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Military Times
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[l] at 9/14/24 9:00am
Nearly $6 billion in U.S. funding for aid to Ukraine will expire at the end of the month unless Congress acts to extend the Pentagon’s authority to send weapons from its stockpile to Kyiv, according to U.S. officials.U.S. officials said the Biden administration has asked Congress to include the funding authority in any continuing resolution lawmakers may manage to pass before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 in order to fund the federal government and prevent a shutdown. Officials said they hope to have the authority extended for another year.They also said the Defense Department is looking into other options if that effort fails.US to send $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine, officials sayThe officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the funding talks, did not provide details on the options. But they said about $5.8 billion in presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, will expire. Another $100 million in PDA does not expire at the end of the month, the officials said. The PDA allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine.They said there is a little more than $4 billion available in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative that will not expire at the end of the month. That money, which expires Sept. 30, 2025, is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more.Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that as the Defense Department comptroller provides options to senior defense and military service leaders, they will look at ways they can tap the PDA and USAI funding.He said it could be important to Ukraine as it prepares for the winter fight.“One of the areas that we could do work with them on … is air defense capabilities and the ability to defend their critical infrastructure,” Brown told reporters traveling with him to meetings in Europe. “It’s very important to Ukraine on how they defend their national infrastructure, but also set their defenses for the winter so they can slow down any type of Russian advance during the winter months.”Earlier Thursday at the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the press secretary, noted that the PDA gives the Pentagon the ability to spend money from its budget to send military aid to Ukraine. Funding in the $61 billion supplemental bill for Ukraine passed in April can reimburse the department for the weapons it sends.“Right now, we’re continuing to work with Congress to see about getting those authorities extended to enable us to continue to do drawdown packages,” said Ryder. “In the meantime, you’re going to continue to see drawdown packages. But we’ll have much more to provide on that in the near future."The U.S. has routinely announced new drawdown packages — often two to three a month.Failure by lawmakers to act on the PDA funding could once again deliver a serious setback in Ukraine’s battle against Russia, just five months after a bitterly divided Congress finally overcame a long and devastating gridlock and approved new Ukraine funding.Delays in passing that $61 billion for Ukraine earlier this year triggered dire battlefield conditions as Ukrainian forces ran low on munitions and Russian forces were able to make gains. Officials have blamed the monthslong deadlocked Congress for Russia's ability to take more territory.Since funding began again, U.S. weapons have flowed into Ukraine, bolstering the forces and aiding Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine’s forces stormed across the border five weeks ago and put Russian territory under foreign occupation for the first time since World War II.

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[l] at 9/13/24 4:00pm
BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces and American troops have killed a senior commander with the Islamic State group who was wanted by the United States, as well as several other prominent militants, Iraq’s military said Friday.The operation in Iraq's western Anbar province began in late August, the Iraqi military said, and involved also members of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and Iraq’s air force.15 ISIS militants killed, 7 US troops injured during Iraq raidAmong the dead was an IS commander from Tunisia, known as Abu Ali Al-Tunisi, for whom the U.S. Treasury Department had offered $5 million for information. Also killed was Ahmad Hamed Zwein, the IS deputy commander in Iraq.Despite their defeat, attacks by IS sleeper cells in Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past years, with scores of people killed or wounded.Friday's announcement was not the first news of the operation.Two weeks ago, official has said that the United States military and Iraq launched a joint raid targeting suspected IS militants in the country’s western desert that killed at least 15 people and left seven American troops hurt.Five of the American troops were wounded in the raid itself, while two others suffered injuries from falls during the operation. One who suffered a fall was transported out of the region, while one of the wounded was evacuated for further treatment, a U.S. defense official said at the time, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation that had not yet been made public.In Friday's announcement, the Iraqi military said the operation also confiscated weapons and computers, smart phones and 10 explosive belts. It added that 14 IS commanders were identified after DNA tests were conducted. It made no mention of the 15th person killed and whether that person had also been identified.The Islamic State group seized territory at the height of its power and declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014 but was defeated in Iraq in 2017. In March 2019, the extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled in eastern Syria.At its peak, the group ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom where it enforced its extreme interpretation of Islam, which included attacks on religious minority groups and harsh punishment of Muslims deemed to be apostates.Despite their defeat, attacks by IS sleeper cells in Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past years, killing and wounding scores of people.The U.S. military has not commented on the August raid.Earlier Friday, the U.S. Central Command said its forces killed an IS attack cell member in a strike in eastern Syria. It added that the individual was planting an improvised explosive device for a planned attack against anti-IS coalition forces and their partners, an apparent reference to Syria’s Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.In August last year, the U.S. had agreed to enter into talks to transition U.S. and anti-IS coalition forces from their long-standing role in assisting Iraq in combating IS. There are approximately 2,500 U.S. troops in the country, and their departure will take into account the security situation on the ground, and the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces.Mroue reported from Beirut.

[Category: / Your Military] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/13/24 1:30pm
A new benefit coming to service members in 2025 could help defray their health care expenses, as the military will soon offer troops health care flexible spending accounts, the Defense Department announced Friday.Service members will have the option to open health care flexible spending accounts for the first time during a special enrollment period in March 2025. They can contribute up to $3,200 a year in pretax earnings toward eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses, with a minimum contribution of $100 annually. The Internal Revenue Service determines eligible expenses and contribution limits, the latter of which may vary by tax year.The benefit is one of seven initiatives announced Friday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to improve the quality of life for service members and their families.In essence, it’s a savings account that can be used to pay for items not covered by health or dental insurance. Such accounts have been available for years to employees of many federal agencies and private companies.More than 300 IRS-approved health care expenses qualify, including copays and deductibles; out-of-pocket costs for braces; glasses and contact lenses; prescription drugs; over-the-counter medicines; and wellness treatments such as acupuncture, massage and chiropractic care.A wide variety of other items are also eligible, such as hand sanitizer and menstrual care products.Service members choose their contribution amount, which is automatically withdrawn from their paycheck over the course of the year and deposited into their FSA. Because FSA contributions aren’t subject to payroll taxes, participants can save an average of 30% on eligible health care expenses, according to the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program, or FSAFEDS. FSAFEDS, which will administer the program, offers a calculator to help determine potential annual savings.FSAFEDS also administers DOD’s dependent care flexible spending account benefit, which became available to service members in 2024.Pentagon to unveil new programs to boost quality of life for troopsService members must submit receipts or other documentation with their claim form.Once the enrollment period begins, service members can enroll online at fsafeds.gov. Service members must use and claim their FSA funds by the end of the plan year on Dec. 31. Service members can carry over up to $640 of unused funds into the next year if they reenroll.Otherwise, it’s use or lose: Service members will lose any funds that aren’t used during the plan year.If both spouses are eligible for a health care FSA, each earner can maintain a separate account, and, combined, can contribute between $200 and $6,400 total per year.The Defense Department offers free assistance to service members deciding whether to use this benefit, through appointments with a personal finance or tax counselor via DOD’s Office of Financial Readiness and Military OneSource. More information, including financial and tax impacts, will be available on the DOD’s financial readiness site at a later date.Meanwhile, troops can start gathering receipts and information about their out-of-pocket health expenses now to help decide whether to open a health care FSA in March and how much to contribute.

