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☆ The Marine Corps might not get a confirmed leader for first time in 164 years due to standoff with Republican senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Rebecca Kheel | Konstantin Toropin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On July 10, the Marine Corps may be led an acting commandant for the first time in 164 years. A GOP senator is blocking the next commandant's confirmation over the Pentagon's abortion leave policy. The Justice Department has already conducted a legal analysis of the Pentagon policy. Smith, then commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in September 2018. "It was a spirited discussion, and it took a long time," Kaine said about the committee's closed-door debate on the abortion policy.

Persons: —, David Berger, Jim Stenger, Military.com, Berger's, Eric Smith, Smith, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Read, Stenger, Berger, Chip Somodevilla, Archibald Henderson, Tuberville, Andrew Jones, Joe Manchin, Joni Ernst, Tim Kaine, Kaine, Charles " C.Q, Brown, Mark Milley, James McConville, Mike Gilday, — Rebecca Kheel, — Konstantin Toropin Organizations: Marine Corps, GOP, Service, Corps, Defense Department, Senate, Senate Armed Services, Capitol, Armed Services Committee, stonewall, National Defense, Pentagon, Justice Department, Peace Corps, Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, US Marine Corps, Andrew Jones Senators, Marines, Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Twitter Locations: Iowa, Smith

☆ One of Ukraine's new, US-equipped 'Storm' brigades was spotted in the east
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Adrian Bonenberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The fate of Ukraine's counter-offensive depends on how effective its brigades are in taking and holding territory. A June video showed Ukrainian armored vehicles driving across a field, targeted by artillery and mines. It claimed to prove that the Ukrainian counteroffensive for which so many had such high hopes was foundering. One of them confirmed that the unit engaged was, in fact, the unit that I had trained, reconnaissance soldiers with the 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade. Training units at the squad and platoon level in urban movement, and close-quarters battle, or CQB, I had the impression some of them might be used to assault, instead of to reconnoiter.

Persons: Ukraine's, —, Adrian Bonenberger, Long, Bakhmut, It's, they're Organizations: Service, Mechanized Brigade, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, MoD, Twitter, Separate Mechanized Brigade Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Bakhmut, reconnoiter, U.S

☆ The US Army's Green Berets have struggled to bring enough recruits into their elite ranks, data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Army Special Forces has struggled to bring in new talent since before the pandemic, recruiting data shows. These elite troops, known as Green Berets, are the military's go-to force for guerrilla warfare. But the service's Special Forces has been struggling to bring in new talent since before the pandemic, recruiting data shows. It exceeded its goals that year with 1,358 new Special Forces contracts, but dropped again with 779 recruits in 2022. So far this year, 527 new applicants have signed on to try for the Green Berets.

Persons: —, Jon Braga, Military.com, we've, Braga, you'll, Camp, Katherine Kuzminski, Militarry.com, Z, Kuzminski, It's Organizations: Special Forces, Green Berets, Service, Army, Forces, Green Beret, Military.com, Green, U.S . Army, Operations Command, U.S . Army CH, Southern Strike, Center, New, New American Security, Special Forces Groups, 75th Ranger Regiment, Defense Department, Navy, National Guard Locations: America, Camp Shelby , Mississippi, Afghanistan, New American

☆ A US Navy ship dumped diesel fuel into its own water supply. Years later, sailors were still getting sick.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The USS Boxer dumped fuel into the ocean, which contaminated its own water supply. A Marine veteran from that deployment told Insider they drank and showered in the contaminated water for as long as a few weeks. Boxer's crew soon noticed the smell of fuel in the drinking water, and Marines and sailors told Military.com that Boxer leadership had claimed that the water was safe to drink. The Boxer is not the only US Navy ship to be stricken with contaminated water over the last few years. One sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln told Insider in an interview last year that the ship's water tasted "horrible" and they couldn't "escape it."

Persons: —, Military.com, Boxer, Wally Schirra, Machinist's, Michael Gonzales, Daniel Martin, Martin, it'll, Abraham Lincoln, USS Abraham Lincoln Organizations: US Navy, Service, Naval Surface Force, Navy Locations: Japan

☆ In first-of-its-kind drill, US Army special operators train to defend Taiwan against Chinese attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At US Army Special Operations Command's annual capabilities exercise, soldiers trained to defend Taiwan. The training was part of the USASOC's annual capabilities exercise, or CAPEX, and the mission they were gaming out was an insertion into Taiwan to defend against a Chinese invasion. So instead of hovering 8,000 miles away in the South China Sea where the island actually is perched, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment's Chinooks landed on Range 68 at Fort Bragg. US Army Rangers conduct an air-assault raid during Capabilities Exercise at Fort Bragg on April 20, 2023. Soldiers take part in US Army Special Operations Command's annual Capabilities Exercise in June 2019.

☆ The US Air Force is relaxing its restrictions on body fat after struggling to find enough new recruits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Air Force will raise its body fat limits for new applicants to drive recruitment. The group will now admit male recruits with up to 28% body fat and females with up to 36%. The Air Force last month revealed it would likely fall short of recruiting targets by 10%. Male troops will now be able to have 26% body fat rather than 20%, while female recruits can have 36% body fat, up from 28%, said Air Force Recruitment Service spokesperson Leslie Brown. The reported adjustment comes as the Air Force deals with a shortfall of new recruits.

