iraq

'60 Minutes' video: Drone warfare in Iraq

One technology more than any other has stood out as a success story for the U.S. military in Iraq: unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

The best-known of the UAVs, the MQ-1 Predator, has evolved from its early use as simply a reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft to become a highly valued weapon in its own right. Armed with Hellfire missiles, it can both track enemy combatants and fire on them. A more recent version of the Predator, called the MQ-9 Reaper, was specifically put into service as a "hunter-killer" drone.

The Pentagon has been so impressed with the … Read more

U.S. Army's '17-pound GPS unit'

The budget ax has not been kind to the U.S. Army's long-running, tech-focused Land Warrior system, but last year backers did manage to get a small test deployment into the field in Iraq with one infantry battalion. Soldiers involved in the test have had some good things to say about the system, which among other things is built to deliver real-time location information via digital maps in helmet-mounted eyepieces. But they also say many features go unused, or don't always work as they're intended to, and that just means a lot of useless extra weight to … Read more

In Shooting War, it's 2011 and John McCain is President...

Back in 2006 it seemed unlikely that John McCain would earn the Republican nomination for President of the United States, but when journalist Anthony Lappeand artist Dan Goldman set out to create a near-future world for their graphic novel Shooting War they decided to imagine just what a McCain Presidency might look like in 2011 and their forecast is dark with more than a few scattered showers.

Shooting War began as a web comic at SMITH magazine in May of 2006, and was completed as a hardbound graphic novel that was published in November of last year. The book tells the story of video blogger extraordinaire Jimmy Burns. In the story, Burns is thrown into the spotlight after he happens to capture a New York City terrorist attack with his live-streaming video camera. He soon finds himself reporting from Iraq as the newest addition to the fictional cable news outlet, Global News Network.

After arriving in Baghdad, Burns quickly finds himself enmeshed with the terrorist cell, Sword of Mohammed, as both Burns and Lappe explore the possible root causes behind the War on Terror. Along the way, he encounters not only lust, but love as well. He discovers first hand what propels the mainstream media's thirst for coverage in a war-torn Iraq, and legendary journalist Dan Rather makes a special cameo as a sort of mentor for the fresh-faced Burns.

Like any good graphic novel, Shooting War left me turning page after page in one long marathon session before I finally devoured its satisfying ending. It's an entertaining book, but it's also informative and filled with interesting predictions for where things may be headed. Goldman's graphic approach to the story is simultaneously classic and hyper-modern; the art was composed digitally, and like V for Vendetta, it is arguably an artistic evolution in comic art.

Perhaps the most interesting element of Shooting War is its depiction of US foreign relations in 2011, and the predictions that Anthony makes about what the future may hold.… Read more

Former tech exec's film gets Oscar nomination

No End in Sight, an Iraq war documentary by tech exec-turned-filmmaker Charles Ferguson, was nominated last week for an Academy Award.

The film, an analysis of how the U.S. occupation in Iraq evolved into a violent quagmire, was Ferguson's first film project, but apparently not his last.

"The experience of making this film was so amazing, so extraordinary, that it completely converted me to filmmaking," Ferguson said in response to e-mailed questions. "I certainly hope that I can make more films, both documentaries and features, if the world lets me...I have no idea yet … Read more

Osprey in Iraq: No mishaps

The Pentagon hasn't been saying much about what's up with the Osprey in Iraq. That could be because it doesn't want to jinx what seems to be, after the first three months of deployment, a success story for the long-controversial tilt-rotor aircraft.

(By contrast, try getting it to stop crowing about the performance of a different breed of new aerial technology, unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Reaper.)

Since arriving at Al Asad Airbase last fall, the 10 MV-22 Ospreys of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 have accumulated more than 1,600 hours of flight time, carrying … Read more

MADCAT to take over translation for troops

Foreign language translation on the battlefield is a dangerous and expensive proposition, and a job the military wants to see automated.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BBN Technologies a $5.67 million contract to produce a Multilingual Automatic Document Classification Analysis and Translation (MADCAT) prototype capable of quickly converting to English everything from a crumpled, handwritten note in Arabic to computer files in Pashto using a PDA or a laptop.

Seems like a bargain, considering translation services in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere are expected to cost the U.S. taxpayer $4.6 billion over the next … Read more

Iraqi journalist killed at home

Alive in Baghdad is one of the only destinations providing weekly video of life in Baghdad from an Iraqi perspective. The reporting examines current issues facing the country, and also features evergreen material documenting what life in a war-torn country looks like. The program has been profiled in numerous media reports, has garnered numerous awards, and has grown a loyal following.

On Friday, Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi, a special correspondent for Alive in Baghdad was found dead in his home. He was born December 16, 1984 and was discovered by his cousin following a raid on his street by the Iraqi … Read more

Merry Christmas, Mom: Ustream links soldiers with home

To many Americans with family members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the most wished-for holiday gift is simply a visit with their far-off loved ones.

Ustream.TV, a start-up that lets people stream live video to the Web, is planning to help military families connect through the Internet this holiday season.

The company has given Webcams to people who have family stationed in Iraq, so they can access the Ustream service and take part in a video chat.

Ustream, headquartered in Los Altos, Calif., has a strong military background. Co-founders John Ham and Brad Hunstable met each other while attending … Read more

A virtual trip to Baghdad

I'm holding a ticket to Baghdad in my hand. I just booked the flight at a kiosk in a storefront travel agency in San Francisco's hipster heart, the Mission District.

From speakers in the room, a woman's soothing voice calls out some of the highlights there, like restaurants that are never crowded. Televisions spell out more urgent tips for travelers: "No skirts. No photos. No children."

Brochures in English, Spanish, and Arabic provide more details: "All the beautiful places that you might have read about have either been destroyed or looted."

The boarding … Read more