News

Vets bill would expand caregiver support, boost in-home care options
House and Senate lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a bipartisan package of veterans bills which would dramatically expand in-home care for aging veterans, boost assistance for homeless veterans and mandate specific progress points for the department’s electronic health records overhaul.

Air Force instructor pilot dies after ejection seat accident
A U.S. Air Force instructor pilot died from his injuries after his plane’s ejection seat activated while on the ground Monday at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

Ukraine, Russia race to shield battle tanks from exploding drones
Ukrainian and Russian forces are scrambling to field countermeasures for protecting tanks against one-way attack drones, which experts say are a growing challenge even for vehicles traveling at speed.

Pentagon lax in following transfer policy for sexual assault victims, IG says
The U.S. military is doing a poor job of expediting sexual assault victims’ requests to transfer to other units and installations, according to the Defense Department’s watchdog agency.

Five questions for the 82nd Airborne Division’s commanding general
It’s been nearly six months since Maj. Gen. J. Patrick Work took command of the 82nd Airborne Division. The division’s headquarters deployed to Europe less than a month later, while the division’s combat aviation brigade headed to the Middle East.

FPVs, tethered drones could become formal Army programs in 2025
Two types of small quadcopter-type drones—first-person-view and tethered—may vault from curiosities to formal, funded Army gear next year, a service official said.

 

Air Force

Can the Air Force do more to shelter its aircraft from a potential China strike?
A group of lawmakers are pushing for the Pentagon to move with more urgency in fortifying ground protection of U.S. aircraft across the Indo-Pacific, arguing it is necessary to defend against the threat of China.

House bill would block F-22 retirements, keep buying Air Force F-15EXs
Some House lawmakers want to prevent the Air Force from retiring older F-22A Raptor fighters and keep the F-15EX Eagle II jets in production a year longer than the service had planned.

Roger Fortson: Body of Atlanta airman killed by deputy to be returned to family
The body of an Atlanta Air Force service member shot and killed in the doorway of his Florida apartment has finally made it home to his family.

F-22 Raptor involved in latest flight line incident at Air Force base on Okinawa
A $350 million stealth fighter rolled away from its parking spot this week on an Okinawa flight line, an Air Force spokesman said.

 

Space Force

Space Force should consider alternative launch sites, lawmakers say
As U.S. launch rates surge at the Defense Department’s two coastal ranges, House lawmakers are pushing the military to consider alternative sites for sending space payloads to orbit.

 

Defense

Robocar supplier sues US, disputes alleged Chinese military ties
Hesai Technology Co., a developer of sensor technologies used in self-driving cars, is suing the US Department of Defense for including it on a list of companies accused of aiding China’s military

 

Veterans

Psychedelic therapy data ‘speaks for itself,’ VA official says
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ top health official on Friday said the agency is prepared to spend “at least in the millions” of dollars on clinical trials of psychedelic therapies, pending a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision on midomafetamine, or MDMA, assisted treatments expected later this year.