Army Dramatically Expands Combat Patch Eligibility
The Army has expanded eligibility for earning combat patches to soldiers deployed across 14 countries in the Middle East and Africa, a shift that comes as attacks from Iran and its sanctioned militias have hit bases far from active fighting. The policy shift, issued last week, covers soldiers who served in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, […]
Veterans and Civilians Bond Over Beers and Bluegrass at Nashville's American Legion Post 82
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Matthew “Moose” Musquiz was working as a diesel mechanic in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, when his physical therapist told him about a bar in Nashville, Tennessee, that he might like. Musquiz loves the Texas dance hall style of venues popular there, but he hadn’t really […]
US Expands Militarized Zones to 1/3 of Southern Border, Stirring Controversy
COLUMBUS, N.M. (AP) — Orange no-entry signs posted by the U.S. military in English and Spanish dot the New Mexico desert, where a border wall cuts past onion fields and parched ranches with tufts of tall grass growing amidst wiry brush and yucca trees. The Army has posted thousands of the warnings in New Mexico […]
US Military's Attempt to Retain Strategic Land for Training Runs Into Native Hawaiian Opposition
HONOLULU (AP) — A high-altitude plateau on the Big Island is the only place in Hawaii where thousands of ground forces can practice firing live munitions. It’s also a place many Native Hawaiians consider the spiritual heart of the island. The U.S. military wants to keep training at this spot, called Pohakuloa, so it’s ready […]
Military Honors Bestowed on Illinois Veteran Identified Nearly a Decade After Death
CHICAGO — Standing near the gravestone for the relative he never met, Mark Bailey accepted the crisply folded American flag from the Army officer, hugged it to his chest and closed his eyes. Though the person he called his aunt — born Reba Caroline Bailey — had been estranged, missing for decades and died in […]
Army Land Retention Efforts in Hawaii Stalled Again
The Army has suffered another setback in efforts to renew leases on state lands in Hawaii, even as service leaders say they want to drastically scale back their land holdings on Oahu. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources to reject the Army’s final environmental impact statement on potential renewal of leases on state […]
Pentagon Again Expanding Military Border Zones, This Time in Arizona
Hundreds more miles of federal land along the U.S. southern border in Arizona is set to be transferred to the Department of Defense, further expanding newly created military zones — and the footprint of the military’s role in immigration enforcement. The newest military zone in Arizona — the fourth border zone created by the Trump […]
Army Creating New Artificial Intelligence-Focused Occupational Specialty and Officer Field
The Army is laying the groundwork for a sweeping expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities, creating new career fields as the service races to prepare for what top officials see as a tech-driven future fight. Service planners are moving to establish a new enlisted military occupational specialty focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, designated […]
Army Secretary Visits Rock Island Arsenal as Job Cuts Loom
The Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll joined officials at the Rock Island Arsenal Monday as the federal government considers possible job cuts at the facility. Driscoll met with Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen and Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks on the Arsenal for a tour of the island. The two represent the Illinois and Iowa sides […]
Victim of Idaho Attack on Firefighters Was Veteran of National Guard
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — A 20-year-old man’s life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before authorities say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle and his former roommate, T.J. Franks Jr., […]