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☆ Defense Secretary Revokes Plea Deal for Accused Sept. 11 Plotters
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on Friday overruled the overseer of the war court at Guantánamo Bay and revoked a plea agreement reached earlier this week with the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and two alleged accomplices. Gen. Susan K. Escallier, signed a pretrial agreement on Wednesday with Mr. Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi that exchanged guilty pleas for sentences of at most life in prison. In taking away the authority, Mr. Austin assumed direct oversight of the case and canceled the agreement, effectively reinstating it as a death-penalty case. He left Ms. Escallier in the role of oversight of Guantánamo’s other cases. Because of the stakes involved, the “responsibility for such a decision should rest with me,” Mr. Austin said in an order released Friday night by the Pentagon.

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Susan K, Escallier, Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al, Austin, ” Mr Organizations: Pentagon, Defense Department Locations: Guantánamo, New York City, Pennsylvania, Brig

☆ 2 renowned strategists say the US should defend Taiwan with nuclear strikes. Experts say such talk is just a taste of what's to come.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The US once floated nuclear retaliation in 1958 if China invaded Taiwan, and stationed nuclear weapons on the island until 1974. It would essentially tell Beijing that an invasion of the island risks nuclear war, he said. "What's the benefit of reassuring Xi that our nuclear weapons are not relevant?" "So relatively low-yield nuclear weapons could destroy that amphibious force and do little to no collateral damage onshore in Taiwan." He added that threatening war — much less nuclear war — over Taiwan would be deeply unpopular at home.

Persons: —, David Kearn, Kearn, — he'd, Greg Weaver, Weaver, Obama, Matthew Kroenig, James Acton, Greg, Matt, Kroenig, Lyle Goldstein, Goldstein, we're, Acton, Francesca Giovannini, Giovannini, Xi Jinping, Xi, It's, Marshall Billingslea, Billingslea, Rebeccah Heinrichs, Jake Werner Organizations: Service, John's, Atlantic Council, Pentagon, Business, RAND, US Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Department, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, China Initiative, Brown University, International Peace, Harvard University's Kennedy, Georgetown University, US State Department, Hudson, Keystone Defense Initiative, Kroenig, East Asia, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Johns University Locations: St, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Washington, Korea, Japan, Taiwan Strait, Washington , DC, Guam, South China, Russia, United States, Bejing, South Korea

☆ Joint Base Andrews: Three freed Americans back on US soil in Maryland after historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Elizabeth Whelan hugs her brother Paul Whelan at Joint Base Andrews following his release from a Russian prison. Alex Brandon/APPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk with family members of the returning Americans to greet them at Joint Base Andrews. Today, their agony is over,” said Biden, who hosted the families of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House. Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva flew roughly 10 hours from Ankara, Turkey, on top of a three hour and 45 minute flight from Moscow to Ankara. This is typical protocol for wrongfully detained Americans who return home.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Harris, Biden, Kurmasheva, “, ”, ” Biden, Feedback Biden, CNN Whelan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, –, Vadim Krasikov, Elizabeth Whelan, Joint Base Andrews, Alex Brandon, Base Andrews, Brittney Griner Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Joint Base Andrews, Street Journal, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Washington Post, Joint Base, Base, AP, White, National Security Council, State Department, Brooke Army Medical Center, Defense Department Locations: American, United States, Russia, Maryland, Moscow, Radio Free Europe, Germany, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Gershkovich, Kara, Ankara, Turkey, San Antonio, PISA

☆ Biden weighs more US defenses for Israel as the region prepares for Iranian retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —President Joe Biden is weighing more US defenses in the Middle East as the US prepares for an Iranian retaliation against Israel that officials say could include an attack on American forces. The statement did not detail what new deployments would occur ahead of an anticipated Iranian attack in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The officials said an Iranian response could occur in the coming days. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that “international partners” have bolstered their forces in the region, though he did not specify which countries. The US is expecting the anticipated Iranian attack may be similar to the barrage of ballistic missiles and drones launched against Israel on April 13, officials said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, Biden, Ismail Haniyeh, Theodore Roosevelt, “ We’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Biden, Joint Base Andrews, Haniyah, ”, Daniel Hagari, Israel’s, Jordan, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Haniyeh Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Pentagon, US Central Command, Navy, USS, Marine, Joint Base, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Defense, Israel Locations: Israel, Tehran, Gulf of Oman, Aden, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, Iran, Beirut, East

☆ US reaches plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The US has reached a plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants, according to the Defense Department. Mohammed, often known as KSM, was captured in Pakistan in 2003 for his alleged involvement in the terror attacks. The US had said it would seek the death penalty for Mohammed. Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi have also reached plea agreements, according to the Pentagon. The men agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for a life sentence instead of a death penalty, according to The New York Times.

