Army Major Lost Gold Star Families’ Life Insurance Money While Enriching Himself, Feds Say
An Army Reserve officer was charged Thursday, facing allegations he defrauded Gold Star families by losing $3.4 million while making $1.4 million in commissions. Federal authorities on Friday said that Caz Craffy, who they described as currently a major in the Army Reserve, misappropriated money between 2018 and 2022 that he was supposed to be […]
US Set to Destroy Its Last Chemical Weapons, Closing a Deadly Chapter Dating to World War I
RICHMOND, Ky. — At a sprawling military installation in the middle of the rolling green hills of eastern Kentucky, a milestone is about to be reached in the history of warfare dating back to World War I. Workers at the Blue Grass Army Depot are close to destroying rockets filled with GB nerve agent that […]
Have You Seen a Humvee? The Military Would Like it Back, Please
If you see a multi-ton vehicle on the road with canvas doors and a camo paint job, it’s not a tricked-out Hummer — it’s stolen property. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, also known as a Humvee, was stolen from the Santa Rosa National Guard Armory over the holiday weekend, according to Sgt. Michael Ball […]
US Military’s Recruiting Woes Are a National Security Crisis
America’s armed services are failing to meet their recruiting goals, with the Army in particular suffering the worst shortfalls in five decades. There are many reasons behind this, but one is very surprising: veterans themselves. Recent reporting and anecdotal evidence indicate the likelihood that children of service members will sign up, or be urged to […]
Junior Enlisted Could See NCO-Style Evaluation System
The Army will test out new annual evaluations for junior enlisted troops akin to the kind noncommissioned officers get, according to service leaders. The new evaluations are due to be tested this year, though it’s unclear which unit will try out the new approach. In addition to junior soldier evaluations, that unit will also test […]
Soldier Accused in Fatal Washington Festival Shooting Pleads Not Guilty
SEATTLE — A 26-year-old member of the U.S. military accused of fatally shooting two women and wounding three other people at a music festival at Washington state’s Gorge Amphitheatre has entered not guilty pleas to multiple charges. The Seattle Times reports James M. Kelly pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts […]
Army Report Shows Increase in Suicides by Active-Duty Soldiers in 2023
As senior leaders work to reduce the stigma of seeking mental health care, the active-duty Army had one of its worst quarters for suicide in six years. Between January and March, the Army saw suicides in its active component increase from 37 in the same time frame last year to 49, according to Pentagon data […]
He Was the CIA Whiz Kid in ‘Charlie Wilson’s War.’ His New Book Offers Advice For the US in Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — After the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in 1989, defeated by an insurgency equipped and guided by the U.S., a two-word cable arrived at CIA headquarters: “WE WON.” It was one of the last moments of the Cold War, credited with helping push the Soviet Union to collapse two years later. But […]
What an All-Volunteer Force Looks Like Today 50 Years After America Ditched the Draft
Taren Dillon Sylvester is a researcher at the Center for a New American Security. Despite 50 years of an All-Volunteer Force, fear of conscription remains just below the surface as Americans consider the role of the U.S. military and their relationship to it. Today, whispers of conscription ripple across social media whenever it seems that […]
How 10th Mountain Is Working to Combat Suicide
With the Army yet to release a servicewide strategy for combating suicide that was due in the fall of 2021, individual formations have been left to develop their own solutions. For the 10th Mountain Division, that has meant creating its own set of web-based tools with a comprehensive list of resources, including contact information for […]