Austin Stands by Vaccine Mandate
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he stands by DOD’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, despite growing pressure from some Republican governors and lawmakers. “We lost a million people to this virus,” Austin told reporters traveling with him over the weekend. “A million...
DOD Hopes to Leverage Private Sector Innovation with New Strategic Capital Office
The Pentagon announced Thursday the establishment of the Office of Strategic Capital to tap into private sector innovation. “We can build enduring advantages though engagement with trusted private capital that is focused on critical technology areas for the Department...
Vaccine Mandate Reversal Could Slow Down Omnibus
Some Republicans are adamantly pushing to reverse the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and want to include it in the compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which CQ noted may not happen. Advocates for the reversal may then eye the omnibus...
In Our Communities
The 94th Airlift Wing Security Forces Squadron at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia was served Thanksgiving dinner last week by the Honorary Commanders Alumni Association. HCAA pairs community and business leaders with military commanders in a yearlong program to...
Snap of the Week
Santa, Mrs. Claus and more than three dozen elves from the Alaska Air and Army National Guard partnered with the Salvation Army to deliver 1,420 pounds of gifts, hygiene supplies and books to 191 children in Nuiqsut, Alaska, Nov. 29. For the 67th year of Operation...
Earmarks Are Back, After GOP Conference Vote
House Republicans are reinstating congressional earmarks. In a conference meeting Wednesday, they agreed to return to the practice of letting members request spending for projects in their districts. After high-profile abuses of the system led to a short-term ban,...
ADC wants to know about the stories happening in your community or organization. Share them with us by emailing rford@defensecommunities.org.
PAST STORIES
Ellen Lord: Better Communication, Success Stories Will Help DOD Budget Process
“[E]verybody thinks there could be more” communication between Congress and DOD, former Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord said recently, according to Defense News. Lord is one of 14 members of the congressionally mandated Commission on Planning, Program, Budgeting...
U.S. Taps into Contractors for More Ukraine Security Aid
DOD announced in a statement Friday that the U.S. is sending about $400 million more in security aid to Ukraine. This round is coming not from existing inventory but from coordination with defense contractors, the statement said. “Unlike Presidential Drawdown...
In Our Communities
The task force overseeing the defueling of the Navy’s Red Hill pipelines in Honolulu has successfully unpacked fuel from the pipelines, “a critical first step to the ultimate plan to defuel the tanks at the decades-old underground Red Hill fuel farm” near Joint Base...
Dozens of Community Leaders Complete Joint Civilian Orientation Conference
Almost 40 business and community leaders from across the country completed DOD’s 93rd Joint Civilian Orientation Conference last week, according to a DOD press release. “JCOC is an important opportunity for civilian leaders to get up close and personal with the men...
Air Force to Close Nine More U.S. Inns
The Air Force is closing nine more inns after a 2018 change that stopped subsidizing the inns with federal appropriations, Stars and Stripes reported. The facilities scheduled to close in spring include those at: Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee Grand Forks Air Force...
In Our Communities
National security spending and industry in California generated more than $158 billion in economic impact in the state in 2021 and created more than 760,000 full-time equivalent jobs that year, according to a new state report…. Members of the public will be able to...
Snap of the Week
A member of the Arizona-based FBI examines an x-ray of an explosive vest during a joint training exercise in Tucson, Arizona Nov. 2. The training focused on booby trap detection and deactivation, hostage rescue, and the identification of potential WMDs. Air Force...
Saltzman Takes Control of Space Force
Gen. Chance Saltzman is officially on the job as chief of space operations at the Space Force. He took over at a Wednesday ceremony, as Defense News reported. The change of command comes as the Space Force continues to grow, which Saltzman said is not an easy task. “A...
Watch: In Tennessee, a Defense Community with a Focus on Education
ADC visited Tullahoma, Tennessee to see how the town of 20,000 makes education a top priority, from aviation and welding classes in a local high school to a science center for children. Watch the story of this 2022 Great American Defense Community, a program of the...