Persons: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘ Attash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi Organizations: CNN, Defense Department, Pentagon, The New York Times Locations: Pakistan

☆ Pentagon Data Shows High Suicide Rates Among Troops Exposed to Blasts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Dave Philipps | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Troops whose jobs can expose them repeatedly to blasts have among the highest suicide rates in the armed forces, according to a new report by the Defense Department. The report, released on Wednesday, lists the suicide rates for each military occupational specialty between 2011 and 2022. Explosives ordinance disposal team members, who disable roadside bombs and routinely train and work around very large blasts, had the highest suicide rate — 34.77 deaths per 100,000 people per year — followed by infantry and special operations forces; armor crews; and artillery troops; whose rates are closer to 30 deaths per 100,000.

Organizations: Defense Department

☆ Accused Sept. 11 Plotters Agree to Plead Guilty at Guantánamo Bay
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The man accused of plotting the attacks of Sept. 11 and two of his accomplices have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for a life sentence rather than a death-penalty trial at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, prosecutors said Wednesday. A senior Pentagon official approved the deal for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, according to Defense Department officials with knowledge of the agreement. The men have been in U.S. custody since 2003. But the case had become mired in more than a decade of pretrial proceedings that focused on the question of whether their torture in secret C.I.A. Word of the deal emerged in a letter from war court prosecutors to family members of victims of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Persons: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al, ”, Aaron C Organizations: Pentagon, Defense, “ Locations: Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

☆ Wargames show the US could burn through its ammo in 'as few as 3 to 4 weeks' in a war with China, commission warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA new high-profile report on US national defense acknowledged that the Pentagon could deplete its munitions within "three to four weeks" in a protracted war with China. Some important munitions, such as anti-ship missiles, could last only a few days, the commission warned. As an example, they cited a 2022 report from the Royal United Services Institute about the war in Ukraine. Defense industry 'grossly inadequate' even in peacetimeThe US commission warned that defense production as a whole is in bad shape, saying the wider industry doesn't have the capacity to meet national needs even in peacetime.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Army, Democratic, Center for National American Security, Royal United Services Institute, Defense, Department Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Donbas, Iran, North Korea

☆ Biden administration announces new $1.7 billion lethal aid package for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Biden administration announced on Monday a new lethal aid package for Ukraine totaling about $1.7 billion and largely consisting of missiles and ammunition for missile, artillery and air defense systems the US has previously provided to Ukraine. The administration says this is their 20th “USAI package and sixty-second tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine and since August 2021,” according to the release. The USAI package includes missiles for Ukraine’s National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), a key air defense platform. It also includes ammunition for Ukraine’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a weapons platform that Ukraine has recently been using to strike effectively in Russian territory. The package also includes artillery ammunition, one of Ukraine’s top requests.

Persons: CNN —, Antony Blinken, ”, Biden, ” Blinken Organizations: CNN, Biden, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, Defense Department, The Defense Department, US Department of Defense, Authority, Air Missile Systems, Ukraine’s High Mobility Artillery Locations: Ukraine, United States

☆ Lockheed Martin's new compact hypersonic missile enables America's stealth fighters to engage targets at Mach 5 speeds
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Hypersonic missiles are weapons that are capable of achieving sustained speeds in excess of Mach 5 while maneuvering. It is a true hypersonic weapon that operates and maneuvers in a high-altitude hypersonic regime," Paul Sudlow from Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control previously told Sandboxx News. AdvertisementAdding the Mako missile to America's stealth fightersA render of an F-35 equipped with Mako missiles. Designed in a 'digital engineering ecosystem'A render shows the Mako hypersonic missile in flight. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesOne of the biggest challenges facing the laundry list of hypersonic weapons in active development for the US military is cost.

