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☆ A Georgia employee requested their county include gender-affirming care as part of their health coverage. Instead, the county spent $1.2 million fighting the effort: report.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Georgia county was accused of refusing to include gender-affirming care as part of their health coverage. The county spent $1.2 million fighting it, ProPublica found — significantly more than the cost to cover care. Anna Lange, a sheriff's deputy in Georgia's Houston County requested her county expand its healthcare coverage to cover her gender-affirming care, according to court documents reviewed by Insider. "You knew right then and there that no matter what I said, that it wouldn't matter," she told ProPublica. "It was a slap in the face, really, to find out how much they had spent," Lange told ProPublica.

☆ Russian jet's collision with a US drone shows Russia may have a fighter pilot 'problem,' former US aviators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A Russian fighter jet collided with an American drone this week after harassing it. The collision was likely unintentional, and former US naval aviators say that it could point to problems with Russian fighter pilots. A State Department official said it "probably was the result of profound incompetence on the part of one of these Russian pilots." Russian military failures in Ukraine have altered this view, he continued, "and now, you've got something like this." Charles Larkin Sr./US Air Force via AP"The tactical portion here is that poor training or poor decision making by a Russian pilot caused a collision," Snodgrass said.

☆ Fighter jets are 'worthless' over Ukraine, and it's a sign of what US pilots and troops may face in future battles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

As a result, neither side is able to provide close air support to its troops on the front line. US pilots and ground troops may face a similar situation in future wars, US Air Force leaders say. They're not doing a whole lot because they can't go over and do close air support," Hecker said. "Close air support in a contested environment, that's not what we do, no matter who you are," Brown added. William GreerSince taking over as the top Air Force officer in August 2020, Brown has stressed that future battlefields will be more complex and deadly for the Air Force.

☆ A Philly cop has been charged with assault over a bar fight. In 2011, the Fraternal Order of Police made sure he didn't lose his job after being accused of punching his wife in the face.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Philadelphia police officer has been charged with assault over an alleged bar fight. The officer became enraged when someone put on hip-hop or R&B music, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The same cop was arrested in 2011 and accused of punching his wife. The same officer was arrested in 2011 and charged with simple assault and reckless endangering after he was accused of punching his estranged wife in the face at another bar. An FOP spokesperson told Insider that, this time around, the union "is not representing the officer and has no further comment."

☆ Japan is ditching its attack helicopters in another sign that one of the most important modern military weapons is losing its luster
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Japan's attack helicopter fleet currently comprises 12 AH-64 Apaches and 50 AH-1 Cobras, as well as an observation helicopter fleet of 37 Kawasaki OH-1s. Nonetheless, Japan's decision to junk its attack helicopters has other nations thinking what to do with theirs. "Now we have the judgement of Japan, a close friend, that attack helicopters are not worthwhile even for its capability requirements, which include land fighting to defend territory." Christopher BroomeJust as helicopters replaced many of the functions once performed by aircraft, now drones may replace helicopters for attack and scouting missions. Rather than attack helicopters being replaced by drones, it seems more likely they will team up with drones.

☆ Ukrainian pilots are calling the US Air Force for tips on using US-made missiles and bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Members of the US Air National Guard have been providing advice for using US-made weaponry. Despite US support, Ukraine's air force is still at a disadvantage against Russia's larger force. Ukraine's air force still faces a tough operating environment. A California Air National Guard officer discusses exercise Safe Skies with his Ukrainian counterparts in July 2011. Ukrainian Air Force via Twitter"We've just got them some precision munitions that have some extended range and go a little bit further than a gravity-dropped bomb," Hecker added.

☆ The US, its allies, and North Korea are one wrong move away from disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Chad Kunkle | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

North Korea continues to test missiles while the US and South Korea hold high-profile exercises. This prospect should prod US policy makers to consider why they are choosing to push forward with the current approach to North Korea. US Air Force F-16s and B-1B bombers with South Korean F-35As during an exercise over the Korean Peninsula in November. Kim, his daughter, and other North Korean officials watch sports in Pyongyang in a photo released on February 17. There are already actions being taken by the Biden administration that show how maintaining a massive force in South Korea is not a top priority for the US, such as the recent decision to transfer artillery ammunition from South Korea to resupply Ukrainian stockpiles.

☆ UK navy seizes anti-tank missiles being smuggled out of Iran, adding to a mountain of weapons intercepted by the US and its partners at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

UK forces recently intercepted a small boat illegally smuggling missiles from Iran to Yemen. It's the latest incident to see the US and partner forces seize weapons in Middle East waters. U.S. naval forces seized 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. Once these weapons are seized, there are a handful of places they can end up — depending on what, exactly, was obtained during the raid. In some past cases, explosives have been detonated at sea while the rifles and ammunition were sent ashore to be destroyed.