☆ The US Army is getting a new vehicle to replace the armored personnel carrier it has used since before the Vietnam War
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The AMPV is a tracked armored vehicle with gearing and suspension similar to the M2 Bradley. The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, or AMPV, is a tracked armored vehicle with similar gearing and suspension as the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, 60 of which are on their way to Ukraine amid Russia's renewed invasion. The US Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle compared to the M113 armored personnel carrier. The M113 has been a staple in the Armored Brigade Combat Team, the Army's premier armored formation, for decades. Related: Army Set to Receive First Armored Vehicles to Replace Vietnam-Era M113

☆ The US Air Force is stripping most of the identifying information off of its biggest planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Thomas Novelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US Air Mobility Command has ordered its refueling and cargo planes to obscure their identifying markings. "At the end of the day, it's still very clearly an Air Force plane unless you're going to start painting them white or something," Paladino said. A US Air Force C-130 with most of its markings removed at Rafael Hernández International Airport in Puerto Rico on February 25. Minihan's memo, which was leaked in late January, highlights the mentality and war footing on which he's placed Air Mobility Command, which has historically been used as a support organization for combat operations. Air Mobility Command played a major role in the Afghanistan evacuation in 2021 and continues to help deliver weapons and aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

☆ 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.

☆ 3 spy aircraft that were also 'weather balloons'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Blake Stilwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China has said that it is a weather balloon that has gone off-course. It wouldn't be the first time that a spy balloon has been described as a weather balloon. China is probably just taking a page out of the US government 1960s-era cover-up playbook that we'll call: The ol' "Weather Balloon Dodge." Thomson ReutersThere's a reason the Department of Defense believes China's weather balloon is actually a reconnaissance balloon: The DoD is developing reconnaissance balloons of its own. If any of the massive balloons get forced down, they'd just be another weather balloon, which the National Weather Service still uses.

☆ Ukrainian troops are calling the US military in the middle of shootouts with Russia for help fixing their artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military is leading a team that is helping to repair Ukraine's military hardware over the phone. Ukrainian troops, meanwhile, are pushing artillery systems to the limits to keep Russia at bay. According to the report, Ukrainian troops have been firing their heavy artillery pieces past when they would typically be due for a repair, and at unprecedented rates to keep Russian forces at bay. Because of this, the support team is learning the limits of these systems and where they might have a breaking point. In finally securing the Western-made tanks, which were much-sought-after by Ukraine, the country has now set its ambitions on acquiring fighter jets.

☆ 3 active-duty Marines who work in intelligence arrested over alleged participation in the January 6 riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Konstantin Toropin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Three Marines were arrested Wednesday in relation to the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. All three Marines work in jobs connected to the intelligence community. All three Marines, who were arrested more than two years after the attack, work in jobs connected to the intelligence community. Records provided by the Marine Corps show that among his awards was a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, an unusual and prestigious medal for a junior Marine. However, the men are not the only members of the intelligence community to be arrested for their alleged part in the siege.

☆ The US Army has to rename its new rifle after accidentally using the name of another gun
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Army is changing the name of its new rifle after accidentally taking a name from another gun. The light machine gun set to replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW, the M250, will not change. "The Army originally chose the designation XM5 as the name of the new rifle in March," a service spokesperson said in a statement. The 6.8mm was seen as a compromise between the light ammo currently used and the 7.62mm ammo used in the M240B machine gun that would be very heavy for a standard rifleman. Soldiers will also use 20-round magazines, a 10-round decrease from the magazines the Army has been using for decades.

☆ US Army general retires without 'reprimand or admonishment' after spat over Tucker Carlson segment about women in the military
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"I retired honorably and without any reprimand or admonishment," Donahoe told Military.com in an interview. Military.com interviewed multiple women Donahoe frequently engaged with on Twitter, none of whom described his behavior as inappropriate. Multiple senior service officials and rank-and-file troops interviewed by Military.com blasted the Army's slow response, saying it suggested women serving at all is inherently political. "So let me be clear: I expect [Army] leaders to stand up for women — and all Soldiers — who are unduly attacked or disrespected." Related: 'The Army Gave a Hunting Permit to Radical Partisans': What a General's Bout with Fox Could Mean for Women

☆ After years of arguing, Congress is finally letting the US Air Force send some A-10 Warthogs to the boneyard
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Thomas Novelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The defense policy bill for 2023 will allow the US Air Force to retire 21 A-10 Warthogs. The Air Force has wanted to get rid A-10s for years, but Congress has blocked it from doing so. The Air Force has another 260 A-10s in service, but lawmakers may be more open to scrapping them. That Air National Guard wing previously flew earlier models of the F-16 until they were replaced — to much fanfare — with the Warthog back in 2010. Airmen reconfigure weapons on an A-10 during an exercise at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in November 2019.

☆ The US Army is reinventing basic training to appeal to Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The revamp is driven partly by the Army's need to appeal to Gen Z, who are reaching enlistment age. Read Next: Airman Faked Racist Texts Claiming He Was Denied Special Duty, Investigation FindsThe shift follows substantial changes in the Army's physical training. And the revamp is driven partly by the Army's need to appeal to Gen Z, who are now reaching enlistment age. An Army drill instructor with new soldiers. A US Army drill sergeant walks through a formation of recruits at Fort Jackson in South Carolina in November 2019.

☆ After a general's clash with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, soldiers worry the US Army 'has gone full MAGA'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Steve Beynon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Intentionally or not, this whole thing showed women that we are not worth defending," one noncommissioned officer told Military.com. To some, scrutinizing Donahoe's defense of women online is being seen as the service bending the knee to right-wing media. … The Army has gone full MAGA," the general said, referencing former President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, Make America Great Again. Other Army leaders backed the sentiment, including Grinston, who said on Twitter, "Women lead our most lethal units with character. Department of DefenseDonahoe was an avid user of social media at a time when most military leaders were wary of some of the risks of being active in the military community online.

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