News

Air Force monitoring bases for compliance with DEI executive orders
The U.S. Air Force is sending teams to a number of bases to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to a Monday press release.

Trump team makes plans for military to hold migrants at border
The Trump administration is evaluating plans for the Pentagon to take control of a buffer zone along a sprawling stretch of the southern border and empower active-duty U.S. troops to temporarily hold migrants who cross into the United States illegally, according to five U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations.

Navy plans to deploy second destroyer to patrol waters off US and Mexico this week
The Navy plans to send a second warship to patrol the waters off the U.S. by the end of this week after a destroyer was deployed on Saturday as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and the border, a U.S. official confirmed to Military.com on Wednesday.

Lawmakers try again on bill to give 50,000 medically retired veterans full VA disability, retirement pay
Members of Congress are trying again to pass legislation that would give medically retired service members full access to both their military retirement pay and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Insulting, exhausting, traumatic: The death benefits battle between the VA and families of vets who die by suicide
During his deployment in Vietnam, James Goulding served as a sergeant in a Marine Corps battalion known as The Walking Dead, which suffered one of the highest casualty rates of the entire war. Forty years to the day after leaving Vietnam, Goulding himself became another victim of the war when he took his own life, according to his wife, Linda.

 

Air Force

Uniform shortage sends airmen scrambling as Air Force inspections loom
Some airmen are scouring thrift stores and other outlets to find proper attire as the Air Force ramps up uniform inspections ahead of a new policy requiring quarterly checks.

F-35s, Air Task Force deploy to Korea for ACE exercise
The U.S. Air Force is testing some of major capabilities and concepts—F-35s, Air Task Forces, and Agile Combat Employment—in South Korea this month for the latest iteration of Freedom Shield exercise.

Is traffic getting onto base a readiness issue?
At the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field in Florida, hundreds of Air Commandos have to be able to get to base to launch a mission at a moment’s notice.

Air Force fighters use new laser-guided rockets to shoot down Houthi drones
U.S. Air Force fighters have been using laser-guided rockets to down Houthi drones that are attacking ships in the Red Sea, as the U.S. military seeks to drive down the cost of defeating cheap uncrewed systems, officials said.

 

Space Force

First Space Force Guardian launched into space returns with stranded astronauts
The first Space Force officer to be launched into space came back to Earth on Tuesday evening after six months aboard the International Space Station, returning alongside two astronauts who had stayed aboard the laboratory significantly longer than anticipated.

Space Force unveils strategic plan for AI integration
The U.S. Space Force released a new strategy blueprint outlining how it plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations and improve AI literacy among its personnel. The document, titled “Data and Artificial Intelligence FY 2025 Strategic Action Plan,” was published March 19 in response to Defense Department directives calling for a more data-driven and AI-enabled force.

 

Defense

Thales to deliver sonar suite for future Dutch submarine fleet
French defense-electronics maker Thales won a contract to supply the entire sonar and acoustics suite for the Royal Netherlands Navy Orka-class submarine fleet to be built by Naval Group, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

Veterans

Lawmakers try again on bill to give 50,000 medically retired veterans full VA disability, retirement pay
Members of Congress are trying again to pass legislation that would give medically retired service members full access to both their military retirement pay and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hawaii veterans, VA staff speak out on federal cuts
Teresa Parsons, a former Army nurse who was wounded while serving in Iraq, was excited when she recently applied for a new job at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She hoped it would allow her to continue helping fellow veterans with her medical skills.

Ivey signs bill giving her control of Alabama veterans agency after dispute over commissioner’s firing
Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday signed into law a bill to give the governor’s office more control over the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.