Watch: SECDEF’s Climate Change Point Man Talks with ADC Live
It’s a “really timely moment” to be discussing climate change, Joe Bryan, special assistant to the defense secretary for climate change, said on stage Tuesday at ADC Reconnect. “We all know there’s something going on out there, and it’s not great.” Bryan also talked...
Reconnect in Review: Day Two
Here are some of the moments you may have missed during the closing day of ADC Reconnect: The Army’s installation strategy, released in December, will help prepare installations for an “information-age strategy” that recognizes adversaries have found ways to bring the...
Rep. Brown Gives DOD a B- on Diversity, Inclusion
DOD has earned a B-minus for diversity and inclusion but is on track to improve that with congressional support for more resources, Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday at ADC Reconnect. “Maybe by this time next...
Gillibrand’s Justice Reform Language Advances to SASC in NDAA Draft
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel subcommittee overwhelming approved a proposal by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to change how major crimes are handled by the military. The language will now be debated by the full committee Wednesday as it marks up...
Reconnect in Review
Here are some moments you may have missed Tuesday at day one of ADC Reconnect: “The Navy is open for business,” Vice Admiral Yancy Lindsey, commander of Navy Installations Command, said. “I think we did a pretty darn good job” of navigating the pandemic, he added,...
OLDCC Reviewing 70 DCIP Applications, O’Brien Says
The DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation received 70 applications for Defense Community Infrastructure Program grants, the office’s director, Patrick O’Brien, said Tuesday at ADC Reconnect. OLDCC is reviewing those to determine which projects should move...
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PAST STORIES
House Subcommittee Marks Up Milcon-VA Bill Friday with a Boost for Child Care
A House Appropriations subcommittee meets Friday morning to review its draft spending bill for military construction and veterans affairs. “The bill specifically targets military housing and child care needs, women’s and mental health priorities, and the climate...
GAO Wants DOD to Give Better Estimates on PFAS Cleanup
DOD should be more transparent about how much it will cost to clean up PFAS contamination in defense communities, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report. “DOD has not reported future PFAS cost estimates, or the scope and limitations of those...
VA Will Keep Telehealth Option, McDonough Says
The Department of Veterans Affairs will continue using telehealth to give veterans more efficient health care, VA Secretary Denis McDonough told the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday. The care option became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s...
‘Woke or Weak’ Debate Boils Over in HASC Hearing
The House Armed Services Committee questioned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley for almost four hours Wednesday on everything from China and Russia to sexual assault and anti-extremism. It was their final Capitol Hill appearance...
In Our Communities
The 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington recently hosted volunteer firefighter recruits from the region to train on base, according to a DOD story. “The purpose of the training is to increase our community partnership,”...
Austin Backs Removing Sexual Assault Cases from Chain of Command; Chiefs Warn Against Broader Reform
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will recommend to President Joe Biden that the military remove commanders from investigating sexual assault claims, AP reported Tuesday night. DOD has long opposed such a change. “As I made clear on my first full day in office, this is a...
DOD Leaders Continue Facing Lawmakers on Defense Budget
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley are once again testifying before lawmakers Wednesday morning about President Joe Biden’s $715 billion DOD budget request, this time at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Here are some...
Hicks Driving Cross-Branch Collaboration on Innovations
DOD needs to bring its many innovations into a more unified ecosystem, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said Monday at the Defense One Tech Summit. “There’s lots of experimentation going on across the department,” Hicks said, according to Breaking Defense....
ADC Announces Session Lineup for 2-Day Conference in July
Attendees at ADC’s first in-person conference in a year and a half will take part in conversations about the defense budget, the impact of climate change on installations, how to redefine military value, and DOD’s efforts against extremism, among other topics,...
Study: Among Post-9/11 Troops, Suicide Deaths Far Outnumber Combat Casualties
More than four times as many post-9/11 service members have died by suicide than did in combat, according to a new study from Brown University. The authors argue that the federal government needs to do more work in defense communities to tackle the crisis. The study...
