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...
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PAST STORIES
Report: MilSpouse Employment Data Needs Better Tracking Methodology
A recent study by Deloitte Center for Government Insight highlights issues regarding the collection of reliable data relating to military spouse employment, Military Times reports. One of the primary concerns is that various government agencies and nonprofit...
How One School System Moved Online and Where It’s Going Next
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the Silver Valley United School District had experience dealing with a certain kind of distance learning: The system’s only high school is 35 miles from Fort Irwin, Calif., where the parents of most of its 400 students are...
MCAS Miramar Launches 5G Trials
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California has become the first U.S. military installation to begin 5G trials in the United States. The next-generation, Ultra Wideband Service, mobile technology is being administered by Verizon. "This is a critical step to...
Pentagon Announces 12,000 Troop Withdrawal from Germany
In late-June the White House announced plans to reduce American military presence in Germany by 9,500 troops. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. would begin pulling out 12,000 troops as soon as possible. Military Times reports that 5,600 of these...
Air Force Event Courts Tech Startups Pitching ‘Bases of the Future’
As part of its annual flagship event, the U.S. Air Force's technology accelerator AFWERX has invited hundreds of companies to showcase solutions to build the base of the future. The initiative is part of the AFWERX Fusion event being held July 28-30. “The cornerstone...
DoD Extends DoDEA Virtual Learning Deadline to July 30
Service members and others deciding to send their child to a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school this fall will have the option of in-person or virtual instruction, the latter of which must be decided by this Thursday. Virtual learning begins on...
GAO: Pentagon Needs to act on Climate Risks to Contractors
In 2010 the Department of Defense identified climate change as a threat to its installations in operations. A recent study by the U.S. Government and Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted the risk to DoD’s acquisition and supply processes. “Its supply chain process...
Republican Coronavirus Relief Package Includes $29 Billion for Pentagon, DIB
Senate Republicans unveiled the next $1 trillion COVID-19 relief installment, of which $8 billion will be allocated towards procurement and acquisition funding for weapons and aircraft programs. In February President Donald Trump reprogrammed nearly $3.5 billion in...
Fort Campbell Unveils $87.4 Million Housing Development, Restoration Plan
Starting next year construction will begin on 144 new homes, as well as the renovation of 170 homes in New Hammond Height at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. “The recently approved five-year development plan will include new construction, major exterior and interior...
Health Restrictions Increase on 21 Installations as COVID-19 Cases Spike
Health Protection Conditions (HPCON) have increased on military installations across the country, particularly in Florida and Texas, as COVID-19 cases see a resurgence in the United States. To date the military has had nearly 23,000 cases with three confirmed deaths,...
South Carolina Governor Signs MilSpouse Licensure Bill
A recent bill signed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster will require state licensing boards to issue professional licenses to active duty military spouses assigned to South Carolina installations. To qualify for The Armed Services Members and Spouses...
Energy Resilience RFP with NUARI
The Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) is seeking proposals for potential partners to create energy resilience academic programs and professional development courses at the DoD midcareer and senior levels. NUARI is designing and developing an...
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Completes 40 Home Redevelopment Project
After a 14-month construction period which was completed six weeks ahead of schedule, a ceremony held on July 8 celebrated the completion of a new 40 home redevelopment of the Nani Ulupa’u neighborhood on Oahu in the state of Hawaii. The project was a partnership...
OEA Grant Awarded to Support Maryland Compatible Use around Military Communities
The Maryland Department of Commerce and other state agencies recently received a $1.12 million grant from the U.S. Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) for a second phase state-wide Statewide Joint Land Use Study (JLUS). The first JLUS grant was awarded to the Maryland...
Town Hall Recap: Learning to Manage Life Transitions
The world is collectively going through an “involuntary life quake,” according to Bruce Feiler, author of the new book Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age. Here are some of the insights Feiler shared during a COVID-19 Military Support Initiative...
Virginia Governor Signs Military Spouse Licensure Bill
In addition to the signing of an IGSA partner agreement between Northern Virginia and local military installations, Virginia Governor Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation on July 16 to expedite the state's military spouse occupational and professional licensure...
Senate Approves NDAA with 86-14 Vote
The Senate passed its annual defense bill on Thursday which includes legislation to remove Confederate names from Army installations in the United States. Both the House's NDAA, passed on July 21, and the Senate's defense policy bill were voted with majorities large...
Tacoma Water Company Sues DoD Over PFAS Contamination
Lakewood Water District in Washington state has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense and related manufacturers over the use of a firefighting foam containing PFAS (aka "forever chemical"). The fire retardant, used over 35 years at Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
DeCA to Expand Curbside Pickup Program
Click2Go, the Defense Commissary Agency's (DeCA) curbside pickup program has seen a 43 percent increase in usage since the pandemic began, Military Times reports. The program was launched in 2019 at four installations. While only five commissaries offer the service,...
Colorado Lawmakers’ NDAA Amendments Advocates Wilderness Protection
Before the House's version of the annual defense authorization act was passed on Tuesday, two representatives from Colorado included amendments which would promote environmental protection of more than one million acres of land in Colorado, California, and Washington....
Colorado Military Access Project to Improve Transportation for State’s Defense Communities
A new $18.35 million U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant will fund a Military Access, Mobility & Safety Improvement Project to serve the state's military communities and "improve connectivity, freight access, and the region’s economy." "With a state...
House Approves FY21 NDAA with 295-125 Vote
The House's annual defense authorization bill passed on Tuesday, adopting hundreds of amendments added Monday evening and rejecting several amendments from House progressives, CQ reports. HR 6395 authorizes $733.7 billion for fiscal 2021 through 2025. Before the...
Mississippi’s ‘Military Family Freedom Act’ Expands Licensure Reciprocity
A new law passed by the Mississippi legislature will make it easier for service members and their families moving from outside the state to obtain professional credentials and licensing. The "Military Family Freedom Act" went into effect on July 1. The law mandates...
Alabama Military Stability Foundation Launches Service Member Resource Website
Looking to help "bridge the gap" between the Department of Defense, the State of Alabama, military installations throughout the state, The Alabama Military Stability Foundation recently launched an online portal to serve its multiple defense communities. "The Heroes...
A Good News Story for the Army: Utility Privatization [Op-Ed]
The On Base feature, Perspectives, will introduce different viewpoints and voices on the issues important to our readers. The perspectives offered in these features do not represent the viewpoints of ADC or this publication. If you have a viewpoint to share, please...