DoD Launches Underrepresented Youth STEM Initiatives
A new advanced manufacturing education and workforce training outreach initiative has been launched by NextFlex, the Department of Defense Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) MMI has partnered with Capital Youth Empowerment Program...
Garamendi: Subcommittee to Further Investigate Texas Ice Storms, Housing
House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Chairman Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said that his committee will be delving to the effects of climate change on U.S. military installations and housing during this year, Federal News Network reports. “We are continuing...
![In Our Communities [03/01/2021]](https://defensecommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1000w_q95-22-e1614376398880-400x250.jpg)
In Our Communities [03/01/2021]
Fort Hood leadership has released results of its independent review committee identifying nine findings and 70 recommendations highlighting areas in need of improvement with regards to climate and culture on the installation... PuebloPlex, the local redevelopment...
Reed: Pentagon Budget ‘Much Tighter’ Moving Forward
While the defense budget rose steadily during the Trump administration, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed said that this funding trend may not continue in the coming years, CQ reports. “I think we won’t be looking at the same percentage...
Connecticut Officials Push Proposal to Improve Military Spouse Employment
A new proposal by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont advocates to change the state's professional licensing requirements, including expediting the process for recognizing licenses from other states, The Day reports. In a public hearing of the General Assembly's General...
![In Our Communities [2/25/2021]](https://defensecommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1000w_q95-20-e1614287095796-400x250.jpg)
In Our Communities [2/25/2021]
The U.S. Air Force has been delivering bottled water to residents and business owners around Luke Air Force Base in Arizona after water testing found unsuitable levels of Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in the water supply... Senior leadership and...
ADC wants to know how this situation is impacting your community, base and military families. Share your stories, questions and concerns to lwalcutt@defensecommunities.org.
PAST STORIES
Upcoming ADC Event: OMOC Report Release Webinar
Understanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Defense Communities ADC, with support from Booz Allen Hamilton, conducted a national survey between December 2, 2020 and January 8, 2021 to better understand the state of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in...
Military Starts Delivering Vaccines in Texas, New York
The U.S. military is planning to deploy 100 vaccinations teams across the United States to fight COVID-19, with new operations beginning in New York and Texas, AP reports. Starting next week, service members will be administering vaccines in four locations in Florida...
Slow Progress in Filling Senate-Confirmed Pentagon Positions
To date, only two nominees have been filled out of the 61 Senate-confirmed positions at the Department of Defense. National security officials warn that delaying the nominee process may bring about certain risks for the administration and civil-military relations,...
Texas Military Installations Support Local Communities in Aftermath of Winter Storm
Last week, large portions of Texas experienced severe utility failure and infrastructure damage caused by below-freezing temperatures, as well unprecedented snow and rainfall. Residents of surrounding defense communities, service members and military families continue...
Coming this March: ADC Live
Broadcast from our studio in Washington, D.C., ADC Live is the newest way to keep up-to-date on all things defense news. Each episode will feature live interviews with top leaders in DoD and Congress, breaking news, and topic-focused content developed from around the...
In Our Communities [02/24/2021]
A dock demolition project to remove the remnants of an abandoned marina in Waterford, Connecticut is part of an ongoing partnership between the state, town and U.S. Navy... A University of Arkansas-based startup has been awarded $1.1 million from the Department of...
Army Officials Say COVID-19 Vaccines May be Mandatory Once Supply Increases
While taking the COVID-19 vaccine is currently optional for service members, that may change if President Biden makes inoculation mandatory or the vaccine is issued full licensure by the Food and Drug Administration, Army Times reports. In the meantime, the department...
Air Force Partners with Army to Deploy Advanced Installation Defense Technology
The U.S. Army is investing in a directed energy prototype technology developed at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, according to an Air Force press release. The Tactical High Power Operational...
DoD Launches Aerospace Education Center at Tuskegee University
The Department of Defense's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) recently announced the launch of the DOD Aerospace Education Research and Innovation Center (AERIC) at Tuskegee University in Alabama. The $2 million...
