Defense Cuts Would Hit a ‘Significant’ Number of Programs, Gen. Milley Tells Congress in Testimony Alongside Austin
Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and DOD Comptroller Michael McCord told House appropriators Thursday that House Republican budget proposals could negatively impact national security and reduce war-fighting readiness, as The Hill reported....
House GOP Promises Budget Cuts Won’t Impact Veterans; Dems Question the Math
As the new House majority works to present a budget reduction plan that may still have military cuts on the table, key members are telling veterans their services are not on the chopping block. “Congress has always prioritized the VA budget,” House Veterans’ Affairs...
Snap of the Week
Sailors man the rails on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as it pulls into San Diego March 23. The ship changed its homeport from Bremerton, Washington to San Diego after completing an 18-month docking planned incremental...
Some Branches Will Continue Recruitment Bonuses; Base Pay Hikes Beyond Biden Proposal Unlikely
Military service leaders seemed to say Wednesday that base pay for enlisted troops is not a recruitment barrier. Leaders from the services testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on recruitment challenges. The administration has proposed a 5.2% pay...
OLDCC Looks to Hire Two Sacramento-Based Project Managers
The DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is hiring two project managers based in its Sacramento, California office, according to a USA Jobs announcement promoted on LinkedIn by OLDCC Director Patrick O’Brien. The project managers will help “states and...
In Our Communities
Public radio station WGBH in Boston covered the local dialogue over whether to add a proposed machine gun range at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts. CAI photo by Eve Zuckoff
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PAST STORIES
Diversity Policies Not Harming Military, Gen. Brown and Gen. Berger Say
The Pentagon has been accused of “wokeism” for its policies on diversity, equity and inclusion, but military leaders say the policies are helping, Defense One reported. “When people join our military, they want to look around and see somebody who looks like them,” Air...
U.S. Will Send Tanks, Patriot Missile Systems to Ukraine Earlier than Expected
The Pentagon said Tuesday it will expedite the delivery of Abrams tanks and Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine. The department will send a refurbished older model of the tanks, which means it can get them to Ukraine by fall. “This is about getting this...
In Our Communities
President Joe Biden proclaimed Castner Range at Fort Bliss, Texas as a new national monument, as the Army said in a news story. “This action will protect the cultural, scientific and historic objects found within the monument’s boundaries, honor our veterans, service...
With SECDEF’s House Testimony Days Away, Pentagon Comes Out Against GOP’s Proposed Budget Cuts
House Republicans’ proposals to cut the federal budget could hurt military families and national security, Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord said in a letter to House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), as Defense News and other outlets reported....
In Our Communities
Fort Pickett, Virginia this week will be the first installation to formally change its name following the recommendations Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accepted from the Naming Commission, Military.com reported. The Army National Guard base will become Fort Barfoot...
Austin, Other DOD Leaders to Testify on Capitol Hill This Week
Here are some of the hearings scheduled for this week on Capitol Hill: Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.: Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on recruitment challenges, with testimony from under secretaries of the services Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.: SASC Readiness Subcommittee...
Army to Try to Reframe How Soldiers Think of Mold, According to Report
The Army will roll out a new messaging campaign soon to “reframe how we think about mold,” Military.com reported, citing an internal document it has reviewed. It said the document detailed training and talking points seeking to put responsibility on rank and file...
In Our Communities
The Nebraska National Guard’s Camp Ashland training site is officially open again after the facility flooded in March 2019, the Omaha World-Herald reported. “This facility is about resilience,” Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) said at a Friday ceremony. “This...
DOD Budget Request Would Increase Recruitment Advertising
The Pentagon’s budget request to Congress includes $40 million to advertise to young people as the services struggle to meet recruitment goals. “We need to do a better job of telling our story, the benefits of military service and what it can provide,” said Gilbert...
Coast Guard Asks for Budget Cut
While the administration’s request for DOD funding is about 3% higher than the current year’s budget, the Coast Guard – part of the Department of Homeland Security – is proposing a slight decrease in its budget. The Coast Guard requested $13.45 billion, down from its...
