Lawmakers Urge VA, USPS to Solve Veteran Medication Delivery Delays
A result of new operational changes at the United States Postal Service is causing wait times to double, and sometimes triple, for veterans seeking prescription medicine. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chair Mark Takano, along with Representatives Brian...
Upgrades to be Completed Soon at Fort Leonard Wood Airfield
“Significant upgrades” are being completed on the air traffic control tower at Fort Leonard Wood’s Forney Airfield – which also serves as Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport. The tower's renovation included new computer consoles, lighting controls and a monitoring...
DOD to Host Webinar on DCIP Funding Process
DOD’s Office of Economic Adjustment is hosting a webinar next week to discuss the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) and the application process for those projects that have been invited to apply for the first round of funding. Based on initial proposals,...
OEA Invites 16 Grantees to Apply for DCIP Funding
The DOD Office of Economic Adjustment has identified 16 project proposals to advance to the next round of the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) application process, it announced this week. The Infrastructure Pilot Program Review Panel selected the 16...
IG: DoD Not Meeting Standards for Outpatient Mental Health Services
A recent evaluation conducted by the Department of Defense Inspector General found "DoD did not consistently meet outpatient mental health access to care standards." The report was conducted between December 2018 to June 2019. "Military service, especially combat, can...
Lawmakers Urge President Trump to Fully Fund National Guard Pandemic Response
Members from both parties are demanding that President Donald Trump reverse the White House's decision to impose a 25% cost share on the majority of states and territories with regards to the National Guard's response efforts to COVID-19. “States are the frontlines of...
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In Our Communities
A University of Arkansas civil engineering researcher has received a $755,000 DOD grant to develop a new device to more accurately and efficiently monitor PFAS in water at military installations, Water Quality Products reported. “This builds on existing methods by...
VA Describes Top Employers of Vets in Each State
The Department of Veterans Affairs is highlighting top veterans employers in each state in a new blog post. VA talked with officials in each state for the informal survey. Here are some of the notable findings: The state government is among the largest employers of...
Military OneSource to Offer National Online Child Care Service
Military families will have a new resource for finding child care providers through Military OneSource, which will assist in the process of searching and signing up for full-time and part-time care. The new offering will be subscription-based and "provided at no cost...
New App to Connect Service Members to Quality of Life Programs at Army Installations
Digital Garrison, a free app developed in partnership between Army Installation Management Command and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, will help service member living on/near army bases to find programs ranging from child care to medical services. “Digital...
At Least One Shipyard May Close as Navy Struggles with COVID Costs
Production costs at defense contractor sites may have increased by $11 billion between March and June, and the Navy may shut down one of its seven major shipyards, Breaking Defense reported, citing a Pentagon memo. The document did not indicate which site may be...
Landmark Deal Aims to Launch Vandenberg into Commercial Space
A new partnership will work to make Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., into a commercial space hub, The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune reported. Vandenberg leaders are partnering with the governor’s office, California Polytechnic State University and Deloitte on “a master...
FCC to Auction DoD’s 5G Spectrum to Industry
In an "unprecedented" 15-week schedule, the Department of Defense will make 100 megahertz (MHz) of contiguous mid-band spectrum available in the 3450-3550 MHz band for 5G. "In mid-April, the White House and DoD met to discuss what could be done quickly to make more...
Trump Signs Two Veteran Support Bills into Law
Two pieces of legislation signed by President Donald Trump over the weekend will provide help to veterans in the legal system and provide opportunities for disabled veterans to seek home renovation grants. The Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act directs the...
Service Chiefs Urge SecDef to Stop Medical Facility Transfer to DHA
In a memo dated August 5 to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the secretaries and branch chiefs of each armed service warned that the planned move to transfer all medical facilities to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) "creates unnecessary complexity and increases...
Coming this fall: ADC’s Summit Series
In a fast‐changing world, our mission remains the same – supporting the military and our military families. We can’t gather in D.C., but we can bring D.C. to you. Introducing the Summit Series, a new way to engage with defense leaders and network with ADC’s community....
