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Air Force Academy: Dorm remodel could cost almost $600 million
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Military.com, State

Air Force Academy: Dorm remodel could cost almost $600 million

By Mary Shinn | Military.com (via Colorado Springs Gazette) The Air Force Academy estimates over time that one of its two dormitories will need almost $600 million to remodel. Sijan Hall, built in 1968, is expected to need a major remodel to upgrade its heating, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems. It also needs work to renovate window walls, bathrooms, cadet rooms and workspaces, an academy spokesman said. It's a six-story building with 625,000 square feet housing 891 dorm rooms. The academy expects the work on the building could take place over five phases and cost $597 million, a written statement said. READ THE FULL STORY AT MILITARY.COM
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‘Economic hardship’ bonus of only $20 per month? That’s what military troops are getting
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National, The Daily Caller

‘Economic hardship’ bonus of only $20 per month? That’s what military troops are getting

By JAKE SMITH | The Daily Caller The Biden administration’s Pentagon will start giving U.S. troops “economic hardship bonuses,” but the payout is unlikely to make any substantial difference in their salaries, according to Military.com. Troops in the E1 through E3 rank — considered junior enlisted troops — will receive an additional $20 per month as a result of the new bonus, a senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Military.com on Friday. Junior enlisted troops have been among those hit the hardest in the military by financial hardships in recent years, with low pay compared to the private sector and high inflation and cost rates.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY CALLER
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Bill would expand military death benefits for families of ROTC cadets
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Air Force Times, National

Bill would expand military death benefits for families of ROTC cadets

By Jonathan Lehrfeld | Air Force Times Parents of young officers in training and incoming recruits who died in connection with military activities want Congress to approve death benefits that others in the armed forces already receive. “It’s just been an absolute nightmare. There’s no aspect of our lives that are the same,” said Jessica Swan. Swan’s daughter, Mackenzie Wilson, 19, a student at Oregon State University and an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet, died in a vehicle accident in June 2022, while at an Air Force base in Idaho for a development program. Family members of active duty troops can collect financial compensation from the military after a service member dies. But Swan received nothing after her child’s death. Loved ones of those in ...
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U.S. to expand control of land sales to foreigners near military sites
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Air Force Times, National

U.S. to expand control of land sales to foreigners near military sites

By Fatima Hussein | The Associated Press (via Air Force Times) The U.S. wants to expand a Treasury committee’s jurisdiction to review land sales near U.S. military sites where foreigners are the buyers. New Treasury rulemaking would expand the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ powers to review land sales near 56 additional military sites, bringing the overall number to 227 military sites. Additional sites include Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas, Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow in California, Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, and Fort Novosel in Alabama, along with other locations, according to the proposed rule. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE AIR FORCE TIMES
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Study: ‘Vast DEI bureaucracy’ negatively impacting U.S. armed forces
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National, The Daily Signal

Study: ‘Vast DEI bureaucracy’ negatively impacting U.S. armed forces

By Cameron Arcand | The Daily Signal Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the U.S. military are ineffective, a new Arizona State University study suggests. The study done by the university’s Center for American Institutions argued that there is an emphasis on training new soldiers about social issues like “unconscious bias” and “intersectionality” in a way the center says runs contrary to typical American ideals. The study examined DEI plans in different sectors of the military, including DEI office staffing and education at academies like West Point. “The massive DEI bureaucracy, its training and its pseudo-scientific assessments are at best distractions that absorb valuable time and resources,” the executive summary states. “At worst they communic...
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Team USA: 10 Army soldiers will compete in the 2024 Olympics
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Military Times, National

Team USA: 10 Army soldiers will compete in the 2024 Olympics

By Zamone Perez | Military Times A total of 10 service members will compete on behalf of the United States at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris — and they are all members of the U.S. Army. Seven active-duty soldiers will head to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics later this month as part of Team USA, according to a defense official. Three athletes will also compete in the Paralympic Games later in August. The trials to join Team USA ended on June 30 with the Army dominating the roster for U.S. service members. The soldiers joining Team USA will compete in shooting, rugby, track and field, wrestling and swimming. Additionally, two other soldiers will be coaches for Team USA in the pentathlon and wrestling events. A handful of service members join Team USA every other...
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ESPN draws fire for selecting Prince Harry for Pat Tillman award: ‘There are recipients that are far more fitting’
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Air Force Times, National

ESPN draws fire for selecting Prince Harry for Pat Tillman award: ‘There are recipients that are far more fitting’

By Zamone Perez | Air Force Times ESPN is drawing criticism for selecting Prince Harry as the Pat Tillman Service Award recipient at this year’s ESPYs, including from the fallen soldier’s mother and a host of one of the sports network’s more popular shows. Every year the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly awards show, or ESPYs, honors one individual with an award in memory of Pat Tillman, a former NFL safety who enlisted in the Army following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Tillman was killed on April 22, 2004, in a friendly fire incident while deployed to Afghanistan. He was 27 years old. The late soldier’s mother, Mary Tillman, told the Daily Mail she was not consulted by ESPN on the award decision. Tillman called ESPN’s selection of Prince Harry, who left r...
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Troops may face inflated drug costs under Tricare, lawmakers say
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Air Force Times, National

Troops may face inflated drug costs under Tricare, lawmakers say

By Karen Jowers | Air Force Times A bipartisan group of 24 congressional lawmakers is questioning whether the Pentagon’s pharmacy contract may be driving up drug costs and limiting access to medication for Tricare beneficiaries, while overcharging independent pharmacies and taxpayers. The lawmakers are concerned that the Defense Health Agency has decided to retain Express Scripts as the sole pharmacy benefit manager for Tricare, the military insurance system serving 9.6 million troops, retirees and their families. In a letter sent Wednesday to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Lester Martinez-Lopez and DHA director Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, the lawmakers questioned whether Express Scripts may be using anticompetitive tactics to overcharge Tricare. Express S...
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VA chief of staff stepping down from leadership post after 8 months on the job
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Air Force Times, National

VA chief of staff stepping down from leadership post after 8 months on the job

By Leo Shane III | Air Force Times Veterans Affairs Chief of Staff Kimberly Jackson on Friday announced she will step down from the leadership role next month, creating another vacancy at the top of the department. Jackson has served in the role for only eight months, but had previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for force readiness at the Pentagon since the start of President Joe Biden’s presidency. The chief of staff role at VA serves as the top advisor to the secretary and deputy secretary. In a statement, Jackson said she is stepping down to spend more time with her family. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve alongside the dedicated women and men in the Department of Veterans Affairs in our mission of ensuring veterans and their families...
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Air Force’s top leaders urge unity, patience in face of changes
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Air Force Times, National

Air Force’s top leaders urge unity, patience in face of changes

By Rachel S. Cohen | The Air Force Times Four months after Air Force leaders rolled out a slew of initiatives aimed at readying troops to compete with China, they’re grappling with the most difficult part of change: turning ideas into reality. As the service hashes out the details of its future force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvinand Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi are urging airmen to stick together and trust the process. “I have been through many chief of staff transitions and watched how the Air Force is trying to find its way forward,” Allvin said in a joint interview with Flosi in early May. “Sometimes you don’t need a new thing; sometimes you just need to follow through on the old things.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE AIR FORCE TIMES...
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