Installation Innovation Preview: Supply Chain Slowdown Impacts Installations
President Joe Biden announced steps Wednesday to increase activity at the Port of Los Angeles to help ease supply chain backups that are impacting industries and consumers across the country. “This is a big first step in speeding up the movement of materials and goods...
Reservists Lag Behind Active Duty Service Members as First Vaccine Deadlines Approach
The military has reported five more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the number to 67 since August, Military Times reported. About 97% of active duty troops are at least partially vaccinated, and about 84% are fully vaccinated, the Pentagon said Tuesday. But only 60% of the...
In Our Communities
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill last week expanding the number of professions for which military spouses can get expedited temporary professional licenses and certifications when they move to the state for a duty posting. “This is great news for our...
News Report: Army Close to Releasing Its Own Climate Change Strategy
The Army will soon release a strategy outlining its approach to adapting to climate change, according to a Defense News report, which cited an internal memo reviewed by its reporter. According to the article, the Army’s plan will focus on improving energy-related...
Congress Buys a Few More Weeks on Debt Limit Crisis
The U.S. House sent President Joe Biden legislation Tuesday night increasing the statutory debt ceiling just enough to get the Treasury Department into early December without defaulting on the nation’s debts. That follows a deal Senate leaders passed last week....
In Our Communities
A New Mexico Army National Guard unit has deployed within the U.S. to support federal efforts to resettle Afghan refugees, Stars and Stripes reported…. The new People First Center at Fort Hood, Texas is aimed at helping sexual assault victims or those who have had...
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
Service Member Suicide Up 15% in 2020
There were 580 service member suicides in the calendar year 2020, which is up about 15% from the previous year, according to the Pentagon’s annual report on suicide, released Thursday. “We must redouble our efforts to provide all of our people with the care and the...
Senate Defense Spending Bill Coming Soon
Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said his panel’s draft spending bill and others will likely be released Oct. 15, according to CQ. When asked if the bill will reflect the higher topline defense spending level that the authorizing...
Congress, Biden Avoid Shutdown in Final Hours
Congress quickly passed a continuing resolution Thursday that extends current appropriations levels through Dec. 3, avoiding a government shutdown for now. President Joe Biden signed the measure just hours before the fiscal year ended at midnight. House Appropriations...
In Two Days of Testimony, Generals Contradict Biden on Afghanistan Withdrawal Recommendations
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Central Command head Kenneth McKenzie told lawmakers during two days of tense testimony that they had recommended that President Joe Biden keep a small number of troops in Afghanistan beyond the withdrawal deadline. Milley and...
Legislators Plan Last-Minute Push to Avoid Government Shutdown
The Senate is expected to consider a stopgap spending bill Thursday morning to continue federal spending through Dec. 3. If it passes the Senate, it would go to the House, which plans to bypass the Rules Committee to fast-track the bill, which President Joe Biden...
What’s in the Pentagon’s Shutdown Plan
If there is a government shutdown, active duty service members would stay on the job, because DOD “must continue operations necessary for the safety of human life or the protection of property,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks wrote in a memo this week that...
Milley, McKenzie Say They Wanted to Keep Troops in Afghanistan
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Central Command head Kenneth McKenzie told Senators Tuesday that they had recommended that President Joe Biden keep a small number of troops in Afghanistan beyond the withdrawal deadline. Milley and McKenzie both said they...
DOD, Other Agencies Plan for Potential Shutdown
Senate leaders were in talks late Tuesday on whether they have the votes to pass a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open. Congress has passed none of the 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, which means government spending for all agencies, including...
In Our Communities
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed an executive order that would allow her to deploy medically trained National Guard members to take the place of any health care workers terminated for refusing to get vaccinated. “We’re taking all the steps preemptively in...
House NDAA Would Expedite Military Spouses’ Professional Licensure Transfers Between States
The House version of the National Defense Authorization Act would make it easier for military spouses to transfer their processional licenses from state to state after moving to a new duty station. The NDAA language “would not only make it easier for military spouses...
