Those who didn’t were given ribbons instead. Many medals were awarded in the years after service members were discharged.

The medals arrived at Harrison’s house on November 4th, coincidentally his 65th wedding anniversary, and have provoked a mix of pride and anguish in the former army captain. While Harrison takes pride (predominantly in the men who served with him; he refuses to speak of his own valor) in the medals, they also reignite painful memories of the Bataan Death March, POW camps and the friends he lost during the war.

After American and Filipino troops surrendered at the Battle of Bataan in April 1942, Harrison endured the brutal Bataan Death March and more than three years as a Japanese prisoner of war. Today, he reflects to Associated Press:

“It brings back memories, but also makes you feel like somebody appreciated your service. It also reminds me of the people I served with in the Philippines. I’m the only survivor from my unit now. I’ve lost most of my friends.”

Harrison doesn’t expand on why he waited so long to claim his medals, but he is not alone. Retired 1st Sgt. Dennis Meeks is a customer service manager for the South Carolina-based Medals of America, which works with the military to distribute medals to veterans. Meeks points out that medals were the last thing on many minds when the war finished:

“The Greatest Generation just put this war to the side when it ended. They had other concerns, like starting families and careers.”

Tom Harrisons plans to display his medals in his home near the Salt Lake Country Club. He adds:

“They add excitement to an otherwise sedentary life. I can still remember it all, even after such a long time. I don’t like to bring it up, but I’ll talk about it if asked.”

Tom Harrison, WWII Veteran, Receives War Medals in Mail … 66 Years Late is a post from: The Inquisitr

The military sure seems to have a great big love affair with unmanned flight, or anything that has the word ‘drone’ attached to it, and that love affair just got a big boost today as Northrop Grumman’s X-47B, an unmanned stealth plane, achieved cruise mode speed for the first time in testing.

The flight which took place on September 30, 2011, at the Edwards Air Force Base, saw the unmanned plane retract its landing gear and fly in formation for the first time. The other purpose of the flight, to test navigation hardware and software, also got the big thumbs up.

With a wingspan of 62 feet the plane has a range of over 2,100 nautical miles and a payload capacity of 4,500 pounds. It can also fly at high subsonic speeds which will make it faster than either of its drone brethren, the Predator and Reaper.

This is considered to be a major step towards the planes going into production and being shipped out to aircraft carriers.

Having passed this stage of its testing the X-47B has surpassed expectations and Northrup Grumman is looking forward to the next round of tests to further prove its unmanned stealth plane.

via CNet

Unmanned stealth plane achieves 1st cruise mode flight is a post from: The Inquisitr

There isn’t much said about it but it is well known in security circles that the Predator and Reaper drones used by the American military do have security flaws with the most well known one being that the video sent to US ground troops is unencrypted.

However word has broken that about the fact that a computer virus has infected Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilot’s keystrokes as they fly remote missions over Afghanistan and other war zones.

It seems that the virus was first notice almost two weeks ago by the military and its Host-Based Security System. This discovery hasn’t stopped any of the missions being flown and there has been no confirmation yet of any classified data being sent to outside sources.

Ars Technica is reporting that sources within the military and familiar with the infection are saying that every effort to remove the infection is being taken but every time they remove one instance of the virus another replaces it.

Military security experts aren’t sure how the infection got started int he first place and they aren’t sure of just how far the infection has spread but they are pretty sure that it has hit both classified and unclassified machines.

This uncertainty leaves open the possibility that classified inc=formation may have indeed been captured via the virus payload and sent to outside individuals.

The US Reaper and Predator drone fleet hit by virus is a post from: The Inquisitr

The internet reacts to Fourth of July/Independence Day celebrations across America.

Happy 4th of July, Internet! is a post from: The Inquisitr

This montage, posted on YouTube, shows over 150 servicemembers singing The Star Spangled Banner in Iraq. Awwww.

[via Fark]

[Video] Montage, Servicemen and Women in Iraq Sing ‘Star Spangled Banner’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

By now I am pretty sure that everyone is familiar with what night vision goggles look like, especially if you watch any movies or television shows that have a military action type theme; but there is a rumor floating around that these bulky clip-on contraptions have been replace and already live-field tested.

According to the rumor the SEAL 6 team that was involved with the bin Laden raid in Pakistan were using night vision contact lenses to help them see in the dark.

There has been no statement from the U.S. military either confirming or denying that these night vision contacts even exist let alone were used by soldiers in the raid.