[Category: / Your Military] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/13/24 11:02am
One of the Army’s most modernized armored brigades and its parent division recently conducted the service’s first long-range, fully remote cybersecurity operation at the division level.The 3rd Infantry Division’s network operations and security cell remained at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in July, covering the first 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team’s cyber 6 as the Raider Brigade conducted a two-week rotation at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.Army officials believe that such remote cyber protection will be critical to units using cloud-dependent systems on missions, systems increasingly being fielded to the force. The division cell’s oversight of Internet firewalls, sensors and scanners for a unit more than 2,300 miles away occurred during one of the brigade’s most demanding rotations to date.Nearly every upgrade is hitting this armor brigadeBrigade soldiers fought across 120 miles during their time at the center, Maj. Gen. Chris Norrie, 3rd ID commander, said Wednesday at the Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore, Georgia.The brigade conducted five force-on-force operations, a full live-fire attack into a hasty defense and seized 20 objectives, Norrie said.“That’s a really demanding pace and scale for an armor brigade, but it is consistent with what we might expect if we had to go fight large-scale ground formations,” Norrie said.The cyber soldiers back in Georgia detected 17 million digital threats and manually investigated more than 3,000 alerts as they supported the brigade, according to a division statement.“We took a capability that was being underutilized at the brigade level and brought up the ability to provide a cyber defense to any of our units,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Gregory Hazard, who heads the unit’s Cybersecurity Operations Center.Hazard stressed that the remote cell was still in the “proof of concept stage” but the division has already heard from other divisions interested in how they can replicate the concept.Brigade commander Col. Jim Armstrong spoke Thursday at the conference, noting how current adversary threats in cyber and other areas are forcing units to adapt.“We must not cede this freedom of maneuver,” Armstrong said in a statement to Army Times. “We must re-create maneuver space in multiple domains to maintain our capacity to kill the enemy.”The division was the first in the Army to receive a slew of upgrades in 2022, including new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, new maintenance and diagnostic tools, the M109A7 Paladin howitzer, the M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and the M1A2 Sepv3 Abrams tank.At the time, the division also tested the new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, which it has since fielded and it was the first brigade to deploy a full complement to the training center, Armstrong said.Armstrong shared other highlights from the rotation.The division conducted the first heavy Immediate Response Package since 2003, a scalable, combat-ready force ready for short or no-notice deployment, Armstrong said.That package includes a company’s worth of Bradleys, JLTVs, tracked maintenance vehicles, fuelers, cargo trucks and about 60 soldiers.Deploying the response package required C-17 Globemaster plane transports that landed at airstrips meant to replicate real-world remote locations rather than a standard airport.The combination of new equipment and cyber protection helped the brigade conduct the first successful armored brigade combined arms breach of an urban site at nighttime in more than 20 years, Armstrong said.

[Category: / Your Military] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/13/24 10:10am
Two Colombian nationals were sentenced to prison Thursday for conspiring and attempting to murder American soldiers by detonating a car bomb in 2021 outside a military base near the Colombia-Venezuela border, the Justice Department announced.Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, 40, and Ciro Alfonso Gutierrez Ballesteros, 31, were sentenced to 35 and 30 years in prison, respectively, for the crimes, the department said.The decision closes a chapter in the case against the attackers, who set off a blast that injured “three U.S. Army soldiers and 44 Colombian military personnel,” the department said.U.S. soldiers had been dispatched to the South American country in 2020 in part to help its military plan anti-narcotics operations, Army Times previously reported.The pair of Colombians, along with members of an extremist faction of the group Las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, known as the 33rd Front, targeted American troops stationed at the Colombian 30th Army Brigade base in Cúcuta, Colombia, according to court documents.Medina Rodriguez used his status as a former Colombian army officer to gain access to the base to conduct surveillance. Then, on June 15, 2021, he drove a bomb-laden SUV to the installation, activated an explosive and fled on a motorcycle driven by Gutierrez Ballesteros.Both of the Colombian men were extradited to the U.S.“Our most urgent mission and highest priority is to hold those accountable who target Americans, to include the brave men and women who serve as members of our uniformed services domestically and around the world,” Markenzy Lapointe, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement.Earlier this year, federal authorities extradited another Colombian national charged with drugging, kidnapping and robbing two U.S. soldiers in Colombia in 2020.

[Category: / Your Military] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/13/24 9:01am
More military spouses— including spouses of service members in all enlisted ranks — will be eligible for the Defense Department’s $4,000 tuition assistance program aimed at boosting opportunities for employment, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Friday.Effective Oct. 1, officials will expand eligibility for the My Career Advancement Account, or MyCAA, program to include spouses of service members in pay grades E-7, E-8, E-9 and W-3. That will make the benefit available to spouses of active duty members in the grades of E-1 to E-9, W-1 to W-3, and O-1 to O-3.The expansion of the MyCAA program is part of a bevy of new initiatives Austin announced during his trip to Maxwell Air Force, Alabama.Spouses can use the tuition assistance to pursue occupational licenses, certifications or associate degrees needed for employment. The program is open to those in any career field or occupation. Spouses may also use their MyCAA scholarship at an approved institution to help with the costs of national tests for course credits required for a degree approved under the MyCAA program. MyCAA doesn’t pay for course work in pursuit of a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree.Those eligible to register and apply for the scholarship include military spouses of active duty service members and spouses of National Guard and Reserve members on Title 10 orders.Pentagon to unveil new programs to boost quality of life for troopsAs before, there’s an annual fiscal year cap of $2,000 per spouse for the assistance and it’s a one-time benefit for spouses. The financial assistance is also limited to the amount of funding DOD has available.In its 15 years of existence, the MyCAA program has gone through various changes. When it was first offered in 2009, it paid up to $6,000 in assistance to spouses of service members in all ranks, with no limits on the types of education or fields.It was so popular and so many spouses applied that DOD had to abruptly shut it down in 2010 when funding was depleted. When DOD officials restarted the program later in 2010, they lowered the dollar limit of assistance, and limited the eligibility to spouses of those in junior ranks of officer and enlisted. Gradually officials have expanded that eligibility pool.Rand researchers have found that MyCAA has had a positive impact on spouses’ ability to find employment with higher pay.Officials said DOD will track the use of the benefit and the course completion rate of the expanded population to decide whether to expand it to more spouses in the future.