In Our Communities
The state of Washington has launched a new COVID-19 vaccination lottery specifically for service members, military families and veterans, AP reported. Military-connected individuals who have gotten vaccinated or plan to will be entered to win cash prizes and gift...
PTSD Stigma Remains High, Even Among Military-Connected Americans
Service members, military families and veterans are twice as likely than other Americans to buy into myths that those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are violent or dangerous, Military.com reported. About a third of military-connected respondents to a...
DOD Ready to Pilot In-Home Child Care Assistance
Military families in five regions will be contacted in early July with an offer to help pay for in-home child care costs. The outreach is part of the launch of DOD’s In-Home Child Care Fee Assistance Pilot. The program is rolling out in five regions where there is...
Austin: Readiness at Risk if Guard Isn’t Reimbursed for Deployment to D.C.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley urged lawmakers Thursday to reimburse the National Guard for months of deployment to secure the U.S. Capitol complex. The deployment of Guard members from all 50 states, three territories and...
Senate Dems Start Budget Resolution Work
Senate Budget Committee Democrats are drafting a budget resolution that may not match up with the one being drafted by House Democrats. Senate committee members huddled with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wednesday in preparation, according to CQ. The...
‘We Must Focus on Our Resilience,’ Biden Pick for Navy Installations Chief Says
President Joe Biden’s nominee to become assistant Navy secretary for energy, installations and energy told lawmakers Wednesday she sees the “urgency and the dynamic nature” of the job. “We face threats – both natural and manmade – a competitive energy market, and a...
Acting Air Force Secretary Says There Was ‘No Political Influence’ in Space Command HQ Decision
Acting Air Force Secretary John Roth again defended the service’s decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama during Hill testimony Wednesday. “I have personally no evidence that the decision was politically motivated,”...
DOD Will ‘Do Our Part’ in Biden’s New Anti-Extremism Policy, Austin Says
Ongoing efforts to understand and root out domestic extremism in the military is now part of a government-wide strategy to counter domestic terrorism, “a comprehensive approach to addressing the threat while safeguarding bedrock American civil rights and civil...
House Sets Appropriations Markup Schedule
House appropriators will begin work on fiscal year 2022 spending bills June 24, according to a schedule released Tuesday by Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). The subcommittee overseeing military construction and Veterans Affairs will be among the...
HASC Lays Out Tight NDAA Timeline
The House Armed Services Committee will begin marking up the fiscal year 2022 defense authorization bill the last week of July, according to a schedule released by the committee. Four subcommittees, including military personnel, will conduct markups July 28. Three...
VA Scanning Vets’ Records for Easier Access
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Archives and Records Administration are teaming up to digitize millions of military personnel records currently stored in St. Louis warehouses, Federal News Network reported. VA said the project will help with the...
DOD Exploring How to Boost Guard, Reservist Pay
The Pentagon is working on a “reform effort” to boost pay for reservists and National Guard members, Military Times reported. “The joint force — active duty, Reserve and National Guard — it’s a total force,” Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley told the Senate Armed...
House Adopts Spending Cap, Kicking Off Appropriations Process
The House narrowly voted Monday night to adopt a $1.5 trillion spending cap requested by President Joe Biden. The language, part of a procedural measure on unrelated legislation, allows the House to proceed with appropriations bills even before debating a formal...
In Our Communities
Cape Cod Air Force Station in Massachusetts was officially renamed Cape Cod Space Force Station Friday…. Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma will use 3D printers to manufacture an aircraft engine part through Pacer Edge, the Air Force’s collaboration with General...
Biden Names Pick to Lead Navy
President Joe Biden plans to nominate Carlos Del Toro to become Navy Secretary, the White House announced Friday. Del Toro is a Havana native who came to the U.S. with his parents as refugees when he was young. He attended the Naval Academy and the Naval War College...