In Our Communities
Army civilians from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland helped remove a potential World War II-era chemical round discovered in Delaware, according to an Army story. Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado’s 302nd Airlift Wing was announced this month as the winner of the...
Snap of the Week
Cohen Allen, a Jefferson High School freshman, lays in the boom-pod of a KC-135 Stratotanker during a tour at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, March 14, 2023. Students with Jefferson High’s Kingsman Academy met pilots, boom operators and maintainers with the 6th Air...
House’s Conservative Republican Study Committee Suggests Return to Budget Sequestration
A new “Debt Limit Playbook” published by the Republican Study Committee suggests the conservative wing of the House Republican Conference would welcome a return to the Budget Control Act sequestration policies of a decade ago. “Congress could codify new discretionary...
Senators Want More from Transition Assistance Program
The military is “falling short” when it comes to preparing separating service members for their career transitions, according to Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), as Military Times reported. King and Cramer, who serve on the Armed Services and...
In Our Communities
Ebbing Air National Guard, Arkansas will be home to the Foreign Military Sales Program Pilot Training Center, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. The mission is expected to bring 900 service members and their families to the city of Fort Smith and nearby areas as...
Reagan Foundation Report Fails U.S. on Defense Innovation
The Defense Department is failing in its efforts to adopt the kind of cutting-edge innovations that can make the military more modern, efficient and competitive, according to a new Reagan Foundation and Institute report. The panel of experts who reviewed various...
Watch: St. Clair County, Illinois Official Named Defense Community Champion
When Kimberly Huth retired from the Air Force, she began looking for a new way to serve and became the executive director of military affairs for St. Clair County, Illinois, home to Scott Air Force Base. Huth was recognized last week as a national Defense Community...
In Our Communities
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) is pressing DOD to ensure Hawaii is safe from missile attacks, given its location and role in the nation’s defense, as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. “Hawaii holds a strategic position in the Pacific with many integral Department...
Budget Request Boosts Pay, R&D, Procurement
The Biden administration Monday laid out more details of its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal, which includes $842 billion for the Department of Defense, about 3% higher than the current fiscal year budget. “One of the big themes of this budget is continuity,” DOD...
Wheeler and Lingenfelter: ‘The Vital Connection Between School Performance, Regional Economic Success and National Security’
Two ADC leaders outlined ways defense communities can make their local schools the best they can be to serve military-connected students in a recent Defense Opinion op-ed. “Military leaders have stressed that K-12 school performance is a big deal because it impacts...
Watch: Moody AFB Supporter Lucy Greene Named Defense Community Champion
Lucy Greene founded the Moody Support Group with her late husband Parker Greene as a way for civilian community members to honor service members in the Moody Air Force Base, Georgia area. She was recognized earlier this year as a local Defense Community Champion and...
ICYMI: Meet the 2023 Great American Defense Communities
Don’t miss the video announcement of the 2023 class of Great American Defense Communities. The five communities were named at this week’s Defense Communities National Summit with support from USAA, the official sponsor of the Great American Defense Communities...
Snap of the Week
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, left, makes her first ADC event appearance Wednesday at the Defense Communities National Summit for a one-on-one conversation with Karen Holt, whom ADC members elected Monday to become the association’s new president. ADC photo by...
Biden Budget Would Boost Defense, Raising Pay for Troops and Civilians
The Biden administration is asking Congress for $842 billion for DOD in fiscal year 2024, according to budget request documents released Thursday. That would be about 3% higher than the defense spending level in the current fiscal year. Some of the increased funding...
Wednesday’s Summit Bites: Budget, Manufacturing, Modernization and More
Here are some moments we hope you didn’t miss at day three of the Defense Communities National Summit: “Earmarks are helping” Congress get closer to passing appropriations bills on time, said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), chair of the Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee....