Small Kindness Reaps National Benefit
A Coast Guardsman bought dinner at a diner for a stranger in Greenland. Ends up it’s the prime minister of the country and the Guardsman has been credited with strengthening the US position in the Arctic domain. “It’s just something I do,” explained Kate Kilroy junior Coast Guard member.
2nd Navy MQ-8C Drone Suffers Mishap
An unmanned MQ-8C drone was damaged during testing of a lithium ion battery at Webster Field in St. Inigoes on Nov. 16. That was the second major mishap involving the new variant just in the month of November. A Fire Scout drone crashed at a California Navy base Nov. 10.
Nimitz Returns to Mideast as Tensions Rise
The USS Nimitz is back in the Persian Gulf. The Pentagon cites the drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq as the reason. Others believe the killing of an Iranian scientist in Tehran is further raising tensions across the Mideast.
DoD Budget Hostage to Confederates
Trump is sticking with his threat to veto the $740B funding bill if it requires bases named for Confederates must change their names. The Democrats have some Republican allies who want the names changed. But some Democrats don’t know if the fight is worth having right now if it delays passage of the bill. Other Democrats say, yes, of course it is.
GAO: Aircraft Readiness Not Meeting Goals
A Government Accountability Office report shows aircraft readiness in all branches of the military has gone from bad to worse. Among the report’s findings, some 24 aircraft have never met readiness goals in the nine years from 2011 through 2019.
NavSec Floats Plan for New 1st Fleet in Pacific
NavSec Kenneth Braithwaite is calling for the establishment of a US 1st Fleet, a new numbered command to address maritime security in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Troop Drawdowns Draw Outcries
Commentators, experts, national, and international leaders react across the globe to announcements from President Donald Trump’s acting DefSec Chris Wilson of significant and imminent US troop drawdowns planned in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia.
Pentagon Fails 3rd Audit, But Improving
The third audit added another clean organization to its list. Based upon that rate, the acting DoD comptroller said a truly passed audit for the entire DoD may not come until around 2027.
For NASA, Another Historic Space Launch
NASA’s first full-fledged mission sending a crew into orbit aboard a privately owned spacecraft launched Sunday night for a trip to the International Space Station. And another first: Victor Glover became first Black astronaut to join a crew on the ISS.
Turnover at the Pentagon. What’s Next?
Following the removal of some top Pentagon officials last week, theories abound about why those firings occurred.
