Author: Braxton Taylor
Another stretch of federal land along the Rio Grande River in South Texas is being transferred to the Air Force, creating the largest militarized border area to date as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to issue harsher legal punishments to migrants who cross into the U.S.The new military zone is located in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties in Texas and will be transferred from land overseen by the International Boundary and Water Commission, an entity that settles boundary and water treaty issues between the U.S. and Mexico.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the directive to create the new zone June 18,…
The Army has “Saving Private Ryan,” the Navy has “Top Gun,” the Marine Corps has “Full Metal Jacket” and, now, an animated children’s movie might be the Space Force’s most in-depth and accurate film depiction yet.Disney and Pixar’s newly released “Elio” is a story about a young orphan who is being raised by his aunt, Air Force Maj. Olga Solis, who is an orbital analyst tracking space debris. The 11-year-old boy has a deep fascination with outer space and dreams of being abducted by aliens one day in hopes of making intergalactic friends.The film was in production well before the…
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that a Navy supply ship that honored a veteran who was the first openly gay politician in California will be renamed for a sailor who was awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II in a video message posted online Friday.In the video, Hegseth said that he would be renaming the John Lewis-class oiler USNS Harvey Milk in honor of Chief Watertender Oscar V. Peterson. Peterson heroically sacrificed his life while his ship, the USS Neosho, was under attack by the Japanese during the Battle of the Coral Sea.Military.com first reported that Hegseth…
Four big tech executives the Army directly commissioned to be lieutenant colonels, with no military background, will not recuse themselves from business dealings with the Department of Defense — as the Pentagon, particularly the Army, cozies up to Silicon Valley.Earlier this month, the Army announced Detachment 201, the name being a reference to HTTP code, for the newly commissioned executives of Palantir, Meta and OpenAI. The new formation is set to recruit tech executives to work on major Army challenges, but the service has not articulated exactly what those individuals would do — instead focusing on recruiting talent and creating…
An ex-Marine recruiter who was sentenced to a year in prison for abusing his position of authority and after self-publishing a book about his inappropriate relationship with a teenage prospective recruit was released from the brig three months early and without his victim’s knowledge.Pvt. Christopher Champagne, once a gunnery sergeant on recruiting duty in Texas over two years ago and in his late 30s, was released from a military prison in California on Monday after serving less than nine months of a 12-month sentence, a Marine Corps spokesperson told Military.com.The mother of Champagne’s victim said that the military did not…
On Wednesday, as he was about to depart from a NATO summit, President Donald Trump seemed to make a stunning admission: He gave Iran the green light to attack a U.S. military base in retaliation for his own strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.The Iranians “were very nice. They gave us warning,” Trump told reporters. “They said, ‘We’re going to shoot ’em. Is one o’clock OK?’ I said, ‘It’s fine,'” he added.The casual, nonchalant tone of Trump’s acceptance that Iran would attack U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — an assault that involved more than a dozen…
The Air Force is using money previously given to its Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program to convert a Qatari luxury jet into an Air Force One.“There were dollars that were removed from the Sentinel program that were access-to-need in [fiscal] 2024 and that’s what was used to fund the program. We will ensure that those resources are there,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers Thursday during a Senate appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. Shifting these funds won’t further delay the Sentinel program, Meink said, which is being restructured after major delays and unforeseen costs pushed its estimated cost to nearly $141…
Empowering those who’ve served with one thing can truly change a life: knowledge. If you’re a veteran, you’ve earned a suite of benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs, but understanding which ones apply to you — and when — isn’t always easy. So, let’s work on that.Whether you’re fresh out of uniform, in the thick of civilian life or reflecting on decades of service from the comfort of retirement, VA benefits can be a critical element of your financial plan. Here’s a three-tiered look at how to make the most of what’s available, based on where you are in…
Bear Creek Arsenal is offering .277 Fury upper receiver assemblies that fit with standard AR-10-pattern lower receivers. Bear Creek’s new uppers, which consist of three individual models, are available with traditional charging handles and side-charging handles. A third model consists of a manually operated bolt-action variant. All three new Bear Creek Arsenal .277 Fury upper receiver assemblies are built around 16-inch .227 Fury barrels and feature BCA Talon Split M-Lok hand guards. Bear Creek Arsenal .277 Fury Upper Receiver Features Precision-driven barrels: Tuned for peak performance with the .277 Fury’s ballistics Complete uppers: Everything is included; the barrel, BCG, charging…
The Army is preparing to roll out a new policy that could lead to soldiers diagnosed with a chronic skin condition that causes painful razor bumps and scarring to be kicked out of the service — an issue that disproportionately affects Black men.The new guidance, expected to take effect in the coming weeks, would bar permanent shaving waivers and require medical personnel to craft formal treatment plans for affected troops, according to multiple service officials and internal documents reviewed by Military.com.Soldiers in need of prolonged waivers may be directed to get laser treatments. Those who need shaving exemptions for more…