The graphic above is just a illustration of how these contacts are envisioned to work

via KitUp

[Science Rumor] Soldier’s night vision goggles replaced by contacts is a post from: The Inquisitr

Forget your Call of Dutys and your Battlefields – the U.S. Army is preparing what should be the most realistic military videogame ever.

At $57 million, this new software has the kind of big bucks budget associated with best-selling shooters. And it’s using the best tech around – Crytek’s CryEngine 3 engine, as seen in the visually stunning Crysis 2. That said, it does lack the flashy names of its gaming cousins – ‘Dismounted Soldier Training System’ (DSTS) doesn’t roll off the tongue.

Nor is DSTS played on a PC or console – instead, soldiers wear special head-mounted displays on their helmets, and the virtual world is piped straight to their eyeballs. Troops are given a 10-by-10 foot training area to operate within, and can move or look in any direction. There’s a dedicated joystick for firing weapons, while voice comms with their colleagues are carried out in-game.

With accurately recreated locales such as Afghanistan and Iraq, this means soldiers can essentially practice missions with their colleagues until they get it right. Troops previously depended on aerial photography, schematics, or ‘word of mouth’ before they set off to face the enemy – now, they’ll be able to perfect their performance beforehand.

If you fancy giving this ultimate military sim a go, the Army will have 102 systems in place globally in January 2012. Now there’s just the small issue of, err, enlisting. Here’s a trailer showing off the tech:

[Via GamePro]

US Army using Crysis 2 engine for ultra-realistic military sim is a post from: The Inquisitr

Late last night I wrote about the secret helicopters used by the SEAL team in their raid to get Osama bin Laden and now this morning we get to find out about another really cool thing to do with the SEAL team.

According to The Sun the SEAL team was not just made up of some highly skilled human soldiers but they also had as an integral part of the team a commando trained German Shepard. It appears, according to the post, that these war dogs are now considered to be an equal member of the SEAL teams.

Heavily armoured hounds — equipped with infrared night-sight cameras — have been used in the past by the top-secret unit.

The war dogs wear ballistic body armour that is said to withstand damage from single and double-edged knives, as well as protective gear which shields them from shrapnel and gunfire.

The animals will attack anyone carrying a weapon and have become a pivotal part of special operations as they crawl unnoticed into tunnels or rooms to hunt for enemy combatants.

The cameras on their heads beam live TV pictures back to the troops, providing them with critical information and warning of ambushes.

Dogs were also used in the capture of Saddam Hussein and in the killing of the Iraqi dictator’s two sons.

The dogs that are a part of these teams are well protected as well with a specially designed vest from K9 Storm as you can see from the images below.

Another really cool thing about these war dogs: they are trained to wear oxygen masks and be able to jump from planes at 25,000ft.

And you thought your dog was tough.

Another Unknown Bin Laden Raid Tidbit – The SEALs K9 Partner is a post from: The Inquisitr

The U.S. raid to finally get Osama bin Laden; dead or alive, is going to be one of those historic moments we will all talk about for years to come. Opinion on whether to release the photos of Bin Laden’s death is raging and the identities of the  incredible Navy SEALS team who pulled off the impossible is still a secret.

But there is one other part of this story that has been getting its own special kind of attention. I am of course referring to the helicopters that were used in the raid. While much of the main stream media is centered around the Bin Laden aspect of the story there is a group of aviation and intelligence experts that have been captivated by what little information that has been glean from a few images of the helicopter which malfunctioned during the raid and was blown up.

David Axe at Wired’s Danger Room blog has a great post that explores the subject with some great detail but it seems that the general consensus is that these helicopters were either specifically reconfigured machines for this job alone or are quite possibly a helicopter we haven’t even seen yet, let alone heard whispers of.

Considering the proliferation of bewildering photos from the crash site, the conservative viewpoint seems unlikely. Equally, the notion of a brand-new “black” helicopter seems far-fetched, especially considering the Army’s long history of heavily modifying existing rotorcraft for secret missions.

That leaves an upgraded, stealth-optimized MH-60 as the most likely candidate — a conclusion that jibes with CIA director Leon Panetta’s assertion Tuesday that the 25-man strike team was “carried in two Blackhawk helicopters that went in.”

A story by ace reporter Sean Naylor in Army Times, published just minutes after the initial version of this post, supports this conclusion. Naylor quotes a retired Special Forces aviator saying the special Blackhawk, modified by Lockheed Martin, has “hard edges, sort of like an … F-117″ stealth fighter from the same company.

