Author: Braxton Taylor

Accounting errors and a projected surge in year-end claims approvals that never materialized were responsible for leading the Department of Veterans Affairs to think it needed an additional $2.9 billion to cover benefits at the end of fiscal 2024, the VA’s top watchdog agency has found.The predicted shortfall, which veterans feared would cancel or delay their monthly disability checks, was covered by funding approved by Congress but also infuriated lawmakers who learned later that the money was never used and, in fact, VA benefits accounts ended the year with $2.2 billion in savings.At the request of Congress, the VA Office…

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, named for the pioneering Navy nurse and Navy Cross recipient, debuted a new battle flag as it pulled into port in San Diego in early March, according to publicly available imagery published to social media.The flag consists of a golden number 20 encircled by 20 gold stars on a navy blue background in what appears to be a tribute to the “Sacred Twenty,” the first group of women to officially serve in the U.S. Navy that included Higbee among its ranks.Navy battle flags have a long tradition of honoring American…

Two emerging rocketmakers have received a key greenlight on their road to competing for Space Force satellite launches. Service officials announced Thursday that Rocket Lab and Stoke Space will join Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance as contenders for future launch missions. The two companies each received $5 million task orders to “conduct an initial capabilities assessment and develop their approach to tailored mission assurance.”If they can clear that inspection—and successfully launch a rocket to space by year’s end—they could start bidding on the next tranche of launches in Lane 1 of the larger group called National Space Security Launch Phase 3. At…

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought into stark relief that the U.S. Army needs not just powerful vehicles and artillery, but lots and lots of simpler unmanned and counter-unmanned systems for drone warfare.“When America brings its best technology-wise, it’s exquisite, and we should keep doing that,” Gen. Jim Rainey, the head of Army Futures Command, said Thursday at AUSA’s Global Force Symposium. “At the same time, we should buy cheap mass. [There’s a] lot of value in 30mm cheap rounds that can knock down UAVs, even if you have to shoot a burst of 30 at it.”One…

ANDOVER, Mass., March 27, 2025 – (ArmsVault) — Byrna Technologies Inc. (“Byrna” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BYRN), a personal defense technology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative less-lethal personal security solutions, will hold a conference call on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended February 28, 2025. Financial results will be issued in a press release prior to the call. Read the full article here

Powerlifters and strength athletes have performed deadlifts — a classic power and strength-building exercise — for generations. Now the military has incorporated them into a variety of tactical fitness tests, especially if that branch of service or military occupational specialty (MOS) involves significant load bearing (rucking, equipment carry, crew weapon systems). Exercises such as deadlifts and squats are foundational to load-bearing strength and transfer well into military activities, but you need to start doing other exercises that work different components of fitness, too.When creating workouts, there are many options and goals for adding deadlifts:1. Pure StrengthDeadlifts for five sets of…

SecDef’s group chat fallout continues: A federal judge on Thursday ordered Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and several others on President Donald Trump’s national security team “to preserve all Signal communications between March 11 and March 15.” The judge’s order came in response to a lawsuit filed this week by the government accountability group American Oversight, which claimed that Hegseth, Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and others on an unsecured group chat may have violated the Federal Records Act by setting their Signal messages to delete after seven days in one instance, and after four weeks in…

The best turkey calls are the ones that convince that longbeard to close the distance. Some days, that call might be a diaphragm; others, the trusty box or slate. Sometimes, it helps to throw something they haven’t heard from every other hunter, like a trumpet, natural voice calls, or a snuff box.I’ve hunted birds that made me open every pocket in my turkey vest before they responded. For that reason, you should carry an array of calls. Even then, there’s no guarantee, but this list should serve as a starting point.The MeatEater crew has bagged longbeards all the way from…

ATN Corp. has launched a new clip-on thermal device, the ATN Tico LTV.  This small device which is placed in front of a traditional “daytime” riflescope allows that scope to have thermal capabilities. The Tico LTV 640 is equipped with a 60 hertz thermal sensor and has 640 x 480 resolution. At only .9 pound, it is also extremely light weight and is powered by a single 18650 battery that provides 8 hours of runtime. The ATN Tico LTV is capable of providing black-hot, white-hot and full-color thermal pictures making it versatile to use across a different range of conditions.…

Almost There! Help us tailor content specifically for you: Full Name Agency/Department –select– Department of the Air Force Department of the Army Department of the Navy Joint Chiefs of Staff National Intelligence Agency Office of the Secretary of Defense Other Defense Agency Air Force Army Coast Guard Navy Marines Department of Agriculture Department of Commerce Department of Education Department of Energy Department of HHS Department of Homeland Security Department of HUD Department of Interior Department of Justice Department of Labor Department of State Department of Transportation Department of Treasury Department of Veterans Affairs EPA Executive Office of the President/Vice President…