Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

 

In State of the Union, military often takes a back seat Military watchers are hoping the president’s State of the Union speech Tuesday will feature lengthy passages about the war in Afghanistan, the recent reductions in military retirement pay or the veterans claims backlog.   Lack of bilateral agreement would be blow to Afghan army, NATO chief says NATO’s top official warned on Monday that failure to achieve a Status of Forces agreement with Afghanistan could result not just in a “zero option” for foreign troops remaining there after 2014, but it also puts at risk further financial assistance for the government’s security forces.   Afghan government stands by civilian death claims, despite doubts over evidence The Afghan government insisted Monday that American forces killed at least a dozen civilians during a military operation in eastern Afghanistan, despite a news report that cast doubt on some of the evidence.   US military denounces release of “dangerous” Afghan prisoners American military leaders in Afghanistan on Monday accused the Afghan government of flouting the judicial process to free dozens of prisoners considered by the U.S. to be “legitimate threats to security.”   Report: Spies use smartphone apps to track people Documents leaked by former NSA contactor Edward Snowden suggest that spy agencies have a powerful ally in Angry Birds and a host of other apps installed on smartphones across the globe.   US looks at ways to prevent spying on its spying The U.S. government is looking at ways to prevent anyone from spying on its own surveillance of Americans' phone records.   Marine Corps to retry sergeant for 2006 death of Iraqi civilian The Marine Corps has decided to retry a sergeant from Camp Pendleton who spent six years behind bars for his alleged role in killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian but whose case was overturned on appeal.   Afghan war vets, St. Louis researchers seek answers on head injuries Sgt. Michael Ritchey’s wife and sister used to laugh at him after his first deployment because he’d become so forgetful and confused. “Then they realized I wasn’t playing,” he said.   Navy admiral apparent choice to take reins of NSA A Navy admiral is the apparent choice to be the next chief of the troubled National Security Agency, which was rocked by former analyst Edward Snowden's disclosures of its secret surveillance programs that collect phone and Internet data around the world and now faces enormous pressure to change its ways.   Restored WWII fighter plane salutes Flying Tigers New Orleans will get a flavor of one of the most heralded episodes of World War II when a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, restored in the shark-nosed markings of the famed Flying Tigers, goes on display at the National World War II Museum.