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August 9, 2012 Drone makers and robotics manufacturers gathered in Las Vegas are optimistic that they will overcome civil liberties concerns about these gadgets, and make the leap from wartime to peacetime markets. Products include "throwable" robots that police can use for remote surveillance, and small aircraft to watch volcanic eruptions.

Summary

August 2, 2012 Drones are no longer the sole province of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. They are starting to appear in U.S. skies. Police are employing them to fight crime. Enthusiasts are making their own at home. Rules governing their use are changing, and civil liberties groups are calling for privacy restrictions.

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July 23, 2012 Unless an agreement on deficit reduction is reached, the entire government will face across-the-board cuts. The deadline for these automatic spending cuts — called sequestration — is now approaching, and the Pentagon, Congress and defense industry view the threat of a budget cut like an invasion from Mars.

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July 17, 2012 Opening statements will be made Tuesday in the trial of a former Air Force instructor accused of rape and sexual assault of young trainees in his care at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Staff Sgt. Luis Walker faces 28 charges and could be sentenced to life in prison. Other instructors are also under investigation.

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June 19, 2012 It's estimated that only 15 percent of sex crimes in the military are reported. The Pentagon is revising its policies, but there is still skepticism about how much will change.

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June 15, 2012 Francis Gary Powers became an iconic Cold War figure when his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960. Yet when he returned home, a shadow hung over him. On Friday, the Pentagon honored him posthumously.

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