Persons: —, Lockheed Martin, Mako, Paul Sudlow, Sudlow, Nano Calvo, Northrop Grumman, Rick Loy, Lockheed Martin's, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin, Leon Neal Organizations: Service, Mako, Lockheed, US Air Force, US Navy, Business, Lockheed Martin Missiles, Control, Sandboxx, Air, Sandboxx News, EA, AIM, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Getty, US Air, Northrop, Naval News, Visitors, Defense Department, Congressional Locations: Mako, Lockheed Martin Europe, London

☆ North Korea’s trash balloons fall near South’s presidential office
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The discovery at the presidential office Wednesday came after South Korean authorities warned the public to beware of falling objects as suspected North Korean trash balloons moved south toward the northern area of Gyeonggi province. “While monitoring trash balloons sent by North Korea in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff today, we identified trash that fell in the presidential office area in Yongsan,” the presidential security service said later in a statement. “North Korea’s actions clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens,” JCS said in a statement after an earlier balloon incident. Despite repeated North Korean warnings, the South Korean activists were “not stopping this crude and dirty play” she said. The South Korean Defense Ministry said the US planes will join with South Korean F-15, F-16 and FA-50 fighters in exercises that will end August 8.

Persons: –, Kim Jong, Kim Yo Jong, ” Kim Yo Jong, “, Washington Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, North, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, South Korean, North Korean, Korean Central News Agency, US Marine Corps, Suwon Air Base, South Korean Defense Ministry, US Defense Department, Marine Corps, ” Locations: Seoul, South Korea, South, Gyeonggi province, North Korea, Yongsan, Pyongyang, South Korean, North Korean, North Korea’s, United States, ” North Korea, North

☆ Blinken says Iran’s nuclear weapon breakout time is probably down to 1-2 weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said that Iran’s breakout time – the amount of time needed to produce enough weapons grade material for a nuclear weapon – “is now probably one or two weeks” as Tehran has continued to develop its nuclear program. “Iran, because the nuclear agreement was thrown out, instead of being at least a year away from having the breakout capacity of producing fissile material for a nuclear weapon, is now probably one or two weeks away from doing that,” he said. Blinken said the policy of the US is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that the administration would prefer to stop that from happening through diplomacy. The State Department also said that there is no anticipation that the recent election in Iran will change the country’s behavior. “We have no expectations that this election will lead to a fundamental change in Iran’s direction or its policies,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said earlier this month.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ”, “, Blinken, Biden, Trump, Matthew Miller, it’s, that’s Organizations: CNN, Aspen Security, US Defense Department, US, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, UN, State Department, The State Department, ”, “ Locations: Tehran, Iran, “ Iran, “

☆ Lawyers representing US soldier who crossed into North Korea are in plea negotiations with prosecutors
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the border from South to North Korea last year, is in plea negotiations with military prosecutors, according to King’s attorney. Rosenblatt declined to provide details of the plea agreement which was first reported by Stars & Stripes. A spokesperson for OSTC declined to comment on the possibility of a plea deal but said prosecutors did not object to delaying the Article 32 hearing. The day he crossed the border into North Korea, King was supposed to have boarded a flight back to Texas, but he instead left the airport after US Army escorts left him at the security checkpoint. He then went to Fort Bliss; when he arrived, Rosenblatt said, King was ordered into pre-trial confinement where he has remained since October 18.

Persons: Travis King, King, OSTC, Rosenblatt, ” Rosenblatt, —, Michelle McCaskill, he’d, Bliss Organizations: CNN, Army’s, Military, US Army, Defense, Army Locations: South, North Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, South Korea, Seoul, Texas, San Antonio , Texas, New Mexico

☆ The Chinese Base That Isn’t There
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Agnes Chang | Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Security gate Chinese-funded buildup CAMBODIA Chinese warship CAMBODIA CAMBODIA Dry dock and other repair facilities Before After China insists it is not building a naval base in Cambodia. CHINA Ream, CambodiaThe Chinese Base That Isn’t There New facilities and the months-long presence of Chinese warships show Beijing’s growing global influence. In 2020, something curious happened at Cambodia’s Ream military base, on the Gulf of Thailand. The Chinese military presence near one of the world’s most vital sea lanes raises fundamental questions about Beijing’s ambitions. “The Ream military base is Cambodia’s, not the military base of any country,” Mey Dina, the commander of the base, told The New York Times.

