Congress spares military’s tuition aid program Congress has spared the military’s tuition assistance program from the budget knife. The House cleared a bill March 21 to keep the government running. It includes a provision reversing the decision by the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps to suspend the program. Faced with some $43 billion in…

Three active-duty Marines are dead after a shooting incident that began late last night (March 21) at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. One of the dead was the shooter, who died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. The names of the dead are being withheld, pending notification of their families. The base provost…

News Pilot error one cause of 2012 Predator crash Pilot error and a propeller malfunction caused an armed MQ-1B Predator to crash into the Afghanistan countryside last fall, according to an accident report released today. Iraq war contractors fight on against lawsuits, investigations, fines Donald Rumsfeld declared war on the Pentagon bureaucracy on a quiet,…

U.S. training accident kills seven Marines A Marine Corps official says the seven Marines killed in Nevada died after a 60mm mortar exploded unexpectedly during a training accident, March 18. The Marines immediately issued an indefinite moratorium on firing of all such mortars worldwide until an investigation clears as safe the type of weapon and…

Business Boeing engineers to tally labor contract vote Boeing could face a strike by one-third of its engineering workforce if they reject a labor contract March 18. Boeing puts 787 battery through tough tests it once avoided To get its 787 Dreamliner flying again, Boeing is testing the plane’s volatile battery system to a rigorous…

Army names crew killed in helicopter crash The U.S. Army has identified the five-member crew killed in the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Afghanistan. The crew was flying a training mission March 11 in Kandahar using night-vision goggles. Army Maj. Gen. Robert A. Abrams has said no enemy attacks were reported. The…

Three former execs plead guilty in California asbestos case Three former executives of a now-defunct nonprofit have been convicted of violating federal asbestos laws when the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater was cleaned up. The Merced Sun-Star reports Rudy Buendia, Patrick Bowman and Joseph Cuellar each pleaded guilty Monday to one count of…

Black Hawk crash kills five troops in Kandahar A helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan has killed five American service members, officials said March 12. The March 11 crash brought the total number of U.S. troops killed that day to seven, making it the deadliest day for U.S. forces so far this year. Two U.S. special…

News Three dead in U.S. Navy Prowler crash Three people were killed in a training flight after an E/A-6B Prowler crashed into a wooded area 50 miles west-southwest of Spokane, Wash. A source familiar with the crash confirmed that there were three people onboard the aircraft, which belonged to Electronic Attack Squadron 129, the Vikings….