Author: Braxton Taylor
Springfield Armory has collaborated with Lipsey’s to offer customers two special editions of the Springfield Armory SA-35 9mm single-action pistol, which is based on the iconic Hi-Power pistol. “The SA-35 provides shooters with a high-quality, U.S.-made version of one of the most popular and proven handguns ever designed,” said Steve Kramer, vice president of marketing for Springfield Armory. “With these new color options featuring tough Cerakote finishes and G10 grips, fans have two new eye-catching options with this highly capable pistol.” In addition to the Coyote Brown or Tactical Gray Cerakote finishes, these special edition Springfield Armory SA-35s also include…
When Melvin Kaminsky arrived in Europe with a field artillery unit, he thought he would be a radio operator. In need of combat engineers, though, the Army noticed the young private’s military operational specialty — the military service had trained him as an electrical engineer — saw the word “engineer” and immediately reassigned him.Instead of receiving and sending coded messages, Kaminsky’s new assignment was far more dangerous. His main responsibility would be to defuse land mines, but true to his nature, he joked about what possibly could go wrong.”I said, ‘Oh, you don’t really want me to do that, do…
It’s been just days since President Trump signed an unprecedented executive order aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective-bargaining rights, but both the White House and federal employee unions are already trading lawsuits over the edict.Last Thursday, Trump signed an executive order citing a rarely used provision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to ban unions at the Defense Department and other federal agencies under the guise of national security. Similar exemptions have existed across decades of executive orders—and several military conflicts—before Congress codified federal employees’ rights to join and be represented by organized labor, but…
Texas-based XS Sights has released a selection of new Glock MOS-compatible, optics-mounting plates for all Glock pistols that feature the standard MOS slide cut. XS Sights is offering their new plates to fit the Trijicon RMR and Aimpoint ACRO optics footprints, two of the most popular and well-represented mounting standards on the market today. Intended for professional end users such as law enforcement officers or serious competitive shooters, XS Sights’ new plates are precision CNC machined from steel and finished with a durable black nitride coating to provide the end user with duty-grade reliability and protection from the elements. Additionally,…
Developing: The bodies of three U.S. soldiers were recovered Monday after their sunken M88A2 Hercules vehicle was finally retrieved from a swampy bog in eastern Lithuania, just a half-dozen miles from the border with Belarus. “We will not rest until the fourth and final soldier is found and brought home,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in a statement Monday. He also thanked “our dedicated allies in Lithuania and Poland” for their assistance in the recovery operation, which stretched across nearly seven consecutive days. The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team. Their 63-ton vehicle had been…
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime has awarded FN America with a firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract—valued up to $39,643,953—to supply for M240 and M249 machine gun barrels. The company collaborates with and is a key partner of the combat-support agency in the DoD, which is one of the largest suppliers of spare parts that serves more than 20,000 customers throughout all U.S. military branches, civil agencies and a variety of other DoD organizations. “The contract to provide barrels for M240 and M249 machine guns is a testament to our partnership with the U.S. DoD,…
Being a military history buff is a blessing and a curse. Understanding how we got where we are creates a pretty well-informed worldview, if you ask me. But most of our favorite vehicles, aircraft and equipment seem out of reach.Some of them are more attainable than others. Sure, you can fill a shopping cart at an Army & Navy surplus store. You can visit air museums and tour old ships. You can also buy a surplus military vehicle and — apparently — put a tank in your garage.It’s perfectly legal and more common than you might think. Allow me to…
KYIV, Ukraine — “Skunk” found himself pinned down in a trench, outnumbered and under relentless close-range fire. It was Christmas Eve 2024, and the 38-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran was serving with a unit in Eastern Ukraine as that country goes into its fourth year of repelling Russia’s full-scale invasion. He didn’t speak Ukrainian or Russian, and it had been 15 years since he’d served in the U.S. military, but he felt compelled to try to help defend an ally.He’d arrived in Ukraine only two months before, shortly after submitting his 2024 election ballot. It was the first time he…
This week Reid and Dan host multiplatinum artist, Chase Matthew out in God’s Coutry. The three of them immediately bond over their poor man ways that they can’t seem to get over. Chase shares his love for motors and Reid immediately takes advantage of the opportunity to try and troubleshoot what is wrong with his lawn mower. They dive in on what motivates Chase to pursue his dreams as a country music star and even dial in Chase’s dad to share some old band stories! Episode ends with Chase stealing the guitar from Dan and turning the page. Read the…
Jennifer Barnhill is a columnist for Military.com writing about military families.Rules that had prevented some military spouses from holding jobs while stationed overseas have been relaxed, a parting gift from the Biden administration that should alleviate some concerns for those trying to continue careers while their military member serves.On Jan. 17, 2025, on their last day before leaving office, members of the Biden administration drafted and released a memo directing senior military leaders that, “No international agreement to which the United States is a party regarding legal status protections for DoD military and civilian personnel, and their dependents, deployed or…