[Category: / Mil Money] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/13/24 7:00am
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel Friday to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, where he will announce new goals to lower living costs and improve the quality of life for service members and their families.Austin will join first lady Jill Biden, who is touring the base to bring attention to a universal pre-kindergarten program put in place for schools run by the Defense Department.Military quality of life a key focus of Congress in 2024The Pentagon is branding the trip around “Taking Care of Our People,” the secretary’s plan to solve issues such as child care and low pay for service members. Austin issued another memo outlining the effort Friday morning.The memo included a list of seven new steps to aid service members, from making it easier for military families to move to offering more military spouses money to pursue their own careers. In sum, the Pentagon hopes these ideas will help ease pressing challenges for personnel, from housing quality to child care.The measures include:Flexible spending accounts for active duty troops and certain reservists to hold up to $3,200 pretax for qualified medical expensesExpanded WiFi access in barracksIncreasing the number of days to expense temporary lodging during military moves from 14 to 21 daysMaking more military spouses eligible for funds to help train for their own careersHelping recruit and retain more child care workersStudying three remote posts next year to improve the quality of life at such installationsReviewing the quality and cost of uniformsEven so, many of the goals listed are either tweaks to past announcements or lack specific timelines. When asked whether the Defense Department was keeping pace with service members’ needs, several senior defense officials briefing reports before the trip were oblique.“There’s a balance here between making sure that we’re addressing the short-term needs and the immediate acute needs with putting in place some longer-term programs,” said one official, who like the others, spoke anonymously per Pentagon policy.There’s also a balance dictated by funding.Due to a deal struck to avoid a government default last year, defense spending is capped at a 1% increase in fiscal 2025. The limit is forcing members of Congress into a bind: renege on the deal or end up having to choose between funding big weapons programs or pay raises.Different committees in the two chambers have chosen different paths, with the House Armed Services Committee proposing an almost 20% pay raise for junior enlisted members and a 4.5% raise for other ranks. The Senate’s bill, meanwhile, would skirt the caps altogether and surge defense spending.The eventual bill will need the backing of the House and Senate appropriations committees, which actually control government funding.Decision on junior enlisted pay boost not expected until NovemberRegardless of the eventual deal, because of the presidential election, Congress will almost certainly start the year in a short-term funding bill known as a continuing resolution. These measures freeze government spending at the previous fiscal year’s level, a headache for the Pentagon as it manages rising costs and new programs.“Because the baseline budget would not change, that would force us to offset the costs of these well-deserved pay raises, and it would cut into other programs and accounts at potentially damaging levels,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a Thursday briefing.Another defense official, speaking before the trip, said limited funds affected their choice on how far to expand the My Career Advancement Account, or MyCAA, workforce development program that provides tuition assistance for military spouses.“We have a certain amount of dollars that would be put towards MyCAA, and we wanted to start with those ranks that were going to have the highest impact,” the official said.The Pentagon’s four-year report on military pay is due early next year, and while the officials wouldn’t offer specifics on what it would cover, they said that the Basic Allowance for Housing would be a key part.BAH compensation covers the housing costs of active duty troops stationed in the 50 U.S. states who don’t live on government-owned property. BAH rates, which aim to cover 95% of housing costs, are linked to local rental markets and vary based on a service member’s pay grade, duty station location and whether they have dependents.However, given how fast housing costs are rising in some areas, keeping pace with commercial rents near military sites can be challenging.“There’s been a lot of progress, and I think it’s progress that we’re proud of, but with the recognition that we have a lot more work to do,” the first official said.

[Category: / Your Military] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/12/24 3:02pm
The Navy is slated to commission its very first Virginia-class submarine designed for a fully gender-integrated crew on Saturday.A submarine designed and built for both genders has been a long time coming. The New Jersey is entering the fleet roughly 14 years after then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended the ban on women serving on subs in 2010. Female officers did not join the submarine force until 2011, and such roles only opened up to enlisted sailors in 2015.A commissioning ceremony for the submarine will occur in Leonardo, New Jersey, according to the Navy. It is the third Navy vessel bearing the name of the Garden State.This officer is the first woman to serve as XO of a submarineHII-Newport News Shipbuilding delivered the New Jersey to the Navy in April.Female trailblazers in the submarine community include Lt. Cmdr. Amber Cowan, who became the first woman to serve as the executive officer of a submarine in 2022 aboard the ballistic missile submarine Kentucky.Master Chief Information Systems Technician (Submarine) Angela Koogler also became the first woman to serve as a chief of the boat, the senior enlisted adviser to the commanding and executive officers, aboard the nuclear ballistic missile submarine Louisiana that same year.Plans are underway to expand the number of submarine vessels with women. Adm. William Houston, then-commander of Naval Submarine Forces, said last year that he signed a “major revision” to the Navy’s plan to integrate women into the submarine fleet. The new guidance calls for women officers to serve on 40 submarines – up from the original 30.

[Category: / Your Military] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/12/24 2:19pm
The U.S. Army has picked Anduril Industries and Performance Drone Works to provide Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, or SUAS, to Army units as part of an effort to buy capability fast and get it into soldiers’ hands as the service races to modernize its force.Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George has called the effort “transformation in contact,” where the service buys available commercial-off-the-shelf capability and then battle tests it with soldiers, instead of spending decades developing something before fielding it only to discover it is outdated by the time it gets to units.“Transforming in contact is the way our Army can adapt its formations and get new technology in the hands of soldiers to experiment, innovate, learn, and change at the pace required,” George said in a statement Thursday. “The Company Level Small UAS Directed Requirement effort is a great example of how we are achieving this.”The program “is another example of the Army’s ability to rapidly move from an idea to a requirement, to a competition, to testing, to contract awards for production,” the Army’s acquisition chief, Doug Bush, added. “This shows the acquisition system can move at the pace needed to support the Army, especially in rapidly emerging technology areas like small uncrewed aircraft systems.”Anduril and Performance Drone Works will provide the first tranche of systems that will meet the company-level SUAS requirement in a deal valued at $14.42 million. The service approved the requirement in June 2023.Change of plans: US Army embraces lessons learned from war in UkrainePerformance Drone Works’ C-100 UAS and Anduril’s Ghost X will give brigade maneuver companies the ability to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition missions. The drones will be reconfigurable with modular payloads and attritable.The Ghost X drone was spotted earlier this year as part of the Army’s human-machine integration evaluation event at Fort Irwin, California, where it served as the preliminary eyes of an infantry company concealed by the surrounding mountains readying to reclaim a village held by the enemy as part of a live-fire exercise.The Army is prioritizing the acquisition of small, adaptable and expendable drones as it continues to learn from drone use in the Ukraine and other ongoing wars.The service was able to move quickly in selecting drones for the first tranche because both platforms are already on the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS list of technology approved for Defense Department use, the statement notes.