According to a source who spoke to our own Spencer Ackerman, the modifications might have taken place with the help of a mysterious Army organization called the “Technology Applications Program Office,” located at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

David points out in his post that if this is indeed a more stealthy helicopter that has proven how well it works, as evidenced by this raid, then the implications are possibly very big.

In any event, the implications are potentially enormous. For one, the existence of a stealthy helicopter means we must revise upward our assessment of U.S. Special Operations Forces’ ability to strike fast and unseen, all over the world.

Second, we should take with a grain of salt all the recent hand-wringing over the supposed decay in the American military rotorcraft industry. If we really have already fielded the world’s first radar-evading helicopter, there’s less reason to worry that the United States might have lost its chopper-making skills.

Third, the fact that the Pentagon was willing to risk its most secret whirlybird “shows the importance of the mission in the eyes of U.S. commanders,” according to Aviation Week’s Bill Sweetman, who was, as usual, among the first to report on the new chopper.

Here is an artist’s rendering by aviation artist Ugo Crisponi, based on current information, of what these secret helicopters could look like compared to its brethren already in use.

Speculation is rampant when it comes to the secret copters used in Bin Laden raid is a post from: The Inquisitr

Wikileaks – the exposer of all things secret – has been in the news for a variety of reasons the past month or so starting with their appeal for help keeping the site open. No sooner than did they manage to meet a large portion of their operating cost needs than along come word that Wikileaks was one of the many sites being constantly monitored by the Department of Homeland Security and their MiB stepchild the NSA.

Then on March 15, 2010 CNET reports that apparently the US Army expressed the opinion that Wikileaks posed a danger to possible military operational security and information security which humorously enough came to light because the report was published on Wikileaks.

A leaked U.S. Army intelligence report, classified as secret, says the Wikileaks Web site poses a significant “operational security and information security” threat to military operations.

Classified U.S. military information appearing on Wikileaks could “influence operations against the U.S. Army by a variety of domestic and foreign actors,” says the report, prepared in 2008 by the Army Counterintelligence Center and apparently disclosed in its entirety on Monday.

This also ended up as a post at the New York Times that said Wikileaks has been placed on the Pentagon list of enemies that threaten the security of the United States.

To the list of the enemies threatening the security of the United States, the Pentagon has added WikiLeaks.org, a tiny online source of information and documents that governments and corporations around the world would prefer to keep secret.

The Pentagon assessed the danger WikiLeaks.org posed to the Army in a report marked “unauthorized disclosure subject to criminal sanctions.” It concluded that “WikiLeaks.org represents a potential force protection, counterintelligence, OPSEC and INFOSEC threat to the U.S. Army” — or, in plain English, a threat to Army operations and information.

All this pales to the report that Wikileaks is about to produce evidence of a US Military cover-up of a murder – that is if they survive to produce the evidence.

The first clue that something was up may have actually showed up on the Wikileaks Twitter stream back in February when they thanked people for their help in cracking US military encryption on a video file

Finally cracked the encryption to US military video in which journalists, among others, are shot. Thanks to all who donated $/CPUs.

Then more recently, once again on their Twitter stream, they announced that they would be releasing video proof of a murder cover-up

WikiLeaks to reveal Pentagon murder-coverup at US National Press Club, Apr 5, 9am; contact press-club@sunshinepress.org

However there is some concern beginning to build that the folks behind Wikileaks may have finally bitten off a secret even to big for them to release. This morning the blog From the Morgue has posted a timeline of worrying posts by Wikileaks to their Twitter stream yesterday

• WikiLeaks to reveal Pentagon murder-coverup at US National Press Club, Apr 5, 9am; contact press-club@sunshinepress.org
• WikiLeaks is currently under an aggressive US and Icelandic surveillance operation. Following/photographing/filming/detaining
• If anything happens to us, you know why: it is our Apr 5 film. And you know who is responsible.
• Two under State Dep diplomatic cover followed our editor from Iceland to on Thursday.
• One related person was detained for 22 hours. Computer’s seized.That’s http://www.skup.no
• We know our possession of the decrypted airstrike video is now being discussed at the highest levels of US command.
• We have been shown secret photos of our production meetings and been asked specific questions during detention related to the airstrike.
• We have airline records of the State Dep/CIA tails. Don’t think you can get away with it. You cannot. This is WikiLeaks.

As the blog does point out the follow-up silence could very well be due in part to timezone differences however one has to wonder if there will finally be a limit to what powerful agencies in the world will put up with when it comes to their secrets being released to the public.

I’ll be keeping an eye on this story and will post any updated information I come across – or finds me.

Has Wikileaks finally bitten off a secret too big? is a post from: The Inquisitr