Coronavirus Stimulus Package Allows President to Extend Military Leader Appointments
In the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package released Wednesday, a subsection for defense and military personnel allocation stipulates President Donald Trump may extend the appointment of key service leadership positions. The positions that are included in this...
COVID-19 Military Community Updates
In a recent interview with Reuters, Defense Secretary Mark Esper reported a 30 percent increase in COVID-19 cases in the military, but said he would start providing “aggregated numbers” to prevent compromising ongoing/future missions. “I’m not going to get into a...
Defense Community Utilizes Wi-Fi-Enabled School Buses during Coronavirus Crisis
Like most school districts around the country, Knob Noster Public School District in Missouri has cancelled its in-person classes. And while many students will go online to continue their education, connectivity is a challenge for this rural Missouri community of...
COVID-19 Military Community Updates
-Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a 60-day military stop movement order on Wednesday for DOD uniformed and civilian personnel. The order will affect approximately 90,000 service members scheduled to deploy or redeploy. The Pentagon memo outlined exceptions...
Military OneSource Provides COVID-19 Resources to Military Families
The Pentagon’s online and call center resource, Military OneSource, has added new services to provide tools to service members, military spouses, and other dependents during the coronavirus pandemic, DOD memo recently outlined. New services include an online directory...
Inside DOD’s $10.5 Billion Funding: COVID-19 Emergency Stimulus Package
Senators released details of the $2 trillion coronavirus aid package on Wednesday, outlining significant financial assistance for the Defense Health Program and defense industrial base. Here is a quick rundown of what...
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PAST STORIES
ADC, BSF Hosts Education-Focused COVID-19 Town Hall
On Tuesday the Covid-19 Military Support Initiative hosted its second virtual town hall meeting, “Managing the Impact of School Closures for Military Families.” Blue Star Families’ CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet started the town hall with an overview of a recent “Pain Points...
Esper: DOD to Telework as ‘Long as Necessary’
U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper, Chairman of the Joint Staff U.S. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramon “CZ” Colon-Lopez conducted a virtual town hall on Tuesday, providing an overview of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect...
What is Considered ‘Essential Critical Infrastructure’ During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Following the lead of California and New York, Governor of Washington state Jay Inslee recently ordered a two-week stay-at-home order for the state’s 7 million residents. All businesses that are not deemed “essential” must close by Wednesday evening, but what exactly...
COVID-19 Military Community Updates
Join the Conversation: Military Support Town Hall Meeting As part of the COVID-19 Military Support Initiative (CMSI), ADC and Blue Star Families will be hosting its second virtual town hall on Tuesday March 24, 3:00-4:00 PM ET. Top national military child education...
Army Issues ‘Prepare to Deploy’ Order for Medical Units, Closing Physical Recruiting Stations
Officials at the U.S. Army are preparing a potential response effort to provide medical capacity for the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Specifically, the service has given combat support hospitals (CSH) Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington and Fort Campbell,...
COVID-19 Military Community Updates
As of Sunday the New York Times reports that positive coronavirus cases have topped 31,700 in the United States, with approximately 200 related deaths from the virus. Meanwhile U.S. Military services cases of COVID-19 have increased 31 percent...
COVID-19 Military Community Updates
-The first-round Senate GOP stimulus package would include direct payment rebate checks for $1,200 per person and an additional $500 per child, reported CQ. -Fort Belvoir Army installation in Fairfax County, Virginia is starting to see a “steady stream” of patients to...
ADC, BSF Hosts First COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall
Part of its COVID-19 Military Support Initiative, The Association of Defense Communities, Blue Star Families, and participants from the White Oak Collaborative hosted a national virtual town hall on Thursday to better understand the current coronavirus pandemic....
COVID-19 Defense Community Updates
Join the Conversation: Thursday, March 19, 3:00-4:00 PM ET The Association of Defense Communities (ADC), Blue Star Families, and participants from the White Oak Collaborative will be hosting a town hall meeting on “Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Our...