Pentagon Finds Military Members, Veterans ‘Highly Prized’ in Extremist Recruitment
An unpublicized Pentagon report to Congress released in October 2020 revealed that much is unknown regarding white supremacist and extremist inroads into America's military, Roll Call reports. The Department of Defense is utilizing data from the Federal Bureau of...
USAF Launches Second Review into Racial, Gender, and Ethnic Disparities
Following up on the U.S. Department of Air Force's 2020 Racial Disparity Review released late last year, the department announced its inspector general will conduct a second independent review of disparities of race, gender and ethnicity within the service. "We...
In Our Communities [02/22/2021]
Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, in partnership with the Alamogordo Public School District, broke ground for the construction of a new Holloman Elementary School... The Department of Defense’s inspector general announced it would be investigating the former...
Massachusetts Governor Signs Order to Assist License Portability for Military Families
Governor Charlie Baker signed an executive order that will assist service members and spouses by increasing portability and expediting review when transferring to Massachusetts, WWLP reports. The order will focus on professions including physical therapists,...
First Lady Stresses Importance of Military Children to National Security
One of Jill Biden's priorities as First lady is to better understand the key issues affecting military families, a vulnerable population that has experienced adversity through the pandemic including food security and extended deployments. Biden recently addressed a...
In Our Communities [02/19/2021]
Students from Knob Noster High School, which serves the Whiteman Air Force Base community, have been helping the Air Force solve equipment problems aiding NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover project... Naval Air Station Corpus Christi launched a massive volunteer project...
Cramer: DoD has Increased Oversight of Military Housing
In a testimony to the House Appropriations subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, Paul Cramer, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for sustainment (installations), provided insight into how the the DoD's Military...
One-Third of Military Members have Declined to Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations
Approximately one out of three service members have opted out of taking a COVID-19 vaccination, a rate that is consistent with the nation's attitude towards accepting vaccinations, CQ reports. According to Department of Defense officials, the Pentagon has administered...
DeSantis Announces 2021 Florida Military Friendly Guide
Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced the publication of the 2021 Florida Military Friendly Guide, which provides an overview of the state's benefits and policies for service members and military families. Sections of the guide dispense information including...
DoD: Military Families will Have Remaining Tenant Rights by June 1
Paul Cramer, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for sustainment announced that the remaining four remaining privatized housing tenant rights will come by summer, Military Times reports. “This represents a fundamental step in our ongoing effort to improve...
SASC Announces Subcommittee Leadership
Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) and Ranking Member Jim Inhofe (R-OK) announced top Democrat and Republican leadership for its seven subcommittees on Tuesday. “The Senate Armed Services Committee has twenty-six members, seven...
In Our Communities [02/17/2021]
The Pentagon announced it will deploy 4,700 active-duty forces to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency at coronavirus vaccination sites throughout the United States... Fort Devens RFTA Range Complex in Massachusetts recently completed a new Range Control...
Heinrich to Serve as Chairman of the MILCON, Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee
New member of the Senate Appropriations Committee U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will serve as the chairman of the Military Construction (MILCON), Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. The subcommittee oversees funding for new military construction...
DIB Report Reveals U.S. STEM Shortage as Major Vulnerability to National Defense
The Department of Defense released its Fiscal Year 2020 Industrial Capabilities Report, which analyzed major developments and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as industrial base investments and initiatives carried out in 2020. "The report promotes a...
SASC, HASC Leaders Announce Committees for Renaming Military Bases
Leadership from the Senate and House Armed Services Committee announced their appointments to panels in charge of gathering input from local communities and developing an implementation plan for renaming military assets that commemorate the Confederacy. The committees...
Northrop CEO Says ‘More Consolidation’ Coming to Defense Industry
Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden predicts that the defense sector will see more mergers and acquisitions over the next two decades as a result of the push to rapidly develop new defense technologies, Defense News reports. “As a result, I believe the industry will...