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Free Syrian Army fighters take a break from the front line in Aleppo, Syria.

Photograph by Andoni Lubaki/AP Photo

Free Syrian Army fighters take a break from the front line in Aleppo, Syria.

Senators Take Up Bill to Arm Syrian Rebels

As frustration mounts over the war in Syria, senators will prod President Barack Obama to do what he has resisted: arm the rebels. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee takes up a bill today that would authorize the president to provide...

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Pope Benedict XVI meets with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the end of the General Audience at the Paul VI Hall on Jan. 16, 2013 in Vatican City.

Photograph by L'Osservatore Romano-Vatican Pool via Getty Images

Pope Benedict XVI meets with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the end of the General Audience at the Paul VI Hall on Jan. 16, 2013 in Vatican City.

Pope to Panetta: ‘Thank You’

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is asking for a little divine intervention as he wraps up his service at the Pentagon. Panetta is spending this week on a trip to western Europe, with the official purpose of thanking NATO allies for...

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A scene from Zero Dark Thirty.

Photograph by Richard Olley/Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection

A scene from Zero Dark Thirty.

Panetta Passes On Critiquing ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ — ‘I Lived It’

On a flight to Lisbon today, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had a chance to weigh in on the controversial, Oscar-nominated film “Zero Dark Thirty,” which depicts the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Senators including Dianne Feinstein, the...

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Chuck Hagel on Capitol Hill.

Photograph by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Chuck Hagel on Capitol Hill.

Hagel Grilling Before Any Nomination

Written with Laura Litvan Chuck Hagel is getting a grilling even before President Barack Obama says whether he’ll nominate the former Nebraska senator for secretary of defense. The Republican’s past comments opposing the troop surge during the Iraq war, questioning...

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, with his golden retriever dog Bravo, during an interview at the Pentagon.

Photograph by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, with his golden retriever dog Bravo, during an interview at the Pentagon.

Panetta Says His Dog, Unlike Petraeus, Proved Soul of Discretion

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta today suggested his dog Bravo turned out to be a better keeper of secrets than David Petraeus, who resigned in disgrace as CIA director last month after acknowledging a sexual affair. Panetta appeared surprised when asked...

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Secretarty of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, and White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, watch President Barack Obama's at the NATO Summit in Chicago.

Photograph by Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

Secretarty of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, and White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, watch President Barack Obama's at the NATO Summit in Chicago.

Defense and Scandal: Reshuffling Top 100 Most Influential in the Field

There’s nothing like a sex scandal to weaken the standing of a Washington power broker. Take David Petraeus, the former CIA director and a retired star general of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The once-widely admired Petraeus was slated to...

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey briefs the media at the Pentagon.

Photograph by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey briefs the media at the Pentagon.

Generals Slide, Fall From `The List’ — Defense Industry Awaits Full Roster

Never mind Hollywood’s Golden Globe nominations. Defense industry bigwigs in Washington want to know who made The List. Two sister trade publications, Defense News and Army Times, are compiling their first Top 100 Most Influential People in Defense. The list,...

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A soldier next to a placard on the fence line of the "Camp Five" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Photograph by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

A soldier next to a placard on the fence line of the "Camp Five" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Guantanamo Debate-Listening Party

The president pledged to close this prison. Tonight, reporters there were following a presidential debate. Reporters camping out at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to cover court hearings for the accused plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were determined not...

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