☆ The US Air Force's big plan to spread out and take on China may actually make things easier for Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For the Air Force, a key part of the plan is to spread jets and airmen across bases in the Pacific. The problem is that the Air Force would need a logistical system that could sustain numerous bases across a wide area. US, Australian, Japanese, and other militaries' aircraft taxi in formation at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in February 2022. Civil engineer airmen conduct rapid airfield damage repair on Northwest Field at Andersen Air Force Base in October 2019. Air Force officials have acknowledged the complexity of defending dispersed forces.

☆ Russia's struggles in Ukraine are showing US special operators that they'll need to fight without their 'tethers' to win future wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For US special operators, the war is a reminder that such a network won't always be available. Ukraine thwarted Russia's initial attack and, with extensive Western support, has driven Russia's forces back. Logistics and special operatorsRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets conduct close quarters battle training in Romania in May 2021. We are trained and mentally prepared to fight without much logistical support," said the Green Beret, who was granted anonymity to discuss potential future operations. "Again, depending on the unit and the mission, we will require some sort of logistical support eventually.

☆ The US Air Force is finally getting rid of its A-10s, and its focus may be straying from the Warthog's unique mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Those retirements would shrink the Air Force's A-10 fleet to 260 aircraft, and Air Force leaders plan to continue decommissioning A-10s in the years ahead. Not so closeUS Air Force joint terminal attack controllers during a close air support training with an A-10 in Nevada in September 2011. Michael HolzworthCurrent and former Air Force officials have said that the F-35 would take over the A-10's mission after the Warthog left the fleet. So it will perform the mission very differently," said Kendall, who is now the Air Force's top civilian official. Those skills "are perishable," Boeding added, "and the stakes are too high to not train dedicated crews (ground and air) in purpose build close air support aircraft."

☆ Chinese military gear may not be enough to bail out Russia's poorly led troops, former top US general in Europe says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US is again warning China not provide military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Russia's military has structural problems that foreign gear can't fix, a retired US general says. While lower-level Russian units have been able to adapt, "I think the big problem in the Russian military is that the culture is not very conducive to" learning, added Lee, an expert on Russia's military. Russian military leadership failings and inability to perform under fire will limit the utility of whatever hardware Beijing may provide, Breedlove said. While US officials have not specified what military support China may provide, there are signs Russia is using artillery ammunition more sparingly.

☆ CNBC Pro Talks: Veteran investor Mark Hawtin talks tech, Tesla and calling the bottom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After a brutal year for growth investors, Mark Hawtin of GAM Investments will join Pro Talks to discuss the outlook for tech stocks and when he sees the market hitting the bottom. Hawtin, investment director of the Swiss asset management firm, will speak with CNBC's Karen Tso to share his thoughts on investor favorites such as Tesla , Big Tech stocks, and the companies he expects to grow despite a downturn. Click here to watch CNBC Pro Talks live on Wednesday, February 22 at 12 p.m. GMT / 8 p.m. SGT / 7 a.m. See more from our previous Pro Talks: Fund manager names two U.S. stocks he thinks might not survive 2023 Thinking of jumping back into Big Tech? Click here to watch CNBC Pro Talks live on Wednesday, February 22 at 12 p.m. GMT / 8 p.m. SGT / 7 a.m.

☆ China is getting rid of its 'grandpa' fighter jets, but they may make a comeback for a one-way mission against Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's last J-7 fighter jets may leave active service this year, according to Chinese state media. China's air force may convert some J-7s into drones, which could be used in an attack on Taiwan. (Between its air force and navy, China now has the world's third-largest aviation force, according to the Pentagon.) A J-7 fighter at the People's Liberation Army Aviation Museum in Beijing in December 2013. UCAVs make it possible for China's air force "to use relatively cheap, capable, low-risk airframes as a first-in asset to either strike or soften Taiwan's air defense systems," Rice added.

☆ A senior ISIS leader is dead, but the raid went sideways when an explosion injured several US troops and a dog
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces carried out a joint helicopter raid in Syria on Thursday. The target, a senior Islamic State leader named Hamza al-Homsi, was killed during the operation. Although the target, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed, the operation went sideways when an explosion wounded the four Americans and their working dog. Meanwhile, the US military and its partner forces continue to hunt down ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. Local Syrian forces killed the Islamic State's leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, during an October raid.

