Military

US Army Helicopters Crash In Kentucky, Nine Killed

The Associated Press reports: Nine people were killed in a crash involving two Army Black Hawk helicopters in Kentucky, a military spokesperson said. Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said Thursday morning that the deaths happened the previous night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission. A statement from Fort Campbell says the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, …

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Tuberville Blocks Military Promotions Over Abortion

The Hill reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) move to block more than 160 promotions for military officers and commanders over the Pentagon’s decision to provide service members with expanded access to abortion is dividing Republicans and drawing the ire of Defense Department officials. At issue for Tuberville is the Pentagon’s recently enacted policy that covers expenses and grants leave to …

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DeSantis Seeks Helicopters, Planes For New State Army

The Tampa Bay Times reports: When Gov. Ron DeSantis first proposed reviving the long-dormant Florida State Guard, he wanted 200 volunteers and a modest $5 million budget. Then it grew to 400 members and $10 million. Now it’s 1,500 members and a nearly $100 million budget — with police powers, helicopters, boats and, under one lawmaker’s request, cellphone-hacking technology. The …

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US Veterans Affairs Dept Adopts Gender-Neutral Motto

The Washington Post reports: For decades, the mission statement of Veterans Affairs came from a line from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address on March 4, 1865 — “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” — a phrase adopted by the department in 1959. On Thursday, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis …

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FL Paper Demands DeSantis Answer Questions About His Time At Gitmo: Did He Witness Infamous Tortures?

From the editorial board of the Miami Herald: The more we hear about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ time as a Navy lawyer in Guantánamo in the spring of 2006, the more questions we have — and the more we think voters need to know. Here is a man who spends an extraordinary amount of time fighting the so-called war against woke, …

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Biden Selects Livery Design For Next Air Force One

Via press release from the United States Air Force: President of the United States Joe Biden selected the livery design for the “Next Air Force One,” VC-25B, a design that will closely resemble the livery of the current Air Force One, VC-25A, while also modernizing for the 21st century. While accounting for the VC-25B’s larger 747-8i aircraft, the VC-25B livery …

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Tuberville To Block Pentagon Nominees Over Abortion

Congress Minutes reports: Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville plans to delay the approval of civilian Pentagon nominees and top military promotions after the Defense Department moved ahead with a new policy aimed at shoring up troops’ access to abortion services. The Alabama Republican announced Friday that he will hold up the speedy confirmations and promotions over the policies rolled out on …

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Republicans Seek To Reinstate Transgender Military Ban

Via press release from Sen. Marco Rubio: Under President Joe Biden, people who identify as transgender or have gender dysphoria can serve openly in the U.S. military. Senator Rubio’s legislation would prohibit any individual with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria from serving in the military, with limited exceptions. The legislation builds on Trump era restrictions that were repealed …

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WSJ: Pentagon Knew About Balloons During Trump

The Wall Street Journal reports: A small circle of intelligence officials at the Pentagon during the Trump administration monitored a series of mysterious objects—now suspected to be balloons—but the incidents were never reported to the White House because it wasn’t clear what they were, former U.S. officials said. Following the shootdown earlier this month of a Chinese high-altitude balloon, the …

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Pentagon: Michigan Object Was “Metallic Balloon”

CNN reports: The unidentified flying object shot down in Canadian airspace on Saturday appeared to be a “small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it,” according to a Pentagon memo sent to lawmakers on Monday and obtained by CNN. The memo offers the first official details of one of the three objects shot down in recent days that was …

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Air Force General: We’re Not Ruling Out Anything

Reuters reports: The U.S. Air Force general overseeing North American airspace said on Sunday after a series of shoot-downs of unidentified objects that he would not rule out aliens or any other explanation yet, deferring to U.S. intelligence experts. Asked whether he had ruled out an extraterrestrial origin for three airborne objects shot down by U.S. warplanes in as many …

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Trudeau: Unidentified Object Shot Down Over Canada

The CBC reports: The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is monitoring another “high-altitude airborne object” over northern Canada, the organization confirmed Saturday. “Military aircraft are currently operating from Alaska and Canada in support of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) activities. “NORAD confirms that we have positively identified a high-altitude airborne object over Northern Canada,” a spokesperson for the …

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Pentagon Shoots Down “Object” Over Alaska [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: The Pentagon downed an unidentified object over Alaska on Thursday night at the order of President Biden, according to a U.S. official. The U.S. official said it was not confirmed if the object was a balloon, but it was traveling at an altitude that made it a potential threat to civilian aircraft. Mr. Biden ordered …

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US To Expand Military Presence In The Philippines

The Associated Press reports: The United States and the Philippines on Thursday announced plans to expand America’s military presence in the Southeast Asian nation, with access to four more bases as they seek to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement was reached as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in …

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Accused USMC Rioter: “I’m Waiting For The Boogaloo”

Law & Crime reports: Joshua Abate, Micah Coomer, and Dodge Dale Hellonen are accused of entering the building through the Senate Wing Door at around 2:20 p.m. that day. Weeks after Jan. 6, Coomer (red circle above) indicated that the deadly riot didn’t go far enough. “Everything in this country is corrupt,” he wrote to another unidentified Instagram user. “We …

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Three Active-Duty Marines Charged In Capitol Riot

The Daily Beast reports: Three active-duty Marines have been hit with federal misdemeanor charges for their alleged roles in the Capitol siege by a mob of Trump supporters. After one of them posted photographs from Jan. 6 to his Instagram page with the caption, “Glad to be apart [sic] of history.” FBI agents matched images of USMC members Micah Coomer, …

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Pentagon Formally Drops COVID Vaccine Mandate

Politico reports: The Pentagon formally dropped its Covid-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated. Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on Dec. 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate. …

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Russia To Freeze Sperm Of Potentially Doomed Soldiers

The Moscow Times reports: Russian reservists called up to fight in Ukraine as part of Russia’s recent mobilization drive will be eligible for free sperm-freezing procedures, state-run media reported on Wednesday, citing a lawyers’ association that represents military families hoping to secure state funding for the procedure. More than 300,000 reservists have so far been called up to fight in Russia’s …

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West Point To Remove Tributes To The Confederacy

Via press release from West Point: Long Gray Line Teammates and the West Point Community: During the holiday break, we will begin a multi-phased process, in accordance with Department of Defense (DoD) directives, to remove, rename or modify assets and real property at the United States Military Academy (USMA) and West Point installation that commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy or …

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Schools Are Forcing Poor Students Into ROTC Classes

The New York Times reports: J.R.O.T.C. programs, taught by military veterans at some 3,500 high schools across the country, are supposed to be elective, and the Pentagon has said that requiring students to take them goes against its guidelines. But The New York Times found that thousands of public school students were being funneled into the classes without ever having …

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