In Our Communities
CBS News talked with families at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, decades after water contamination impacted families and discussed ongoing efforts to address the impact…. The North Florida Land Trust has acquired 157 acres of the Ocala to Osceola, O2O corridor, News4Jax...
Appropriators Leave Thursday Meeting with Plans to Talk Again
The top four appropriators on Capitol Hill met Thursday for the first time since November, restarting talks about spending levels for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) told CQ that her focus is to pass an...
Army Reprimands Thousands for Vaccine Refusal
The Army has written almost 3,000 reprimands for soldiers who have refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, it announced this week in a press release. About 97% of active duty soldiers are vaccinated, and the service is still processing thousands of religious and medical...
In Our Communities
Hunt Companies reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $500,000 to resolve fraud allegations involving its military housing operations at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Air Force Times reported…. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said this week that people...
Long-Term CR Would Impact Service Members, DOD Leaders Tell Lawmakers
Congressional appropriators are scrambling to reach a deal on an omnibus spending package to fund the government for the current fiscal year. The current continuing resolution expires Feb. 18. The tight deadline raises the possibility that they will be forced to pass...
Army Boosts Recruitment Bonus Cap
The Army will now pay up to $50,000 in signing bonuses to new recruits – up from the previous $40,000 cap – as it tries to recover from recruitment losses in recent years. “We are still living the implications of 2020 and the onset of COVID, when the school systems...
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PAST STORIES
Grady Confirmed as Joint Chiefs Vice Chair
The Senate late last week confirmed Navy Adm. Christopher Grady as the new vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, filling a spot Air Force Gen. John Hyten retired from last month. Grady previously led Fleet Forces Command and Naval Forces Northern Command. Navy...
Services Continue Taking Action on Vaccine Refusals
The military services are starting to make good on threats to remove service members who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Here’s the latest. The Marine Corps has assigned a “vaccine refusal” discharge code to 103 members it discharged for refusing to get the...
Leahy Sees ‘Path Forward’ to Reach Appropriations Deal
Senate Democratic and Republican appropriations leaders expressed optimism Thursday that they can reach a deal on the 12 annual appropriations bills for the fiscal year that started in October. “I think we’ve got a path forward,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair...
In Our Communities
Addressing the fuel leakage into water on and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii will be a DOD-wide focus, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said this week after visiting the area. “We recognize the need to continue to care for all affected personnel...
Senate Sends NDAA to Biden for Signature
The Senate overwhelmingly passed the National Defense Authorization Wednesday, sending the legislation to President Biden, who is expected to sign it. The bill faced political and procedural hurdles along the way, but in the end, Congress maintained its streak by...
Navy to Start Removing Sailors Who Refuse Vaccine
The Navy is still working with sailors who step up to get the COVID-19 vaccine after the Nov. 15 deadline, but those who continue to refuse will begin to be released from service, the Navy said this week, as Stars and Stripes reported. “There are sailors who, in spite...
GOP Governors Push Back on Guard Vaccine Mandate
Five Republican governors are saying DOD is overstepping its “constitutional and statutory authority” by requiring that National Guard members be separated from service if they refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Govs. Mark Gordon (Wyo.), Mike Dunleavy (Alaska), Kim...
DOD Stops Enforcing Vaccine Mandate for Contractors
After a court order halting the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for defense contractors, the Pentagon has stopped enforcement of the mandate, the Pentagon confirmed, according to Breaking Defense. Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell added that DOD “fully...
Senate Moves NDAA Closer to Final Passage
The National Defense Authorization Act easily cleared a procedural vote in the Senate Tuesday by an 86-13 vote, setting up a final vote as soon as Wednesday. The compromise NDAA has already passed the House. Check out the On Base analysis of some of the bill’s key...
Congress Raises Debt Limit Hours Before Projected Default
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday to raise the statutory debt limit by $2.5 trillion, and the House followed suit just after midnight Wednesday morning, sending it to President Biden for his signature. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had set a Wednesday deadline...
New Infrastructure Law Authorizes Five-State ‘Forts to Ports’ Interstate Expansion
The bipartisan infrastructure bill President Biden signed into law last month authorizes the “Forts to Ports” expansion of Interstate 14 through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The proposed expansion would run from Midland-Odessa in western Texas...
In Our Communities
Congress has sent President Biden legislation allowing the Capitol Police to request assistance from the D.C. National Guard without approval from the Capitol Police Board. It’s a way to help the force react more quickly in future emergencies…. Sixteen civilian...
In Our Communities
The Kentucky National Guard has mobilized hundreds of its members to help communities hit by weekend tornadoes that killed at least 80 people. The Pentagon said it does not anticipate sending Guard troops from other states to help, Military.com reported…. The head of...
Deadline Tomorrow: Military Family Survey
The Military Family Advisory Network is completing its 2021 survey of service members, spouses and veterans. You can still complete the survey through Wednesday, Dec. 15. The organization shares its research data with government leaders, community providers and others...
Biden Nominates Erik Raven, Kristyn Jones to Key Pentagon Jobs
President Biden announced Monday that longtime Senate aide Erik Raven will be nominated to become under secretary of the Navy. Raven is currently the majority clerk on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The under secretary role has been filled by various...
Austin, Hicks Get Directly Involved in Hawaii Water Cleanup Efforts
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is “personally monitoring” efforts to clean up the drinking water on and around Joint Base Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii after a Navy storage facility leaked fuel into the water supply, as Military Times reported. “My...
Air Force Issues First Service Member Discharges for Vaccine Refusal
The Air force has discharged 27 airmen for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the Nov. 2 deadline, the service announced Monday. None of the 27 had asked for an administrative, medical or religious exemption, a spokesperson said, according to AP. All of...
Nominations Open for ADC’s New Champion Awards
ADC has launched a new recognition program to honor those whose “actions make a difference in the lives of our military, military families and veterans,” according to a web announcement. “Join ADC in recognizing the individuals who make a difference in our communities...
DOD May Mandate COVID-19 Booster Shots
Pentagon leaders are considering whether to require troops to get a booster shot as part of their mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. “There are active discussions here in the department at the policy level about booster shots and whether or not to make those mandatory,”...
Senate Faces Tight Deadline on Debt Limit
President Biden has signed technical legislation allowing a simple up-or-down Senate vote on raising the debt limit. The Senate will take the debt limit measure up this week. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said that Wednesday is the deadline to act before the...
NDAA Comes up in Senate this Week
The Senate is expected to pass the National Defense Authorization Act this week on a bipartisan vote. The bill, a compromise version worked out with the House, passed that chamber easily. There is some frustration among progressives, who oppose the topline defense...
In Our Communities
The Navy has suspended operations at the Honolulu fuel storage site from which petroleum leaked into water on and near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Military Times reported. The leak displaced hundreds of families, many of whom got sick, as On Base has...
Federal Workers’ Union Praises ‘Pro-Worker’ NDAA
Leaders of the nation’s largest federal employees’ union is touting several of its legislative priorities in the National Defense Authorization Act that “will directly improve workers’ pay and job security and signify the critical role of civilian employees in serving...
Congress Now on Fast Track to Address Debt Limit
Congress has moved closer to address a looming debt limit crisis, with the Senate passing a key procedural motion Thursday. That sets up a fast-track vote to increase the debt limit by the Dec. 15 deadline set by the Treasury Department. Army National Guard photo by...
U.S. to Keep 2,500 Troops in Iraq as Formal Combat Role Wraps Up
The U.S. is formally ending its combat role in Iraq after concluding talks with Iraqi officials but will maintain the same number of boots on the ground, AP reported in an interview with Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. commander for the region. U.S. forces...