News
Kremlin says presidents agree to further U.S.-Russian talks on Ukraine
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden set out their opposing positions on Ukraine in a video call on Dec. 7 and agreed that Russia and the United States should keep talking, the Kremlin said.
NATO chief: The alliance is charting its path forward amid a changed security environment
These are turbulent times. The world is becoming more competitive, unstable, and unpredictable.
Business
Judge blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors
U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker, in Augusta, Georgia, issued a stay to bar enforcement of the mandate nationwide.
U.S. Senate back sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution on Dec. 7 that would have prohibited the proposed sale of advanced medium range air-to-air missiles, missile launchers, and other weapons and support to Saudi Arabia.
Defense
Troops booted for refusing vaccine guaranteed at least a general discharge under a defense bill
Service members separated from the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine would have to receive an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions under a must-pass defense bill unveiled on Dec. 7.
Pentagon UFO rapid response teams ordered up by Congress
Teams of Pentagon and intelligence community experts would rapidly respond to military UFO sightings and conduct field investigations under newly unveiled defense legislation set to pass Congress.
Sweeping military justice reforms, plan to add women to draft dropped from compromise authorization bill
But whether those changes will be enough to advance the bill for the 61st consecutive year remains unclear.
Air Force previews plan to phase out enlisted drone pilots
The Air Force wants to ditch 24 or its 31 RQ-4 Global Hawks in the coming year which would reroute the careers of about 75 enlisted airmen who fly the drone.
House NDAA would put brakes on A-10 aircraft retirement, but let others go
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recently cited the A-10 as an example of the kind of older aircraft the service wants to retire to free up resources to modernize for a high-end fight.
Space Force launches experimental payloads into orbit
The U.S. Space Force launched a host of experimental payloads into orbit along with a NASA satellite on Dec. 7 as part of the Space Test Program.
Veterans
Bidens honor Pearl Harbor’s fallen in visit to WWII Memorial
The Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor and other locations in Hawaii killed 2,403 service members and civilians and was a defining moment that led to U.S. entry into World War II.
Plan to expand medical care, benefits for military toxic exposure could cost nearly $300 billion
As many as one out of every five living American veterans could receive some sort of new disability payout or medical care under the proposal.