Leon

Fiscal crisis, budget battle mark Panetta's tenure

By LOLITA C. BALDORAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - As Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's plane returned home Saturday night, completing his final official overseas trip, his staff gathered to salute his time as Pentagon chief and present him with a symbol of his tenure: a plastic meat ax.

US, UK defense chiefs bemoan deaths in Algeria

By LOLITA C. BALDORAssociated Press LONDON (AP) - The U.S. and British defense chiefs said Saturday the hostage crisis in Algeria ended with more deaths, but that details remained unclear. They blamed the militants who seized the natural gas complex in the Sahara, and not Algeria's government

Troops worry about defense, job cuts

By LOLITA C. BALDORAssociated Press VICENZA, Italy (AP) - The soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team have gone to war five times since 9/11, and 84 have been killed - including 13 during their current deployment to Afghanistan. But when members of the unit had a chance to ask Defense

US slams hostage-taking; Clinton to call Algeria

By BRADLEY KLAPPERAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration appeared to be in the dark Thursday about a hostage situation at a natural gas plant in Algeria, where Algerian forces launched a military assault to free dozens of foreign hostages, including an unknown number of