Pentagon Must Boost Testing for Weapons, Warfighting Capabilities: Report
A nonpartisan government watchdog is calling on the Department of Defense to update its testing policies so U.S. troops can acquire weapons at a quicker scale. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent government agency, published a new report on Thursday highlighting gaps in current weapons acquisitions. It encourages DoD to adopt 13 recommendations to […]
With Chemical Weapons Destroyed, Hundreds of Layoffs Begin at Army Depot In Kentucky
Their mission nearly accomplished, government contractors have begun layoffs at a Central Kentucky plant where 523 tons of chemical weapons were destroyed. The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Madison County is in the “closure phase,” said Mark York, communications manager for Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, the joint venture that built and operates the […]
Prosecutors Conclude Army Veteran's Capitol Riot Pardon also Covers a Separate Weapons Case
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has concluded that a military veteran’s presidential pardon for charges that he stormed the U.S. Capitol also extends to his separate conviction for illegally possessing stolen grenades and classified information, according to a court filing Tuesday. Jeremy Brown, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, was sentenced in April 2023 […]
F-35 Fighter Jet, World's Costliest Weapons Program, Failed to Hit Readiness Marks for 6 Years, Watchdog Finds
WASHINGTON — All versions of the F-35, the world’s costliest weapons program, have failed to meet minimum combat readiness rates for six straight years, according to the watchdog agency for Congress. That’s despite the Army, Navy and Marine Corps spending $12 billion, or about 21%, of $57.2 billion for aircraft operations and maintenance appropriated by […]
After Mass Shooting, Bill Would Require Army to Use State Crisis Laws to Remove Weapons
PORTLAND, Maine — A bill that’s being introduced Monday after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the bill’s sponsor. The Armed […]
Soldiers Set to Get One Shoulder-Fired Round to Replace Multiple Weapons in Move to Ease Loads, Training
Soldiers will soon train on fewer systems and haul less gear downrange thanks to the Army’s adoption of an advanced new shoulder-launched munition. The service awarded a $494 million contract to Swedish defense contractor Saab in late August to furnish soldiers with the XM919 Individual Assault Munition, a single-shot multi-mission round that’s designed to combine […]
Ex-Green Beret Behind Failed Venezuela Raid Released Pending Trial on Weapons Charges
TAMPA, Fla. — A federal judge ordered the release Wednesday of a former U.S. Green Beret indicted in connection with a failed 2020 coup attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, rejecting arguments he would flee while awaiting trial on weapons smuggling charges. Jordan Goudreau was arrested in July after a four-year investigation into the amphibious […]
Fort Liberty Soldier Gets Booted After Indictment for Weapons Trafficking, Lying About White Nationalist Ties
A paratrooper at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, who was indicted last week on charges of weapons trafficking and lying about his association with a white nationalist group has been removed from the Army, Col. Mary Ricks, a service spokesperson, said Tuesday. Spc. Kai Nix was indicted Aug. 14 by a grand jury and arrested the […]
DNA on Weapons Implicates Ex-US Green Beret in Attempted Venezuelan Coup, Federal Officials Say
MIAMI — Federal investigators say they found the DNA of a decorated former U.S. Green Beret on some of the 60 automatic weapons he allegedly smuggled from Florida to South America as part of a failed 2020 coup attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The allegations were detailed in court papers filed days after Jordan […]
As US-Supplied Weapons Show Impact Inside Russia, Ukrainian Soldiers Hope for Deeper Strikes
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Weeks after the decision allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons for limited strikes in Russian territory, the country is having some success in halting Russia’s new push along the northeast front, but military commanders are clamoring for restrictions on long-range missiles to be lifted. Deteriorating battlefield conditions forced the U.S. […]