VA Short $15B for Benefits, Health Care
Increased staffing, prescription drug costs, and a PACT Act driven increase in claims could have the Veterans Administration nearly $3 billion short this year and health care accounts nearly $12 billion short next year.
Report Evaluates STEM Labor Force in US
The National Science Foundation has published its latest report on the STEM labor force. Nearly one of every four workers in the United States is involved in a STEM occupation.
Vance Would Be First Marine VP
J.D. Vance, a former Marine corporal, is the first military veteran on a major presidential ticket since former Senator John McCain in 2008 and the first former enlisted vet on the ballot since former Vice President Al Gore in 2000. If elected as former President Donald Trump’s vice president, Vance would be the first Marine to become second-in-command.
A Power Competition in the Far North
Many experts agree that the competition between the United States, Russia, and China for global supremacy is moving into a new frozen theater in the far north.
Beryl Opens Week; NATO Closes It
The week began for the US Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi sending out a HC-144 Ocean Sentry air crew to survey and assess damage in the wake of Hurricane Beryl along the Texas coast. While in Washington, DC, US President Joe Biden and leaders of other NATO member states gathered for their annual summit.
Restored Pax O’Club Mural Lands at Museum
A restored mural by local artist George F. McWilliams, honoring the role that NAS Pax River played in national space history, now hangs in the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
Happy 248th Birthday, America
On July 4, 2024, America will celebrate its 248th birthday. Although the US Congress declared its separation from England on July 2, 1776, the founding fathers didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence until July 4, 1776.
House Defense Spending Bill Includes More F-35s, One Attack Sub
The US House on Friday narrowly passed its version of the $833 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2025. The legislation would buy eight more F-35s beyond the Pentagon’s budget request of 68, while only procuring one Virginia-class attack submarine instead of the usual two vessels the bill usually provides.
Good-bye, Dali
The Dali — the cargo ship that collided with and collapsed the Key Bridge on March 26 — left Baltimore Monday on its 170-mile journey to Norfolk, VA, with a stop at Virginia International Gateway to unload roughly 1,500 cargo containers still aboard. The Coast Guard provided a 500-yard safety zone around the Dali’s traverse of Chesapeake Bay.
Congress Again Talks About a Draft
Congress looks to take up debate on a national military draft as it crafts the 2025 defense policy bill. A Senate committee passed a provision to include women if a draft is reinstated, and a House committee looks to make registration for the Selective Service automatic, but only for men ages 18 to 25.