COVID-19 Defense Community Updates
-As of Monday, the Department of Defense has tested 495 people worldwide in response to the coronavirus outbreak. A Pentagon spokesman recently reported that 37 people have tested positive: 18 service members, 13 dependents, three contractors and three civilian...
53 Members of Congress Sign Bipartisan Letter in Support of DCIP Funding
A recent letter to Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Pete Visclosky and ranking member Ken Calvert advised the lawmakers to fund $100 million to the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP). Administered by the Office of Economic...
Pentagon Identifies Hundreds of New PFAS Contamination Sites
A new report by the Pentagon’s PFAS Task Force found sites which have used PFAS, or its potential release, has increased from 401 to 651 as of the end of FY 2019, McClatchy News reports. According to the DOD report, “The preponderance of this increase represents...
Georgia Power Company Partners with Warner Robbins AFB to Support Resilience, Cost-Savings
Staff of U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville Utility Energy Services Contracting program recently met with representatives of the Georgia Power Company (GPC) to bring energy savings, resilience and security...
COVID-19 Defense Community Updates
Nationwide -The Pentagon signed a memorandum over the weekend halting all domestic travel for U.S. service members. This includes permanent change of station (PCS) moves and temporary duty travel. The restrictions are planned to span from March 16 to May 11. Service...
COVID-19: Defense Community Updates
President Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, freeing up as much as $50 billion for emergency relief. The Department of Defense is starting to close DoDEA schools within the United States, starting with schools at Fort Knox,...
Fort Leavenworth Builds Partnerships for Spouse Employment, Childcare
Fort Leavenworth has partnered with KansasWorks and Military OneSource for the upcoming PCS moves , Fort Leavenworth Lamp reports. “The resources are out there, it is just about connecting the spouses with those resources,” said Mike Fuller, Garrison Human Resources...
Senate Bill to Exempt Military Retirement Pay From Taxes
California Senator Scott Wilk recently introduced Senate Bill 1071, bipartisan legislation exempting military pensions from the state income tax. “The 21st Senate District is blessed to have many veterans,” said Wilk in a statement. “Their skillsets, education and...
COVID-19: DOD’s 60-Day Travel Ban, Exercise/Event Cancellations
Following President Trump’s announcement of a 30-day European travel ban on Wednesday night which takes effect Friday, the Department of Defense is enacting its own travel ban. Starting Friday, March 13, the department is restricting travel to, from or through...
Cancian: Coronavirus and Military Readiness
While the current effect of COVID-19 may seem minimal on U.S. armed forces in the perspective of infection rate, wartime capability and readiness may suffer in the long-term, says Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in...
U.S. Marine Corps General Considers Shrinking Service Size
At a recent Center for New American Security event, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger alluded to cutting older legacy systems and augmenting newer systems/formations, Marine Times reports. According the FY 2021 budget, the service is planning to invest in new...
Thousands of Coast Guardsman May Lose Child Care Spots
Due to recent Department of Defense changes in installation Child Development Center (CDC) policy, Coast Guard families are placed at a lower priority for child care, military.com reports. The DOD announced recently three priority levels with subcategories to qualify...
Coronavirus: DOD Delays PCS/Training, DARPA Develops COVID-19 ‘Shield’
-The Pentagon is halting permanent change-of-station (PCS) moves out of areas most impacted by COVID-19, including South Korea and Italy, Military Times reports. The department is considering a policy for global operations as well to contain and mitigate effects of...
Army Reiterates DOD Policy Restricting Political Activity
As the election season approaches, the U.S. Army wrote an article reminding service members their limitations regarding political activities mandated by the Hatch Act and DOD Directive 1344.10. Military members and civilian employees serving in an official...
Gillis: Missing Housing Rights to be Enacted by May 1
During his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Jordan Gillis, nominee for assistant secretary of defense for sustainment said that three missing protections from the DOD’s Tenant Bill of Rights will be added by May 1, military.com reports. The missing provisions are:...
Senators Pass Immigration Policy for Children of Military and Civil Service Members
The U.S. Senate recently passed the bipartisan “Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act” which ensures children (including stepchildren and adopted children) of military and civil servants born while stationed abroad will have a path to...