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[l] at 9/12/24 12:36pm
Republican Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance in an interview Wednesday said he would “consider” plans to privatize parts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and push for more private-health care options for patients in the system if elected this fall.In an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast released Wednesday, the Ohio senator (who is former President Donald Trump’s running mate) also said he would fire or cut thousands of federal civilian jobs, including many within VA.“Probably 90% to 95% of the people at the VA are fantastic human beings, but then you’ve got a small slice of the VA [who are] bad apples that makes it really hard for everybody else to do their job,” he said.“This is why veterans spend three hours on the phone trying to get an appointment. This is why you have people commit suicide, because they’re waiting 28 days to get an appointment with the doctor. It’s a small sliver of the VA, but you can fire those people, right? Give the people who are doing their job a raise. Fire the people who aren’t doing their jobs.”What does privatization of VA really mean?Both Ryan and Vance are veterans. Vance said he has used VA hospitals for his own health care in the past, but understands frustration with the system and would listen to proposals for privatizing parts of the department.“I think that there are areas where the VA actually works very well,” he said. “So I would not say, ‘get rid of the whole thing.’ But I would say, ‘give people more choice.’ I think you’ll save money in the process.”The issue of cutting back VA services and shifting those funds to private-sector doctors and businesses has been a point of contention in the veterans community in recent years, especially since then-President Donald Trump signed legislation designed to make it easier for veterans to have medical appointments outside of VA paid for with taxpayer dollars.Democratic critics — and some veterans advocates — have charged that continuing to expand such policies would lead to dismantling VA funding and programming in favor of private-sector profits, a charge that Republican lawmakers have angrily refuted.“I love being lectured and gaslit by Democratic members on this panel … about how we’re trying to privatize the VA,” Rep. Ei Crane, R-Ariz., said during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on the VA budget on Tuesday. “That is absolutely not what we are trying to do.”The VA budget has grown significantly in recent years. In fiscal 2001, the entire VA budget amounted to $48 billion in spending. Ten years ago, that total was $153.9 billion. The request for fiscal 2025 from the department is nearly $330 billion.VA officials said roughly 40% of all veterans health care appointments in fiscal 2023 were handled by doctors outside the department’s health care system, and that the number of veterans using Community Care options has risen by 45% since fiscal 2019.But Vance said during the podcast that too many veterans are still forced to drive hours to receive VA health care instead of being given private-sector options.“Why force a veteran to drive two and a half hours to a VA facility when he can get cheaper care right in his backyard?” he said. “So I do think that we ought to open up choice and optionality for veterans.”Trump has not spoken specifically on VA privatization in recent campaign appearances, but has spoken about expanding veterans access to care options.Democratic opponents in recent weeks have attacked plans in the conservative Project 2025 blueprint calling for “cost savings” in VA disability payments, to include “revising disability rating awards for future claimants.” Trump has denied any authorship or connection to the project.In a statement, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a veteran and a Harris-Walz campaign co-chair, blasted Vance’s comments. “When JD Vance floats the Trump-Vance Project 2025 agenda to privatize the VA, we should take him seriously,” she said. “Veterans deserve better than candidates who will turn their health care into a business opportunity the minute they get the chance. The VA isn’t just another government agency – it’s a lifeline for veterans, families, and caregivers who’ve sacrificed for our freedoms.”

[Category: Veterans] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/12/24 11:30am
A U.S. Army soldier has been arrested in Hawaii on charges that he repeatedly struck a police officer with a flagpole during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol more than three years ago, according to court records unsealed Wednesday.Alexander Cain Poplin was arrested Tuesday at Schofield Barracks, an Army installation near Honolulu. Poplin, 31, of Wahiawa, Hawaii, was scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday.Veteran’s book about involvement in Jan. 6 attack leads to his arrestThe FBI received a tip in February 2021 that Poplin had posted on Facebook about attacking police during the Capitol riot. Poplin wrote that “we took our house back” and “stood for something,” according to an FBI task force officer's affidavit.In July 2024, the FBI investigator interviewed Poplin's military supervisor, who identified him in a photograph showing him wearing an Army camouflage backpack inside the restricted area of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Poplin attended then-President Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6. He joined the mob of Trump supporters who gathered at the Capitol, where lawmakers were meeting to certify President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.On the Capitol's Lower West Plaza, Poplin carried an “Area Closed” sign in his left hand and a flagpole bearing a blue flag in his right hand. A video captured him repeatedly striking a Metropolitan Police Department officer with the flagpole, the FBI affidavit says.Poplin was arrested on a complaint charging him with five counts, including felony charges of interfering with police during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding police with a dangerous weapon.An attorney assigned to represent Poplin at Wednesday's hearing in Hawaii didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the charges.Nearly 1,500 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Many rioters were military veterans, but only a handful were on active duty on Jan. 6. Approximately 140 police officers were injured in the attack.Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed.

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[l] at 9/12/24 9:37am
The Army is expanding its new all-around health and fitness program, which includes professional civilian staffing, workout gear and more, to all soldiers rather than only combat brigades.Army Vice Chief of Staff James Mingus told soldiers at the Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Moore, Georgia, on Wednesday that the Holistic Health and Fitness program, also called H2F, will roll out across the entire force.The program was showing too much benefit to be used only by the combat arms brigades, according to the four-star.“It is an Army program, and it is making a huge difference on how our soldiers are performing out there,” Mingus said.The Army launched a pilot H2F program in late 2018 and began equipping combat arms brigades with full complements of gym equipment and H2F staff, including physical therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and cognitive performance specialists, in 2020.Early data shows 37% suicide decrease in units with holistic healthThe program’s holistic approach addresses five domains: physical, spiritual, mental, sleep and nutrition.The original plan called for the service to outfit all 110 combat arms brigades by 2030. Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George announced last year that the Army would speed up fielding by increasing the annual number of brigades from 10 to 15. The fully resourced program had reached 50 brigades this year, including some military police, medical, engineer and sustainment brigades, according to Army data.Mingus didn’t share specifics or timelines on the rollout, which will require more funding from Congress. But he advised leaders to begin work in their units now.“A lot of our formations still don’t have it but there are things you can do,” Mingus said. “I would challenge you to study what is the essence of how you assess the program and execute functional fitness, nutrition, sleep.”The Center for Initial Military Training, or CIMT, at Fort Eustis, Virginia, launched the Holistic Health and Fitness website in late August. The site contains information on all aspects of the program such as unit resources, the H2F Academy and the command’s annual H2F Symposium.“We wanted to develop a website that provides tools for soldiers to help them take a hard look at themselves and really assess their personal health and fitness while also providing resources from subject matter experts so they can improve in all five readiness domains,” Lt. Gen. David Francis, CIMT commander, said in a statement.Francis described the H2F program as the “largest human performance optimization project ever fielded.”The program’s top priority since its inception has been reducing physical injuries among soldiers during deployment and training. Francis touted the results.“The initial return on investment shows H2F will pay for itself as it decreases musculoskeletal injuries, reduces non-deployables, and helps soldiers who do get injured return to duty faster,” Francis said.Early data released by CIMT in April showed H2F-resourced brigades saw a 23% higher increase in Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) passing rates, along with other performance and behavior improvements.Behavior and performance data from H2F-resourced brigades compared with non-resourced brigades demonstrated:14% lower increase* in musculoskeletal injuries = 6,489 fewer injured soldiers.30% lower increase in musculoskeletal injuries lasting more than 90 days = 3,002 fewer injured soldiers on profile for more than 90 days.22% lower increase in behavioral health reports = 2,962 fewer soldiers on behavioral health profiles.20% lower increase in behavioral health reports lasting more than 90 days = 3,002 fewer soldiers on behavioral health profiles greater than 90 days.502% lower increase in substance abuse profiles = 13,947 fewer soldiers on substance abuse profiles.23% greater Army combat fitness test passing rate = 4,455 more soldiers passing the ACFT.27% more soldiers reaching expert on rifle marksmanship qualification = 88,000 more soldiers receiving expert rifle marksmanship qualification.*Brigades analyzed, both with and without H2F teams, saw increases in most areas from 2021–2023, but those units with H2F teams saw significantly lower increases in all categories.Source: Center for Initial Military TrainingAs the Army implements the program across the force, the active-duty combat arms brigades remain a priority, with the Army National Guard and Army Reserve likely waiting longer for resources.However, the new website can help fill those gaps in the meantime, Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Rice, an Army Reserve H2F system developer, said in a statement.“It’s a vital tool in our shared mission to ensure that every investment made in our Soldiers is an investment in a better, more capable version of themselves,” Rice said.At Wednesday’s conference, the vice chief praised his experience with a precursor program that used similar principles when he served the 75th Ranger Regiment. That program, known as the Ranger Athlete Warrior Program, emerged in the early 2000s to decrease injuries in the notoriously demanding unit.Mingus carried a version of that program with him when he assumed command of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson, Colorado, he said.The program prepared his soldiers to perform in some of the roughest terrain during demanding missions during their 2012 deployment to Afghanistan, according to the general.

