Army IG to Visit Dozens of Installations to Understand How New Soldiers Are Welcomed, Integrated
The Army’s inspector general will visit about 40 installations for a wide-ranging look at how new soldiers are welcomed and integrated into the service, Army Times reported. “Secretary [Christine] Wormuth will review the final inspection report to find ways to improve...
Every Branch Struggling to Meet Recruitment Numbers, Report Says
Every branch of the military is having trouble meeting its fiscal year 2022 recruitment goals, NBC News reported. “This is the start of a long drought for military recruiting,” said Ret. Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr of the Heritage Foundation. He said the military has not...
Austin Promises ‘Seamless Access to Reproductive Health Care’
In a brief statement Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon is reviewing the Supreme Court ruling that lets states decide whether and how to regulate abortion. “Nothing is more important to me or to this department than the health and well-being of...
Army Scraps High School Graduation Requirement for Now
As it struggles to meet its recruitment goals, the Army announced it will accept new recruits even if they do not have a high school diploma or a GED certificate, as Military.com reported. New recruits must still be 18 years old or older, but if they ship out to basic...
Army, Air Force Exchanges Contributed More than $205 Million to Military Communities in 2021
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service contributed more than $205 million for military quality of life programs last year, the service announced last week in a press release. “Thank you to airmen, soldiers, guardians, Marines, sailors and military families around...
House Appropriations Committee Advances MILCON/VA Bill
House appropriators approved a military construction/VA spending bill Thursday that would provide $15 billion for military construction, which is higher than the current spending year and President Biden’s budget request for next year. Here’s how the military...
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PAST STORIES
Senate on Track to Pass Bill Helping Vets Exposed to Toxins
The Senate cleared a procedural hurdle Tuesday to begin debating legislation providing benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals, including in burn pits. The vote was 86-12, a show of bipartisan support suggesting the bill could pass in the coming days. “There’s...
Wagner Confirmed as Head of Air Force Personnel
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Alex Wagner to become assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. The vote was 76-21. Wagner held several DOD positions in the Obama administration, including chief of staff to then-Army...
In Our Communities
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said he would send the National Guard to help with a crime wave in Chicago if the support is requested, according to the Daily Herald. “I think you know that I have called up the National Guard whenever local mayors that I’ve spoken to...
Inhofe Optimistic Congress Will Increase Biden Defense Budget Topline
The House Armed Services Committee begins marking up its version of the annual defense policy bill with several subcommittee hearings tomorrow and Thursday. The Senate Armed Services Committee begins work on its version next week. But neither committee’s chair has...
At Ceremony in France, Milley Says Support for Ukraine Honors D-Day Heroes
Americans and allied troops who lost their lives on D-Day “died for something. They died for that order to be put in place so that we would have a better peace,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley said Monday at the American Cemetery overlooking the shore at...
‘Arctic Angels’: Army Reactivates 11th Airborne Division in Alaska
The Army made the reorganization of its units in Alaska official Monday when it reactivated the long-dormant 11th Airborne Division to focus on Arctic and cold-weather combat operations, as Stars and Stripes reported. The 11th Airborne Division includes the former...
Reports: Military Families’ Food Insecurity Is a National Security Concern
Many military families are still not able to get enough food, which adds to other stress points and poses a national security threat, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said last week in a report, according to Stars and Stripes. “Struggles with food...
Graham Proposes Sending Vets, Retired Military to Patrol Schools
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said last week that former service members should be tapped to help secure schools. “We have hundreds of thousands of well-trained former military members who could bring a lot to the table in terms of school security,” he said Friday in a...
In Our Communities
Homeschooled students near Fort Belvoir, Virginia will start using facilities at the installation for physical fitness and STEM activities during the regular school day, when the Markham School-Age Center is typically idle, according to InsideNoVa. Fort Belvoir’s...
GAO Says Air Force Used Unclear Process to Select Space Command Home; Report Doesn’t Favor a Specific Site
The Air Force did not use fully transparent requirements to decide where to headquarter U.S. Space Command, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday. The report reviewed the Air Force's January 2021 decision to move Space Command...
One Week Left: Submit a Session Proposal for Installation Innovation 2022
ADC is accepting proposals for sessions at Installation Innovation 2022 through Friday, June 10. The agenda will feature dozens of sessions with real-life, on-the-ground case studies that highlight best practices and offer ideas for future innovations in defense...
Florida Awards More than $3 Million in Grants to Defense Communities
Several defense communities in Florida have received grants for infrastructure, reinvestment and defense support projects, according to a press release. The new awards total more than $3 million. “In Florida, we value those who protect and serve our nation and the...
Snap of the Week
The Indiana National Guard fires a 21-gun Howitzer cannon salute during a May 30 Memorial Day service at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. National Guard photo by Sgt. Hannah Clifton
New Aid Package to Ukraine Will Include More Advanced Systems
A new $700 million aid package the U.S. is planning for Ukraine will include more advanced weapons systems than the U.S. has sent so far, according to The Hill and other media outlets. It will include high-mobility artillery rockets, but they will be configured so...
New Commandant Fagan Becomes First Female Branch Chief
Adm. Linda Fagan was sworn in Wednesday as commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, making her the first woman to lead a military branch. President Biden, who nominated Fagan, said “it’s about time” a woman was given such a job. “Secretary of Defense, when he sent me the...
Air Force to Begin Third-Party Home Inspections Soon
The Air Force will soon begin third-party inspections of its 55,000 privatized homes and 15,000 government-owned homes, it said in a press release. The inspections were mandated by Congress. “We are always looking for new ways to optimize the base housing program to...
In Our Communities
DOD has reported high levels of PFAS in drinking water near several installations, The Hill reported. The bases include Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove,...
Biden Outlines His Russia-Ukraine Strategy in NYT Op-Ed
President Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. would send more humanitarian aid and weapons systems to Ukraine to help them fight back against Russia’s invasion. “[W]e will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them...
Installation Innovation Forum: Early Bird Rates End Friday
Friday is the last day to get special early bird registration rates for ADC’s Installation Innovation 2022. IIF is taking place Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 in Phoenix. The agenda will feature more than 50 sessions as well as mainstage presentations, networking breaks,...
Austin Plans More Action with Local Partners on Mental Health, Survivor Support
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said over the weekend that DOD will continue to address mental health issues among service members and destigmatize treatment, repeating a line he often uses that “mental health is health, period,” according to a DOD news story. “This is...
In Our Communities
Joint Base San Antonio, Texas last week hosted a group of health care education advisors, business executive and administrators from across the country to see the home of Army medicine, according to a press release. “Our key message is simple. We tell our community...
Biden Tells Naval Academy Grads the World Is at an ‘Inflection Point’
President Biden told graduating midshipmen at the Naval Academy that they are beginning their careers “at an inflection point, not only in American history but in world history,” according to The Hill. “The challenges we face, the choices we make are more...
Wormuth Appoints CASAs in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Colorado
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth swore in three new Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army last week, according to a press release. “They served with distinction in uniform, and now as CASAs, they will be great advocates for the Army in their local communities,”...
In Our Communities
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington was presented with a nearly $1.6 million rebate check from Puget Sound Energy for a project that upgraded energy systems at dozens of facilities on base, according to an Army story. “When you talk about resiliency and redundancy...
June 1 & 15: OLDCC to Brief on Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is hosting webinars June 1 and 15 at 2 p.m. Eastern time about the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program. The $30 million competitive grant program supports long-term community investments to strengthen...