News

101st Airborne first Army unit to field Next Generation Squad Weapons
Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on Thursday became the first Army unit equipped with the service’s Next Generation Squad Weapon systems, officials said in a service release.

Air Force

Two Black cadets and the struggle for diversity at an elite US military institution
Pale marble pavers crisscross the Terrazzo, the plaza at the heart of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado that cadets traverse daily, on the way to class, the library and meals. In their first year, cadets must run and keep to the narrow marble strips whenever they are on the 20-acre Terrazzo.

Air Mobility commander pushes for connectivity for outdated mobility fleet
Minihan said he wishes his planes were better able to communicate as the command delivers aid to Gaza.

Space Force

Why the first guardian to launch into space is taking sheet music with him
When NASA astronauts go to space, they are allowed to bring a small number of personal possessions with them. Sometimes those include family photos, baseball hats, and even musical instruments. But when Col. Nick Hague becomes the first Guardian to launch into space later this year, he will be taking a special set of sheet music along with him.

Missile-finding Space Force unit in Qatar ‘almost certain’ to have saved lives
A Space Force unit recently stood up in the Middle East is making its mark by giving a heads-up to U.S. troops being targeted by enemy missiles.

Contractor guardians? Space Force considers commercial help for operations
The Space Force is exploring the idea of using civilians or even contractors to help conduct operations, as the service sorts out how to best manage its small workforce, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said this week.

Veterans

Hip replacements, other orthopedic devices not properly tracked by VA
If a veteran’s artificial hip or shoulder reconstruction gets recalled because of manufacturing problems, Veterans Affairs officials may not be able to notify them, according to a warning from a government watchdog released this week.

Newly renovated Vietnam veterans memorial replica dedicated in Georgia
Five-month-old William Danley wore blue corduroy overalls with a white shirt and red-tipped socks to the National Infantry Museum. His family dressed him in those patriotic colors for National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which fell on Good Friday.

More than 400,000 veterans signed up for VA health care in a year
More than 400,000 veterans signed up for health care with the Department of Veterans Affairs in the past year — a 30% increase from the prior year — with higher enrollments driven by a new law covering illnesses from toxic exposure during military service.