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[l] at 9/11/24 3:38pm
The Navy’s manning shortages are curbing the service’s ability to repair its ships while at sea, according to a watchdog report released Monday.Sixty-three percent of executive officers — a ship’s second-in-command — surveyed reported that insufficient manning made it “moderately to extremely difficult to complete repairs while underway,” according to a Government Accountability Office report released Monday.At-sea basic maintenance and repairs are critical to ensuring a ship can carry out its mission, according to the GAO.But Monday’s report, based on interviews of sailors and leaders across the fleet, reveals that basic maintenance duties and repairs are hindered not only by manning shortages, but also by inaccurate Navy guidelines and substandard training.As of late last year, the Navy was lacking nearly 14,000 enlisted sailors to keep its aircraft carriers, surface ships and attack submarines properly manned, according to the GAO.The watchdog also found that aircraft carriers, cruisers and amphibious assault ships did not have enough enlisted sailors assigned to them to meet requirements for safe operations as laid out by the Navy Manpower Analysis Center.Navy should be ‘offended’ by its own maintenance and manning faults, admiral says“The Navy has not provided crew levels sufficient to meet the ship maintenance workload,” one sailor told GAO investigators.This results in a smaller crew having to do more work, compounding the stressors of ship life.“More capable sailors that perform a lot of maintenance get burned out and tired of taking up the slack for other sailors and leave the Navy to do the same work for better pay and working conditions,” another sailor said in the report.Exacerbating the manning shortages are sailors assigned to a specific ship who may not always be on hand for duty, due to illness or temporary assignments to another ship.“Navy executive officers and sailors told GAO there were widespread concerns about sailor training,” the report states.Sailors also aren’t always prepared for their jobs aboard ships, and those serving in maintenance-heavy roles “may be less experienced than other sailors on that same ship,” according to the GAO.Training for sailor-led maintenance is also insufficient, sailors told the watchdog.Sailors attend A school after boot camp to get initial training with instructors and computers, but some interviewed by GAO questioned how well A school prepared them for their shipboard duties.“Specifically, sailors expressed dissatisfaction with both the quality of training — whether it prepares them to perform maintenance aboard ship — and the format in which training is delivered,” the report said.The Navy is working to enhance sailor-led maintenance training through its Ready Relevant Learning initiative, which involves distributing videos of sailor-led maintenance to schoolhouses, according to the report.The Navy is also aiming to share these videos with sailors via cloud based services and remote support.Still, videos for certain maintenance specialties like electrical repair are not yet available, and some sailors noted that video training is not always reliable on the ship, given limited bandwidth.“More (maintenance) training should be conducted before a sailor arrives at their ship and while they are transitioning between commands,” one sailor told the GAO.The GAO offered several recommendations, including that the service improve the “quality of information on the number of ship’s crew available for duty” and guarantee that personnel numbers and skill levels for certain kinds of maintenance are tailored for specific ships and classes.“The Navy’s guidelines for performing ship maintenance are sometimes inaccurate with respect to the time and personnel needed and are not written appropriately for sailors’ maintenance skills and supervisor’s experience levels,” the watchdog said. “Ensuring the Navy’s guidelines better reflect the actual number and skill level of maintenance personnel will enhance sailors’ ability to maintain ships.”The Navy agreed with these recommendations, according to the watchdog.The GAO surveyed executive officers from 232 ships in the fleet with a 91% response rate and met with more than 140 leaders and 200 sailors on 25 ships for the report, which began in January 2023 and ended earlier this month.Go here to read the full report.

