Military

CNN reports: The Pentagon is reviewing a policy instituted last year that limits which flags can be displayed at military bases. The review comes as Pride Month is being celebrated throughout June. If changes are made to the current policy it could open the door to allowing the rainbow Pride flag to be displayed. But a senior defense official strongly …

“So much has changed in the United States in the past year that it’s hard to keep track of it all. Public health experts have been exposed as frauds, as incompetent and dishonest. Our schools are openly teaching racism to our children. Our military, at times, does not seem interested in protecting the country. These are big changes with real …

The Ottawa Citizen reports: A soldier who called on his fellow military personnel to refuse helping with the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been charged with an offence related to mutiny. It’s believed to be the first time in decades that the Canadian military has laid such a charge. Officer Cadet Ladislas Kenderesi was charged with one count of “endeavoring …

The Insider reports: Scientists at a US military laboratory are planning to experiment on primates to investigate possible causes of the mysterious brain injures, nicknamed “Havana Syndrome,” that American spies, diplomats, officials, and even military personnel have suffered both at home and abroad, according to a report from The New Yorker. US national security agencies are trying to figure out …

Reuters reports: German lawmakers voted for legislation on Thursday to rehabilitate soldiers who for decades faced discrimination, discharge or convictions on the basis of their sexual orientation. Until the year 2000, Germany’s military considered that homosexuals posed a threat to the discipline of the troops and were not suitable as superior officers. Gay soldiers could be denied promotions, discharged from …

Military.com reports: A commander of a U.S. Space Force unit tasked with detecting ballistic missile launches has been fired for comments made during a podcast promoting his new book, which claims Marxist ideologies are becoming prevalent in the United States military. Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier, commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, was relieved from …

The Washington Post reports: A Marine Corps officer was arrested Thursday for alleged crimes during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, becoming the first known active-duty service member charged in the violent attempt to thwart the certification of Joe Biden’s election as president. Maj. Christopher Warnagiris, 40, stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, was charged with five counts, including …

Via press release from the Justice Department: An active duty U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer stationed at the Marine Corps Base Quantico was arrested today in Virginia and charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral …

The military blog Task & Purpose reports: Video evidence shows retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West can move his body as if doing a push-up but it is unclear whether or not he can still do one correctly. West challenged a reporter to a push-up contest on Wednesday, according to NBC reporter Jane Timm, after the other journalist showed up …

Bloomberg News reports: The Pentagon said Friday it had canceled projects related to Donald Trump’s border wall and was returning money the former president directed to the project from defense programs. “The Department of Defense is proceeding with canceling all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions and functions such as schools for …

Media Matters has the transcript: TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): What would happen if there was an actual crisis in the country — HEATHER MAC DONALD (GUEST): Exactly. CARLSON: I mean, COVID’s bad, lots of people died, mostly elderly people. But if we had, you know, if there was a — MAC DONALD: War. CARLSON: Well, a war. That’s exactly right. We …

The Associated Press reports: An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident. The Navy …

Reuters reports: Russia has concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and in annexed Crimea, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister. Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising amid the military build-up and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists. The Associated …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court not to take up a lawsuit that calls the all-male military draft unconstitutional. Because Congress is considering whether women should also be required to sign up, Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar said in a brief to the court, “any reconsideration of the constitutionality of the male-only registration …

The New York Times reports: President Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon launched the country into its longest war, United States officials said Tuesday. The decision will keep more than 3,000 American troops on the ground in Afghanistan beyond …

USA Today reports: For decades, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have quietly kicked out some of the worst white supremacists in their ranks, offering them administrative discharges that leave no public record of their hateful activity. The documents, obtained via a public-records request by the open-government advocacy group American Oversight, detail 13 major investigations into white supremacist activity in …

Stars & Stripes reports: President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Christine Wormuth to be the next Army secretary, making her the first woman to hold that position, according to a news report Monday. Her nomination is the first of the three service secretaries positions that need to be filled by the Biden administration. Wormuth is the director of the …

CNN reports: Nearly 40% of US Marines are declining Covid-19 vaccinations, according to data provided to CNN on Friday by the service, the first branch to disclose service-wide numbers on acceptance and declination. As of Thursday, approximately 75,500 Marines have received vaccines, including fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated service men and women. About 48,000 Marines have chosen not to receive …

Politico reports: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered a series of “immediate actions” to address the threat of extremism in the military, including a review of the armed forces’ definition of extremist behavior, standardizing questionnaires to screen recruits and developing procedures for veterans to report extremist activities after they leave service. The actions come after a 60-day “stand down” …

The Verge reports: Spot, the quadruped robot built by US firm Boston Dynamics, has appeared alongside soldiers during military exercises carried out by the French army. The robot was apparently being used for reconnaissance during a two-day training exercise, but the deployment raises questions about how and where Boston Dynamics’ machines will be used in future. Pictures of the exercises …