Federal Contractor Employees Have Until Dec. 8 to Get Vaccinated
Employees for government contractors and subcontractors have until Dec. 8 to prove they are fully vaccinated unless they obtain an exemption, according to guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. The guidance also includes a list of frequently asked...
3 Days Left: Government Shutdown Closer after Senate GOP Kills Continuing Resolution
The Senate on Monday killed a chance to avert a federal government shutdown. Republicans voted against it because it was tied to a measure to suspend the debt limit. The continuing resolution, as passed by the Democratic House on a party line vote would also have...
Pentagon Leaders Prep for Hill Grilling on Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. will face angry lawmakers this week looking for answers about the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The three will appear before the Senate...
Blue Star Families Kicks Off ‘Welcome Week’
This week is Blue Star Welcome Week, designated by Blue Star Families to raise awareness among Americans and build grassroots support for military families. “When families… feel a sense of belonging, everything else improves – financial security, mental health and...
COVID Showed Need to Simplify PCS Moves, General Says
The coronavirus pandemic showed why it’s time to finally outsource management of the process of moving military families’ household goods from one duty station to another, Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. Van...
DOD Announces Temporary Housing Allowance Hike in 56 Markets
Service members in 56 regions may be eligible for a temporary increase in their basic allowance for housing, DOD announced Friday in a press release, along with a list of the 56 areas affected. The communities are in 20 states experiencing pandemic-related...
In Our Communities
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced a new “National Security Crossroads” collaboration that will help coordinate military-related activities across the two states, according to a press release…. U.S. Army Garrison Alaska and the Federal...
House Passes NDAA, Rejects Cuts to Defense Budget
The House passed its version of the fiscal year 2022 defense authorization bill Thursday night on a 316-113 vote. The House voted down two attempts by progressive Democrats to limit defense spending. One would have reverted the bill’s authorized amount to the...
Government Shutdown Threat Becomes Increasingly Real
The Office of Management and Budget has advised federal agencies to begin planning for a possible government shutdown, Federal News Network reported. With the end of the fiscal year less than a week away, there is no sign of an agreement on Capitol Hill to pass a...
DOD Plan to Combat Sexual Assault Is ‘Largest Ever Attempted,’ Hicks Says
The Pentagon has announced the first wave of its efforts to “deal a fundamental blow” to the problem of sexual assault in the military. The plan will include hiring specialized workers such as prosecutors, victim advocates and response coordinators, Deputy Defense...
Cramer to Speak about Infrastructure at ADC Installation Innovation Forum
Paul Cramer, currently performing the duties of deputy defense under secretary for acquisition and sustainment, will appear at Installation Innovation Forum in November, ADC announced Wednesday. Cramer will speak at a session called “Supporting the Future of Our...
NDAA Debate Starts in House as Senate Committee Releases Its Own Version
The House began debating the fiscal year 2022 national defense authorization bill Wednesday, including more than 400 amendments, though only a handful of those will actually be debated or receive a formal vote. The majority are noncontroversial provisions that have...
Space Chief Raymond Says Military’s Space Entities Are Now on Same Page
The various components working on space issues are now in sync moving forward, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond said Tuesday as C4ISRNET reported. “For the first time ever, everybody’s rowing in the same direction,” Raymond said at the Air Force...
White House Nominates Vazirani, Ricci, Bush to DOD Jobs
The White House announced three more DOD nominations in a statement Tuesday. Former Military Family Association CEO Ashish Vazirani is being nominated to become deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. He is a Navy veteran. Carrie Ricci,...
Republican Senators Want to Stop Dishonorable Discharges for Unvaccinated Service Members
A group of GOP senators wants to stop DOD from dishonorably discharging service members who refuse to get the coronavirus vaccine. “American heroes should not be treated as felons because of their personal medical choices,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), a...