News
Military families to see drop in Tricare dental premiums
Military families will soon see their monthly Tricare dental premiums drop by a few dollars as the new Tricare Dental Program contract takes effect, with some active-duty families seeing their premiums drop by nearly one-third.
Trump says he wants to negotiate about Ukraine. It’s not clear if Putin really does
Nearly three years after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, his troops are making steady progress on the battlefield. Kyiv is grappling with shortages of men and weapons. And the new U.S. president could soon halt Ukraine’s massive supply of military aid.
Senators detail desired missile defense elements for Trump’s Iron Dome
Two Republican senators introduced legislation this week that would establish more detailed plans for President Donald Trump’s new missile defense shield for the homeland – to include resurrecting several previously proposed plans and capabilities that were either canceled or placed on the back burner over the last decade.
Democratic senators urge VA secretary to revoke Elon Musk’s access to veterans’ personal information
More than two dozen Democratic senators sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins asking that he stop tech billionaire Elon Musk and his associates from accessing and collecting veterans’ personal information from the federal government’s computers.
28 agencies were authorized to fly helicopters near Reagan Airport before deadly crash
The Army was one of 28 government agencies authorized to fly helicopters near Ronald Reagan National Airport before its Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet last week, killing 67.
Air Force
Strategy & policy: Kendall – His legacies and look ahead
Frank Kendall, the most consequential Air Force Secretary in years, departed the Pentagon in January at the end of an eventful three-and-a-half-year tenure as the 26th Secretary of the Air Force.
How a broken part in a jet engine’s ‘blind spot’ brought down an Air Force F-16
The pilot of an Air Force F-16C had just seconds to act after the plane’s engine abruptly died a minute after take-off from a New Mexico air base last year.
Silver star airpower: Airmen and Guardians take on Iran
On the night of April 13, 2024, U.S. Air Force crews took to the skies in the Middle East, having received word that Iran had launched one-way attack drones and missiles at Israel.
Air Force has troops remove names, unit patches from uniforms during deportation flights
Air Force crew members and security forces on deportation flights are not wearing their name tape or unit patches, contributing to a lack of transparency as the service obscures details of its involvement in the border mission from the public.
KC-46 mission capable rates slipped further from goal in 2024
The KC-46 Pegasus tanker is still suffering from low mission capable and availability rates stemming from parts shortages, the Pentagon’s test director reported recently. The program continues to grapple with significant system deficiencies as well.
Defense
DARPA continues quest to validate quantum computing utility
After a yearlong technical review, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said Thursday it will advance designs from Microsoft and California-based PsiQuantum to the next phase of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
Missile Defense Agency moves out quickly on ‘Iron Dome’
The Missile Defense Agency is moving quickly to gather ideas for President Donald Trump’s proposed “Iron Dome for America” and hopes to make progress on some within the next two years.
Veterans
VA deems over 130 occupations ineligible for deferred resignation plan
Most nurses, doctors and other staff caring for military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs are not eligible for the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer, according to an email sent Friday by VA leadership to staff.
Critics say Medal of Honor museum shortchanges airman’s achievements
A petition calling for the National Medal of Honor Museum to include a dedicated exhibit for Air Force Master Sgt. John Chapman has revived longstanding criticism that the Navy SEAL community sought to “diminish his contributions.”
Neighbors of Denver’s Fort Logan cemetery win fight against VA’s expansion plans
Residents of Denver’s Pinehurst Estates neighborhood breathed a collective sigh of relief after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently reversed course on a cemetery construction project that had sparked indignation locally.
Unemployment rate for Veterans spiked more than a percentage point to 4.2% in January
The first jobs report of President Donald Trump’s second term Friday showed a troubling rise in the unemployment rate for all veterans from 2.8% in December to 4.2% in January, even as the jobless rate for all Americans ticked down from 4.1% to 4.0%.