☆ Shooting Rattles El Paso Mall Next to Scene of 2019 Rampage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Elizabeth Findell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Members of law enforcement gather outside the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas, following the shooting. One person was killed and three were wounded in a shooting at El Paso’s Cielo Vista Mall Wednesday evening—steps away from the Walmart where an attacker killed 23 people in 2019. Police in the West Texas border city said reports of an active shooter near the mall’s food court came in around 5:10 local time. One suspect was in police custody as police searched for a possible second suspect, said Sgt. Robert Gomez, a police spokesman.

☆ European militaries are emptying their arsenals to send heavy-duty howitzers to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US and European countries have sent scores of artillery pieces to Ukraine. Estonia has promised to transfer all 24 of its FH-70 towed 155 mm howitzers. But at least the US and large European militaries, like Britain, France, Germany, or even Sweden, have sufficiently large arsenals to send weapons to Ukraine while still retaining some equipment for their own forces. For example, the US is scrambling to boost production of 155 mm artillery shells as Ukraine fires up to 7,000 shells a day. But expanding manufacturing capacity for artillery shells may take years, while the artillery pieces themselves may not even be in production anymore.

☆ A Marine who got a highly sensitive intelligence job after participating in the Jan. 6 attack was charged after admitting to his role in the riot during a security clearance interview
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Three active-duty Marines were arrested and charged on Jan. 6 charges last month. All three held intelligence roles even after their alleged participation in the deadly Capitol attack. Abate ultimately confessed to participating in the riot in June 2022 while he was undergoing a security clearance process, according to prosecutors. The Intercept reported that both Abate and Hellonen received promotions in ranks in the aftermath of the riot. Lawyers for Abate and Hellonen did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, and Coomer did not have an attorney listed.

☆ US allies bordering Russia are buying up HIMARS, weapons that have devastated Putin's forces in Ukraine, and longer-range rockets and missiles for them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US State Department has approved the sale of HIMARS launchers, missiles, and rockets to Poland. The country is among several other US allies bordering Russia that have sought to obtain this capability. The HIMARS has proven to be a highly effective weapon for Ukraine, which has used the system to devastate Russian forces on the battlefield. With this sale, Poland would become the latest eastern European country that borders Russia to secure the much-celebrated HIMARS. The State Department last year approved a sale of HIMARS to Estonia, which borders mainland Russia.

☆ B-52 crews are getting special brain training to help them fly the US Air Force's oldest bomber
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Hope Seck | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Air Force B-52 crews are going through a special brain- and body-conditioning program. The program is part of an effort to find the best way to enhance the performance of Air Force crews. Other airmen could get access to similar programs in the future, an Air Force official said. Officers on the lower deck of a B-52 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota in August 2006. A B-52 bomber drops cluster bombs over Afghanistan on October 7, 2001.

☆ Decades after winning the world's first jet-powered dogfights, US fighter pilots are still flexing their muscles over Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

That November, US Air Force and Navy pilots notched the first victories between jet-powered aircraft. The first, involving an Air Force Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star piloted by Lt. Russel Brown, occurred on November 8, 1950. Air superiorityUS Air Force F-80C fighters return from a mission in August 1952. The Air Force's 'first'A US Air Force F-80C armed with napalm bombs takes off from a Korean airfield in February 1951. The exercise, called Vigilant Storm, involved roughly 100 US aircraft and some 140 South Korean aircraft flying more than 1,600 sorties.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ US Marines are taking position on 'key terrain' around Taiwan as tensions rise with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The US and Japan said in January that a Marine Littoral Regiment will be set up in Japan by 2025. That unit, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, is the second of three Marine Littoral Regiments planned for the Indo-Pacific region, the first of which was activated in March 2022 and is based in Hawaii. Within weeks of its activation, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment was participating in the US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan. New threat, new forceUS Marines provide security for an amphibious landing during Balikatan 22 in northern Luzon in March 2022. US Marines during an amphibious landing as part of Balikatan 22 in northern Luzon in March 2022.

☆ New US Marine units are taking position on 'key terrain' around Taiwan as tensions rise with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The US and Japan said in January that a Marine Littoral Regiment will be set up in Japan by 2025. A Marine Littoral Regiment will also hold a major exercise in the northern Philippines this spring. That unit, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, is the second of three Marine Littoral Regiments planned for the Indo-Pacific region, the first of which was activated in March 2022 and is based in Hawaii. Within weeks of its activation, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment was participating in the US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan. Members of 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii in August 2022.

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