News
Staged referendums yield expected result as Russia readies annexations
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to illegally annex four partially-occupied regions in eastern Ukraine lurched forward Sept. 27, as Russian officials and Kremlin proxy leaders claimed that staged referendums showed residents in favor of joining Russia by absurd margins of more than 97 percent.
Russia’s ‘partial mobilization’ of civilians is going about as well as you’d expect
“We know our government lies to us. We are just meat for them.”
Inside a liberated Ukrainian city, and how NATO tactics helped free it
“Hi guys, nice to meet you,” our military escort shouted in lightly-accented American English. Barrel-chested and six feet tall, he shook our hands in a knuckle-crushing grip. “You can call me Chub,” he said with a broad smile.
Business
‘Tactical tanker’: Why L3Harris, Embraer think KC-390 offering can dodge new tanker wars
“This will easily be Buy American Act [compliant]. It’s not even going to be close,” L3Harris CEO Chris Kubasik said of the effort with Brazil’s Embraer.
US sees chance to gain arms market share from sanctioned Russia
A White House official said Sept. 27 Russia’s sanctions-struck defense industry is creating an “opportunity” for U.S. and western defense firms to take a bite of Moscow’s share of the market.
AFSOC AC-130J gunship to fire laser weapon in flight test in 2023
Flight demos will take place in summer or fall 2023, but it remains unclear whether development will turn into a bona fide program of record.
US defends arms sales to Pakistan following criticism from India
The United States defends its $450m fighter jet sale to Pakistan as helping to bolster the fight against ‘terrorist threats’.
Defense
Aim high: Air Force green-lights waivers for THC-positive applicants
The Air Force and Space Force are now offering a second chance to applicants who test positive for the high-inducing chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) during their entrance physical.
GI Bill updates for 2023: New rates, new maximums
While the GI Bill will not change dramatically for 2023, there are still updates that veterans should familiarize themselves with to get the most from their benefits.
Pentagon inspector general has questions about the Air Force’s sixth-gen fighter
The Pentagon’s inspector general wants to look into whether the Next Generation Air Dominance program was mature enough to enter the engineering and manufacturing development phase. However, the program may have never officially entered EMD.
Lawmakers plea for Colorado Springs’ Space Command Headquarters, as Air Force decision looms
The Department of the Air Force hasn’t yet issued its final word on the location of U.S. Space Command headquarters — a decision that will determine whether the base remains at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs or moves to Huntsville, Ala. — but a decision is coming.
Veterans
5 nonprofits awarded $1 million each to modify, repair homes of low-income veterans with disabilities
Five nonprofits have been awarded $5 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help fund efforts by the organizations to modify or repair the homes of low-income veterans with disabilities.
Why one Army veteran is biking 1,689 miles from Nebraska to Washington DC
Retired Army Col. Chris Kolenda is taking a cross-country bike ride to honor fallen US soldiers who fought in Afghanistan, and to raise funds for the survivors suffering from PTSD and addiction.