New DOD Tool Will Link Families with Child Care Providers
The Defense Department’s Military OneSource service will now help military families “find, hire and pay for” child care, according to a Thursday press release. The service is a searchable online directory of care providers, and will be free to eligible families, DOD...
Rebuilding Effort Allows Offutt an Opportunity to Look Forward
There’s a “silver lining” in the flood that hit Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., in March 2019, according to the person overseeing the base’s rebuilding. “This gives us an opportunity to foundationally rebuild the base for the Air Force’s next generation of warfighting,”...
Air Force Releases Results of Military Family Community Assessment
How does your defense community rate when it comes to public education and license portability? A recent Air Force assessment provides comprehensive data by installation, information which officials say will be used in future basing decisions. Recent findings from the...
Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Expand Virtual Health for Veterans
The House Committee of Veterans’ Affairs announced two new bipartisan bills that will help prevent veteran suicide by expanding access to virtual mental healthcare and teaching critical coping strategies to veterans’ families. The Veterans’ Access to Online Treatment...
GOP Lawmakers: Next Stimulus Should Include Defense Spending
If Congress passes another coronavirus response package, it should include additional defense spending, a group of Republican lawmakers said. “As in any crisis, the American people have turned to the military to help protect the country, and the military has responded...
Military Families’ Travel Reimbursements Depend on Following New Moving Guidance
New guidance from DOD says that any approved travel must begin with a risk assessment by all members of the traveling party, including whether they have exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms or been in contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus,...
Upcoming Employment and Recruiting Opportunities for Veterans, Military Spouses
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has two virtual job recruitment opportunities in August. The first virtual career fair and online recruiting event is for the Denver-region on August 13. The second event, focused on the Camp Pendleton area, will be held on August...
Amid Extended Coronavirus Deployments, Navy Families Seek Compensation
In March the U.S. Navy began asking sailors to leave their homes 14 days before sea duty to quarantine to limit the spread of COVID-19. As a result of the extended duty, a group of military spouses are contacting Congress to update the Family Separation Allowance to...
Housing Provider Says Families Are Key to Supporting DOD Sustainability Goals
Solar energy efforts by the nation’s largest provider of privatized military housing have helped it generate 116,000 MWh of solar energy to support the military’s sustainability and renewable energy goals, Hunt Military Communities announced in a press release....
Esper: Floyd Killing Was ‘Wake-Up Call’ to Racial Strife in Military
The May killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis was a “wake-up call” for Pentagon leaders to examine and address race issues within the military services, Defense Sec. Mark Esper said Wednesday. “I don’t think what everybody appreciated — at least me, personally — is...
HHS, DOD Partner with Janssen to Prepare for Large-scale Vaccine Manufacturing
A new agreement to produce millions of investigational vaccine doses has been signed between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Defense (DoD) and Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, according to a recent Pentagon...
President Trump Announces Extension of Title 32 Orders
President Donald Trump announced on Aug 3. he would be extending National Guard deployments responding to the COVID-19 to the end of 2020. Earlier that same day, the National Governors Association sent a letter urging Trump to extend National Guard Title 32 orders for...
Lawmakers Urge for Investigation into $7.2 Billion TRANSCOM Contract
Two member of Congress have come forward to voice their concerns about the U.S. Transportation Command’s (TRANSCOM) recently awarded contract of $7.2 billion to manage service members' household goods moves, Military Times reports. Senator Thom Tillis of North...
ADC Elects Two Members to Board of Directors
Karen Holt and Diane Rath have been elected to the Association of Defense Communities Board of Directors. Rath, a Texas native and resident, serves as the Executive Director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG). Holt, a Maryland resident, serves as the...
Texas Wind Farm Plan Causes Contention with Local Installations
A new plan by a Chinese billionaire to build a large wind farm is causing a stir in Val Verde County Texas, Chron.com reports. The first grievance against Sun Guangxim is by local landowners who say a "huge" wind farm will have a significant environmental and economic...