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Friday

Kidnappings Highlight Al-Qaida's Rise In The Sahara

Soldiers from Niger patrol the road between Agadez and Arlit in September. Issouf Sanogo/Getty Images hide caption

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Issouf Sanogo/Getty Images

Africa

Kidnappings Highlight Al-Qaida's Rise In The Sahara

How to counter and curb growing Islamist militancy and banditry in the Sahel — the vast, poorly policed zone that straddles the African nations of Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Algeria — is a priority for governments in West Africa, Washington and beyond.

Kidnappings Highlight Al-Qaida's Rise In The Sahara

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Thursday

National

Earmark Vital To Keeping Fort Drum Area Healthy

North Country Public Radio

A $400,000 earmark funds an organization that helps connect soldiers and their families at Fort Drum with private-practice doctors. The service was necessary because Fort Drum lacks its own hospital, but it has also helped bolster the region's health care assets as a whole.

Earmark Vital To Keeping Fort Drum Area Healthy

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Lone-Wolf Plots Alter Anti-Terrorism Strategy

An increasing interest in violent jihad in the U.S. coincides with al-Qaida's move toward smaller attacks. The group has called on affiliates to launch any attacks, and that call is expected to grow louder next year. Experts say law enforcement officials have decided the best way to battle this growing threat of homegrown terrorism is to confront the suspects directly.

Lone-Wolf Plots Alter Anti-Terrorism Strategy

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Wednesday

The Two-Way

Cyber Command Focusing On Private Cooperation

"Cyberwar" has moved to the top of national security threats. Now, the U.S. Cyber Command is looking for ways to better coordinate with the private sector on protecting the nation.

Audie Cornish and Tom Gjelten discuss "cyber war"

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Tuesday

Army Boot Camp Embraces New-Age Fitness

Bundled up against the cold, military police trainees exercise early in the morning at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. In a radical shift, the Army is overhauling the way it trains, cares for and feeds new soldiers. Kelley McCall/AP hide caption

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Kelley McCall/AP

National

Army Boot Camp Embraces New-Age Fitness

KCUR

Young Army recruits reflect society at large: They're in terrible shape. So the top brass has revamped basic training to focus on core strengthening and mastering simple, precise movements. The mess hall fare has also been overhauled -- in place of deep-fried foods there are whole grains, low-fat yogurt and sliced fruit.

Army Boot Camp Embraces New-Age Fitness

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Monday

Thursday

Debating Behavior Profiling For Airport Security

Most airline passengers expect to go through a body scan or pat-down, but they may find themselves inspected based on their actions. Human interactions with passengers, rather than technology, may help the TSA find potential threats. But opponents argue behavior profiling violates civil liberties.

Debating Behavior Profiling For Airport Security

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Wednesday

Officals Try To Reassure Public On Security

Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan, pictured at an October news conference, says the government has taken a number of steps to correct past security mistakes. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption

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Charles Dharapak/AP

Officals Try To Reassure Public On Security

Homeland Security adviser John Brennan, seeking to reassure the traveling public, says security agencies are now focused on the potential for multiple small attacks in addition to a single catastrophic attack. Brennan also defended the U.S. intelligence chief after a terrorism-related gaffe.

Officials: Al-Qaida Learns From Mistakes

In the failed cargo-bomb plot attempt by al-Qaida's arm in Yemen, intelligence officials say the group may have chosen the tactic to improve chances for success. Experts say terrorists are searching for ways to take humans -- who could make rookie mistakes -- out of the equation.

Officials: Al-Qaida Learns From Mistakes

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Tuesday

Senate Looks To Restrict Guantanamo Prosecutions

The Senate is poised to approve a measure that would bar prosecutions of Guantanamo detainees inside the U.S. and impose new restrictions on sending terrorism suspects overseas. Attorney General Eric Holder says the bill represents "risky" and unprecedented meddling into the business of the executive branch.

Senate Looks To Restrict Guantanamo Prosecutions

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'Human Factor' Proves Key Obstacle To Terrorism

Swedish police officers patrol a street in central Stockholm, near where a suicide bomber killed himself two days earlier, on Dec. 11. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images

'Human Factor' Proves Key Obstacle To Terrorism

In the past year, there have been at least three potential terrorist attacks that have failed because the plotters bungled the job. But analysts say the U.S. shouldn't take solace in the fact that plots fell flat; somewhere down the line someone may succeed.

'Human Factor' Proves Key Obstacle To Terrorism

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