VA Reports Biggest Drop in Vets’ Homelessness in Five Years
Data released by the Department of Veterans Affairs this morning shows an 11% drop in veteran homelessness since 2020, the biggest drop in more than five years. There were still more than 33,000 veterans experiencing homelessness at the federal government’s...
Space Force Acquisition Head Ditches ‘Traditional Ways’
The military’s long-time purchasing process won’t work for the Space Force, the branch’s procurement chief, Frank Calvelli, has said, according to Space News, which cites a new memo it has reviewed. “The traditional ways of doing space acquisition must be reformed in...
Biden Urges Community Events for Veterans and Military Families Month
This month is officially National Veterans and Military Families Month, after a Presidential proclamation issued Monday. “Constant tours, deployments and rotations are difficult for our military families,” President Biden said in the proclamation. “Jill and I have...
In Our Communities
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday thanked soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina who recently returned from a deployment to Europe…. The Navy on Tuesday sent the state of Hawaii its official plan for closing the Red Hill fuel tanks near Joint Base Pearl...
Watch: Florida’s Space Coast Is a Great American Defense Community
Most Americans have grown up fascinated by the exciting, historic activity along Florida’s Space Coast. But more than shuttles are launched there. In this video story, ADC’s Grace Marvin and Chris Wright talk with some of the spouses whose careers are taking off...
U.S. Troops Tracking Weapons in Ukraine
A small number of U.S. service members are on the ground in Ukraine to make sure there’s an accurate accounting of weapons sent from the U.S. and other Western countries, as Military.com and other outlets reported. “U.S. personnel have recently resumed on-site...
In SCOTUS Affirmative Action Arguments, DOJ Points to Academies, ROTC, Military Readiness
During highly watched Supreme Court arguments Monday, Department of Justice Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued that affirmative action in post-secondary education means a more diverse officer corps, which she said is necessary for national security, as Navy...
In Our Communities
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Fort Bragg, North Carolina today, according to a DOD announcement. He will meet with members of the 18th Airborne Corps, who recently returned from a deployment to Europe, and will host a roundtable with spouses…. Lawrence,...
Dozens More Employers Join DOD’s Spouse Jobs Program
An additional 76 employers joined DOD’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership program at a ceremony last week, Military Times reported. Military Times also listed the newest employers to join. They represent a mix of private sector, public sector, nonprofit and...
Pentagon to Keep Guard at Southern Border through Summer
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved a Department of Homeland Security request to continue deploying National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border through Sept. 2023, Military Times reported. The order allows for up to 2,500 troops at a time. The border...
In Our Communities
Ground is being broken on water and stormwater projects at Fort Bliss, Texas. They are the result of an intergovernmental service agreement with El Paso Water, according to a press release. “We see this as a win-win partnership, where we can contribute to the mission...
New Defense Strategy Names China as Top Threat, Identifies DOD Business Practices to Update
The Pentagon released the unclassified version of its National Defense Strategy Thursday, showing a continued focus on China as the biggest threat to the U.S., despite Russia’s war in Ukraine. China “is the only competitor out there with both the intent to reshape the...
House VA Committee Dems Issue Report on Violent Extremist Crime by Veterans
A new report from the majority staff of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), says veterans, DOD and VA all have a role to play in addressing a rise in veterans’ involvement in domestic violent extremist activity, as...
In Our Communities
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and four state lawmakers approved a $339 million transfer of funds from the state’s criminal justice budget to continue funding Operation Lone Star, keeping thousands of Texas National Guard troops deployed to the state’s border with Mexico,...
Snap of the Week
A sailor assigned to the USS North Dakota is greeted by his wife and newborn daughter during a homecoming event at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut Oct. 27. See the gallery. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Wesley Towner
Lawmakers Frustrated with Delay in Bonuses for Guardsmen, Reservists
Six lawmakers are pressing DOD on its delay in providing additional pay incentives to National Guard members and reservists, as Military.com reported. Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act required that DOD pay members of the reserve component the same bonus...