Word: brassed
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
When the Sixth Fleet struck at Libyan air-defense batteries and patrol boats a fortnight ago without suffering a single casualty, America's top military brass celebrated more than just a victory over Muammar Gaddafi. The Pentagon offered the Navy's demonstration of high-tech firepower as a telling retort to an increasingly restive band of congressional critics who accuse the military of building "gold-plated" weapons that will turn out to be duds in combat. Like Libya's radar transmitters, the Pentagon's detractors were silenced, but only for the moment...
...Spartan Brass band broke into the ominous thump-thump, thump-thumping of the "Jaws" routine, much to the glee of the M's, S's and U's, who clapped their extended arms together, mimicking the Great White beast itself...
...that is the case, military strength will count all the more. Under Marcos' Chief of Staff, the despised General Fabian Ver, the Philippine armed forces became corrupt, undisciplined and top-heavy with overage brass. Ramos, the West Point graduate and respected professional who took Ver's place, says he plans to change that. One of his first acts last week was to retire 22 generals, including Ver himself and the chiefs of the major branches of the armed services. It was the first step in a military reform program long urged by the U.S. The Reagan Administration was delighted with...
...said it was copper-coated, and that a brass coating was more common...
That was precisely what most worried Washington. Since Marcos declared martial law 13 years ago, the Philippine military has grown into a modern force of 230,000. But under General Fabian Ver, the armed forces' Chief of Staff, it has also become top-heavy with brass and riddled by corruption. Sagging morale has spawned sharp divisions within the ranks. A reformist movement, composed predominantly of young officers concerned about the corps' lack of professionalism, has emerged in the past year (see box). At his press conference, Marcos pointedly maintained that the bulk of the Philippine military supports him. Indeed, many...