Gates Envisions 'Fundamental Shift' in Weapons Spending

WASHINGTON - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates will announce "a fundamental shift" in the military's weapons budget on Monday, unveiling a series of cuts to big-ticket programs that he deems ill-suited to meeting current national security threats, the Pentagon said yesterday.

"These are not changes to the margins. This is a fundamental shift," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters yesterday, though he declined to provide specifics of the plan, which Gates will unveil after briefing key members of Congress over the weekend.

US Official: Talks on Kyrgyzstan Base Continue

MOSCOW - A senior U.S. official said Friday that Kyrgyzstan and Washington have agreed to continue talks over a key American air base that American forces had been told to leave within six months.

A Kyrgyz presidential spokesman reiterated that the base decision was final, but said the Central Asian country was still open to a new deal with the United States.

Pentagon Exploring Robot Killers That Can Fire on Their Own

The Defense Department is financing studies of autonomous, or self-governing, armed robots that could find and destroy targets on their own. On-board computer programs, not flesh-and-blood people, would decide whether to fire their weapons.

Army to Phase Out 'Stop-Loss' Practice

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced yesterday that the Army will phase out the unpopular practice of "stop-loss," which mandates that soldiers stay in the Army beyond their service obligation, over the next two years.

In the meantime, the Pentagon will offer extra pay to soldiers who continue to serve under the policy, Gates said.

National Guard Called Last Resort at US-Mexico Border

WASHINGTON - A top Homeland Security official told Congress Thursday that National Guard troops will intervene on the U.S.-Mexico border only as a "last resort" to combat drug violence.

Roger T. Rufe Jr., the Homeland Security Department's head of operations, outlined still evolving contingency plans for dealing with the violence, one day after President Barack Obama said "we're going to examine whether and if National Guard deployment would make sense."

Human Factor Suspected in Mass Beaching of Whales in Australia

Conservationists are demanding an immediate and thorough inquiry into what they say is the suspicious stranding of 200 whales and dolphins.

Fears that the mass stranding on an Australian beach on Sunday was caused by human disturbance were raised because two species of cetacean came ashore simultaneously.

Most of the animals were pilot whales, but a number of bottlenose dolphins were also among the pod.

Residents joined wildlife workers to spend hours keeping the surviving animals wet and cool before they could be lifted, pushed and hauled back into the water.

No Justice for Victims of Agent Orange

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has turned down American and Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange who wanted to pursue lawsuits against companies that made the toxic chemical defoliant used in the Vietnam War.

The justices offer no comment on their action Monday, rejecting appeals in three separate cases, in favor of Dow Chemical, Monsanto and other companies that made Agent Orange and other herbicides used by the military in Vietnam.

Agent Orange has been linked to cancer, diabetes and birth defects among Vietnamese soldiers and civilians and American veterans.