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[l] at 9/11/24 3:21pm
The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest ship, the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool, in a Sept. 7 ceremony at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.With the vessel’s crew and several family members of the ship’s namesake in attendance, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro lauded the bravery of McCool and commended the on-hand “sailors and Marines [for bringing] this incredible warship to life in service to our nation.”“Capt. McCool’s leadership in the face of grave danger and his acts of heroism to save the crew and the ship our nation entrusted to him are indeed an example for all throughout,” Del Toro said.It was during the bitter World War II Battle of Okinawa that the courage of Richard McCool would be on full display.Aptly dubbed the “Typhoon of Steel,” the operation was launched to wrest the island from Japanese control, sever the last southwest supply line to mainland Japan and open to island for use by American medium bombers.On April 1, 1945, approximately 60,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers of the U.S. Tenth Army waded ashore from landing craft onto the beaches of Okinawa, Japan, in what would be the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific Theater.Though the American landings were at first largely unopposed, the fights that ensued would prove to be some of the war’s most horrific.“By the time Okinawa was secured by American forces on June 22, 1945, the United States had sustained over 49,000 casualties, including more than 12,500 men killed or missing,” according to the National WWII Museum.“Okinawans caught in the fighting suffered greatly, with an estimate as high as 150,000 civilians killed. Of the Japanese defending the island, an estimated 110,000 died.”Particularly brutal during the chaos on Okinawa were the seemingly interminable attacks by Japanese kamikaze pilots, who, due to the sheer size of the U.S. amphibious assault, had their pick of Navy ships sitting off the island’s coast.On April 6, a total of 34 U.S. Navy ships off Okinawa were hit by kamikazes in the first of 10 major attacks. The incessant onslaught lasted five hours and featured a staggering 355 kamikazes and more than 300 fighter escorts.To stifle the ongoing attacks, the U.S. encircled the island with 15 radar picket stations. Each station featured at least three radar-equipped destroyers, which could detect imminent attacks, and four LCS ships that would act as the destroyers’ guards and shoot down incoming planes.On May 10, 23-year-old Lt. Richard Miles McCool Jr., then in command of LCS-122, settled in off the coast of Okinawa.“Arrival in Okinawa was very warm, with air raids every few hours of every night, and sometimes in the day,” McCool wrote in his ship’s history log. “The assignment consisted of anti-suicide boat patrol and radar picket patrol. ... On the 29th of May [LCS-122] shot down one enemy aircraft and was given credit for an assist on another.”Exactly one month after arriving at Okinawa, McCool and the crew of LCS 122 were on picket duty when the nearby destroyer USS William D. Porter — the same “Willie D” that almost killed President Franklin D. Roosevelt — was severely damaged in a kamikaze attack.The destroyer initially evaded the Japanese “Val” dive bomber, but the Willie D’s string of bad luck would soon continue.Though the Val appeared to splash harmlessly nearby, the submerged aircraft ended up beneath the destroyer and promptly exploded.“The ship leapt out of the water and fell back; her power out, steam lines burst, and fires breaking out,” according to the National WWII Museum. “Although the ship’s crew fought valiantly after three hours, the commanding officer ordered the ship abandoned. As the order came down, just under 300 crew had to evacuate. Performing her duty as a ‘pallbearer,’ LCS-122, with McCool in command, worked to rescue the ship’s crew. Incredibly, there were no fatalities.”The following day, however, McCool and his crew were not so lucky.As he recalled in an interview with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the LCS ships were sitting in a diamond formation to provide a screen for the destroyers when three Japanese Val dive bombers were spotted closing in fast.The ship’s anti-aircraft guns erupted as the first kamikaze came in low — so low, in fact, that McCool “was afraid that the people in the 40mm gun mount might have been hit by the wheels,” he recalled.The shot-up aircraft “passed approximately eight feet above the forward end of the deck house and splashed on the port side not more than 100 yards away,” the after-action report stated.“Attention and all fire was immediately shifted to the two remaining oncoming planes,” the report added — the second of which did not miss.As sailors tore into the remaining bombers with a wall of gunfire, the second Val, smoking after hits by one of the ship’s 20mm guns, slammed into the vessel’s starboard side at the base of the conning tower.“Fire immediately broke out throughout the amidships section of the ship, while pyrotechnic and 20mm ammunition started exploding,” the after-action report stated. “A bomb carried by the plane passed through the ship, emerging on the port side. It exploded as it hit the water, showering the port side with shrapnel.”“I don’t really remember much of what was going on after that,” McCool recalled. “When I finally came to, I was the only person there in the conning tower. ... I shimmied over the port side of the conning tower and dropped onto the deck from there.”Peppered with shrapnel and suffering severe burns, McCool refused medical treatment and rallied his men to fight the flames quickly engulfing the vessel.McCool “proceeded to the rescue of several trapped in a blazing compartment, subsequently carrying one man to safety despite the excruciating pain of additional severe burns,” his Medal of Honor citation reads. “Unmindful of all personal danger, he continued his efforts without respite until aid arrived from other ships and he was evacuated.”For his actions, McCool was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman in December 1945.His full Medal of Honor citation can be found here.McCool remained in the Navy until 1974, when he retired after 30 years of service at the rank of captain.Richard M. McCool passed away at the age of 86 on March 5, 2008, in Bremerton, Washington, with his wife and children at his bedside.He is buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.

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[l] at 9/11/24 9:44am
Congressional leaders have a deal in place to patch a nearly $3 billion shortfall on Department of Veterans Affairs funding that risks endangering benefits payments as soon as next month, but veterans advocates said they are reluctant to celebrate until the final details are worked out.“When we see votes that are yes and then the dollars are actually sent to the [Treasury Department], then that will relieve our sense of urgency,” said Pat Murray, legislative director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “A proposed solution is not enough, we need an actual solution.”VA officials have warned that because of increased medical care and benefits applications in recent months, the department’s budget is roughly $2.9 billion short for this fiscal year and about $12 billion short in projected fiscal 2025 needs.The funds for next year likely will be negotiated as part of a broader federal budget package to be completed sometime this fall.But VA leaders on Tuesday testified before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee that without a solution to the other funding gap by Sept. 20, some benefits checks to veterans and dependents could be delayed in October.Vets’ benefits checks could be delayed without a VA funding fix soonAt a rally outside the VFW offices on Wednesday morning, dozens of veterans advocates warned those late checks could be disastrous for veterans.“This financial crisis will affect disability compensation, caregiver compensation, community care payouts, everything,” said Julia Mathis, legislative director for the American Legion. “Every day that we get closer to September 20 is another 24 hours of uncertainty for thousands of veterans whose financial lives depend on this.”Lawmakers on the House committee indicated Tuesday that they were working behind the scenes to help solve the problem, while at the same time expressing concerns that VA officials did not detect the funding shortfall sooner.Congressional sources on Wednesday confirmed House leaders will move forward with a measure introduced by Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., which would cover the budget gap for VA operations this month. A vote is expected on the legislation early next week.That would give the Senate just a day or two to advance the legislation ahead of the Sept. 20 deadline. If a senator objects to the quick passage, it could push the final passage past that date or derail the whole measure.Advocates say they plan to spend the next week lobbying lawmakers to make sure that doesn’t occur.“The VA needs more money,” said Brian Kelly, president of the Military Officers Association of America. “It doesn’t matter who you want to point the finger at for that, the fact is that our veterans need their benefits paid out.”“Any interruption in the VA’s ability to pay veterans may have devastating consequences on this community and may erode trust and confidence in the institutions who have pledged to support and care for those who have served.”Lawmakers must also negotiate a separate extension for the full federal budget by Sept. 30 or risk a partial government shutdown. That potential funding lapse would have limited impact on VA services, however, because Congress regularly approves much of the department’s budget a year in advance.

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[l] at 9/11/24 7:37am
Vice President Kamala Harris defended her administration’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan while former President Donald Trump accused current military strategy of leading the country towards “World War III” in Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Philadelphia.In a 90-minute showdown, which mostly focused on economic and social issues, the two front-runners for president spent several minutes sparring over defense policy issues, including American military support for Ukraine and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.The latter topic has been a mainstay of Trump’s Republican presidential campaign in recent weeks. During the debate, he falsely claimed that President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country in 2021 left behind $85 billion “of brand new beautiful military equipment” — the U.S. military spent about $83 billion total on the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund from 2001 to 2021 — and asserted that he would have handled the departure better than Biden.“We would have been out faster than them, but we wouldn’t have lost the soldiers,” he said, referring to the 13 U.S. troops killed in a terrorist attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the final days of the American presence in Afghanistan. “They blew it.”Lawmakers demand Army sanction Trump over Arlington Cemetery visitHarris, the Democratic nominee for commander in chief, said despite the tumult of the final weeks of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, she agreed with Biden’s decision to withdraw from the country.“Four presidents said they would, and Joe Biden did,” she said. “And as a result, America’s taxpayers are not paying the $300 million a day we were paying for that endless war.”She also blamed Trump for the chaos surrounding the U.S. military’s exit, saying he negotiated “one of the weakest deals you can imagine” with Taliban leaders before leaving office, which left the Afghan government marginalized and weak.Trump countered by claiming that Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan inspired Russian officials to escalate their war in Ukraine, “because they saw how incompetent she and her boss are.”When asked directly if he wants Ukraine to win its war against Russia, Trump responded, “I want the war to stop. … I think it’s in the U.S.’ best interest to get this war finished and just get it done.”Harris called that a sign of weakness in the face of foreign threats.“If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” she said. “And understand what that would mean. Putin’s agenda is not just about Ukraine. European allies and our NATO allies are so thankful that [he is] no longer president and that we understand the importance of the greatest military alliance the world has ever known, which is NATO.”Trump said that if he returns to the White House, he will end the fighting in Ukraine “before even becoming president,” and accused Biden and Harris of leading America towards greater danger through their support of the Ukrainian military.“We’re going to end up in a third World War,” he said. “And it will be a war like no other because of nuclear weapons, the power of weaponry.”Harris countered by saying the former president is “consistently weak and wrong on national security.” On several occasions, she also claimed to have spoken to U.S. military leaders who called Trump “a disgrace,” though she did not offer specific names.Veterans and veterans issues were not mentioned during the debate, the only face-to-face meeting between the two major party nominees before the November election.

[Category: / Pentagon & Congress] [Link to media]

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[l] at 9/10/24 5:00pm
A new organization created to support independent veterans running for office endorsed its first nine candidates Tuesday, ranging from an Army veteran running for a seat on the Raleigh, North Carolina, city council, to a Navy veteran campaigning for the U.S. Senate.The group, Independent Veterans of America, was established this summer by Paul Rieckhoff, who founded Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, one of the largest organizations of post-9/11 veterans in the United States. His new group is looking to harness recent interest in unaffiliated candidates by encouraging independent veterans to run for office.The nine candidates endorsed Tuesday will receive funding, campaign management tools, voter data, media opportunities and technology training.They’ll be introduced at the group’s candidate convention Wednesday in New York City. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and bestselling author Sebastian Junger, as well as Andrew Yang, founder of the Forward Party and a 2020 presidential candidate, are expected to attend the event.“These independent candidates represent ... a threat to both the Democrat and Republican parties and our country’s badly broken, hyper-partisan political system,” Rieckhoff said. “These strong, moderate and reasonable men and women represent the best of America, their communities and the independent movement.”IAVA founder launches new effort to put independent veterans in officeIVA endorsed two independent candidates running at the federal level: Dan Osborn, a Navy veteran from Omaha, Nebraska, running against Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., for her Senate seat, and Army veteran Shelane Etchison, who’s running for Congress in North Carolina’s ninth district, home to Fort Liberty, against incumbent Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C.Two candidates are running for state legislatures: Tyrell Hicks, a Marine Corps veteran from Plant City, Florida, and Nick Batter, an Army veteran from Omaha.Two candidates are running in county-level elections, including Craig Evenson, an Army veteran running for reelection as the state’s attorney in Deuel County, South Dakota, and Jason Taylor, an Air Force veteran who wants a seat on the Learning Community Coordinating Council for Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska.The final three candidates are campaigning in city elections. Navy veteran Travis Endicott is looking to become the next mayor of Ridgecrest, California, which sits adjacent to Naval Weapons Air Station China Lake. James Bledsoe, an Army veteran, is running for Raleigh City Council in North Carolina, and Navy veteran Eric Faulkner joined the city council race in Temecula, California.To be considered for an endorsement, candidates had to register as members of Independent Veterans of America, file as an independent or unaffiliated candidate for office and complete an interview with the group’s leaders.“These men and women live country over party. And they are uniquely powerful and appealing to voters of all backgrounds,” Rieckhoff said. “From coast to coast, they are leaders that are ready now to step up to serve our country again in this time of need.”Rieckhoff is taking a long view with his new group and aiming to propel unaffiliated candidates onto ballots to someday spark a movement in which independents gain more votes. Veterans in particular have a political edge, and they bring a “voice of reason and clarity to politics,” he argued.The group will continue to accept candidates’ applications for endorsement through Election Day. Applications are also open for races in 2025 and 2026.This story was produced in partnership with Military Veterans in Journalism. Please send tips to MVJ-Tips@militarytimes.com.

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[l] at 9/10/24 2:32pm
Iran has sent close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which could start using them to attack Ukraine “within weeks,” Pentagon officials said Tuesday.The missiles can reach a maximum of 75 miles and allow Russia to maintain its stocks of more valuable, and more menacing, long-range fires, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.While Russia hasn’t yet used them, Ryder said dozens of its military personnel have trained inside Iran on the missile system — known as the Fath 360. Ryder wouldn’t specify how many Russia has received, but the U.S. Treasury Department said that Moscow signed a contract late last year for “hundreds” of missiles, with the first such batch now arriving.“This is a deeply concerning development,” Ryder said during a Tuesday briefing.Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Russia has relied on its partners — in almost all cases other U.S. adversaries — to refill its stocks. Iran has been a particularly avid supplier, shipping one-way attack drones, missiles and other lethal aid to Russia throughout the war.In return, Russia is sharing other information with Iran, including on nuclear and space technology, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.“This is a two-way street,” said Blinken, who is traveling to Kyiv to meet with members of the Ukrainian government.Last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gathered a group of countries that regularly meet to support Ukraine’s self-defense. There, as in past meetings, the officials discussed how to supply Kyiv with enough air defense missiles and batteries. Russia has routinely battered Ukrainian military and civilian targets during the war, and in recent weeks launched its two largest salvos to date.In response, Ukraine has asked repeatedly that the U.S. lift limits on how far inside Russia it can fire its own long-range weapons provided by the U.S. The White House so far has declined to do so, in part out out of concern that looser rules could escalate the war and in part because the long-range ATACMS missiles are scarce.“I don’t believe one specific capability will be decisive,” Austin said after the meeting last week, arguing also that Russia had already moved almost all of its threatening aircraft out of range.

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[l] at 9/10/24 1:24pm
A trio of House Democrats on Tuesday called on Army officials to formally admonish former President Donald Trump for his campaign staff’s actions at Arlington National Cemetery last month in order to “avoid future abuse of this sacred site and its employees.”The lawmakers — Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, Washington Rep. Adam Smith and California Rep. Mark Takano — also demanded the military leaders release all findings from Trump’s visit to the gravesite, saying that their public response thus far has been disappointing.“While we are sympathetic to the challenges the Army faces in addressing and holding accountable a former president and his campaign staff, failure to properly investigate this egregious incident in a timely manner and hold violators accountable undermines the integrity and honor of Arlington National Cemetery and erodes the longstanding rules, tradition, and norms requiring nonpartisanship in the U.S. military,” they said in a joint statement.Raskin serves as the ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Smith is the ranking member on the armed services committee, and Takano the ranking member on the veterans’ affairs committee.Army blasts Trump trip to Arlington cemetery for violating decorumThe statement from the prominent Democrats came just a few hours before Trump’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and less than two weeks after Army leaders issued their own announcement calling the matter “closed.”Trump visited the military cemetery on Aug. 26 as part of an event commemorating the anniversary of the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers in a terrorist bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the final days of the American military mission in Afghanistan.The Republican nominee for president took part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then visited Section 60 of the cemetery, where many troops killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried.Shots of Trump smiling and giving a thumbs-up sign alongside service members’ tombstones were later used in campaign spots. In addition, Army officials said, an employee who attempted to stop campaign workers from filming in the area “was abruptly pushed aside” by a Trump campaign staffer.That individual — who has not been publicly identified — opted not to press charges. Army officials called the incident upsetting, since Trump was warned that “federal laws, Army regulations and DOD policies … clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.” But they also said they would not pursue any further reprimands or punishments.The three Democrats called that a mistake.“As with any alleged assault, this incident should be investigated by the appropriate law enforcement authorities and should be subject to an independent charging decision,” they said in their statement. “We urge the Army to cooperate fully with the charging authority, including providing any information they have on the alleged incident to that authority.”Trump campaign officials have denied any wrongdoing in the incident, and have released several statements from families of fallen troops involved in the visit who praised the former president for his kindness and attention to their struggles.Trump campaign officials initially promised to release video proving that they followed all appropriate cemetery rules, but have thus far declined to provide any such proof.Officials from the Harris campaign have seized on the controversy as the latest breach of decorum by Trump, calling his actions disrespectful to other troops buried there. .

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[l] at 9/10/24 11:41am
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is blocking the quick promotion of the top military aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over concerns that he and other senior staff did not immediately notify President Joe Biden when Austin was hospitalized with complications from cancer treatment earlier this year.Biden in July nominated Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark to become commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific. But Clark has faced criticism from Republicans over his role as one of Austin’s top aides when the defense secretary was in the hospital in January and did not tell Biden or other U.S. leaders.Republicans said the fact that Biden was kept in the dark about Austin not being in command for days could have meant confusion or delays in military action, even though decision-making authorities had been transferred to the deputy defense secretary.Tuberville’s hold comes a year after he came under intense criticism from colleagues in both parties for holding up hundreds of military promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy. The Senate finally approved 425 military promotions and nominations in November after Tuberville relented.Republican colleagues said they agreed with Tuberville on the abortion policy but openly pressured him to drop the holds, voicing concern about military readiness and the toll it was taking on service members and their families who had nothing to do with the regulations.A spokeswoman for Tuberville, Hannah Eddins, said Tuesday that the senator has concerns about Clark’s role during Austin’s hospitalization, including that he did not inform Biden. She said that Tuberville is waiting on a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general that will review the matter.“As a senior commissioned officer, Lt. Gen. Clark’s oath requires him to notify POTUS when the chain of command is compromised,” Eddins said, using an acronym for the president of the United States.Majority Democrats could still bring Clark’s nomination up for a vote, but Tuberville’s hold likely delays his confirmation because several days of floor time would be needed to confirm him. The nomination will expire with the end of the congressional session and the next president would have to renominate Clark or someone else to the post if he is not confirmed by early January.Pentagon spokesperson James Adams said that Tuberville’s new hold, which was first reported by The Washington Post, “undermines our military readiness.”“Lt. Gen. Clark is highly qualified and was nominated for this critical position because of his experience and strategic expertise,” Adams said in a statement. “We urge the Senate to confirm all of our qualified nominees.”Austin has come under bipartisan criticism for initially keeping Biden in the dark about his health issues and hospitalization. Austin was admitted to intensive care for complications from prostate cancer surgery on Jan. 1, but the White House was not told until Jan. 4. Austin’s senior staff were notified on Jan. 2.The defense secretary later said he takes full responsibility and had apologized to Biden. Still, Austin insisted that there were no gaps in control of the department or the nation’s security because “at all times, either I or the deputy secretary was in a position to conduct the duties of my office.”An earlier Pentagon review of the matter blamed privacy restrictions and staff hesitancy for the secrecy, and called for improved procedures, which have been made.The White House also laid out a new set of guidelines to ensure it will be informed any time a Cabinet head can’t carry out their job. The new guidelines include a half-dozen instructions for Cabinet agencies to follow when there is a “delegation of authority,” or when secretaries temporarily transfer their authority to a deputy when unreachable due to medical issues, travel or other reasons.

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[l] at 9/10/24 10:20am
As they serve alongside one another, an airman father is providing a blueprint for his airman son.Chief Master Sgt. Adam Hufty has served in the Air Force for 19 years, many of them as the sole representative of his family. But things changed a year ago when his second oldest child, Airman 1st Class Ashton Hufty, enlisted and deployed with his dad’s unit.Both Huftys are currently supporting Bomber Task Force operations with the 110th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Royal Australian Air Force Base in Amberley, Australia.Back home, they are assigned to the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.“Growing up, I never intended on joining the Air Force,” said Hufty the younger, an all-source intelligence analyst. “The cards played out for me to join and be here in Australia. But then to also get to be in the same place, serving the same purpose, wearing the same uniform as my father… it’s incredible.”Hufty the elder, the 110th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron senior enlisted leader, said the decision to serve alongside his son was a no-brainer.“This being one of my last opportunities to do something like this while also being his first opportunity just made it easier for both of us to want to volunteer and be on this [deployment],” he said.Ashton Hufty said the positive experience made him consider devoting the rest of his career to the Air Force.As he carved out his niche, his father had some words of wisdom.“Just be open to all challenges because there’s going to be constant changes during anyone’s military career,” Adam Hufty said. “Continue to push yourself and be the best at whatever you try to be whether you stay in or get out. Just be the best person and be the best at what you’re trying to accomplish, that will take you wherever you want to go.”Ashton Hufty said he was appreciative of his father’s mentorship, especially as his father approached retirement.He also commended his dad for his endurance.“Congrats for living this long,” Ashton Hufty said.

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