Persons: CHINA, —, ”, Jan, John, “ We’re, Lloyd J, Austin III, ” Mey Dina, Mey Dina, Xi Jinping, dredgers, Ream, Gregory B, Poling, ‘ Ream, Xi, Hun Sen, Mr, Hun Sen’s, Hun Manet Organizations: U.S . Defense Department, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University, Agence France, Navy, Planet Labs, Ream, Pentagon, New York Times, China’s, China’s Djibouti Naval, Basketball, Djibouti ETHIOPIA Perimeter, NAM Ream, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Cambodian, Congressional Research Service, White, AMERICA Ports, SOUTH AMERICA SRI LANKA, China, China ASIA EUROPE CHINA AFRICA Djibouti Ream SRI LANKA, United States Military Academy Locations: CAMBODIA CAMBODIA, China, Cambodia, CHINA Ream, Thailand, Ream, South China, American, Cambodian, U.S, People’s Republic, China’s, Djibouti, Horn of Africa, China’s Djibouti, YEMEN Djibouti, Djibouti ETHIOPIA, THAILAND, Cambodia Malacca, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, Djibouti Ream Africa, ASIA EUROPE, China CHINA AFRICA Djibouti, AUSTRALIA, China ASIA EUROPE CHINA AFRICA Djibouti, United States, Spratlys

☆ Opinion: ‘The big one’ disaster could happen in our lifetime. Can we be ready?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Opinion Jeff Schlegelmilch | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority is active but relatively new in its current form, having been consolidated as a single agency only in 2009. The practice of emergency management has generally originated from the first responder community and the civil defense era, primarily with a focus on consequence management. But as emergency management agencies have been designed, emergency management systems have been shaped by laws and agreements across government bureaucracies and partners in the private and nonprofit sectors with a narrower focus on managing consequences, focused more on logistics than sociology. But disaster management in practice is still fundamentally a numbers game. Strong emergency management agencies are also important.

Persons: CNN —, Jeff Schlegelmilch Jonathan Sury, Paula Bronstein, Jeff Schlegelmilch, George Rose, Enrico Quarantelli, ”, ” Jeff Schlegelmilch, Megadisasters, Ho Organizations: CNN, Emergency Management Authority, Defense Department, Alaska Airlines, Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, United Nations Office, Nations, Twitter Locations: Gaziantep, Turkey, Hatay, America, Syria, Vesuvius, Patong, Phuket, Thailand, Ukraine, Mount St, Helens, Seattle , Washington, United States, Port, Prince, Haiti, Japan

☆ What is China’s ‘monster’ coast guard ship and why is the Philippines spooked by it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“It’s an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard,” Tarriela said during a forum on Saturday, according to a Reuters report. Powell and other analysts say intimidation is one of the main jobs of the CCG-5901, which is larger than any regular coast guard ship in the world (a specialty US Coast Guard icebreaker is bigger) and even outsizes US Navy destroyers. The US Coast Guard, for instance, is part of the US Department of Homeland Security, not the Defense Department, although US Coast Guard vessels can come under US Navy control in certain scenarios. The China Coast Guard is part of the country’s People’s Armed Police, which is under the command of the Central Military Commission. The China Coast Guard “doesn’t want to be outdone thus this monster came along to show who’s got a bigger set of muscles,” Koh said.

Persons: ”, Jay Tarriela, Sabina Shoal, Tarriela, BRP Teresa Magbanua, “, ” Tarriela, “ We’re, we’re, Shoal, wasn’t, Ray Powell, SeaLight, ” Powell, Powell, Arleigh Burke, ‘, ” Carl Schuster, Collin Koh, Teresa Magbanua, who’s, ” Koh Organizations: CNN, Philippine, Philippine Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, United, Coast, National Security, BRP, Stanford University, Coast Guard, US, Guard’s National Security Cutters, Chinese Coast Guard, CNN Coast, US Coast Guard, US Department of Homeland Security, Defense Department, Armed Police, Central Military Commission, Analysts, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Guard, Rajaratnam, of International Studies Locations: China, Philippines, Beijing, Manila, South China, Sabina, Spratly, Philippine, Palawan, The Hague, Singapore

☆ A European rival to HIMARS takes shape
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Europe is building a multiple rocket launcher that resembles America's HIMARS, the ground-fired weapon that took on the precision strike missions that Ukraine's battered air force couldn't. Many, such as France's LRU and Germany's MARS 2, are based on the U.S. M270, a tracked mobile rocket launcher, and its Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets. One HIMARS launcher can carry six GMLRS rockets or one longer-range ATACMS ballistic missile. HIMARS rockets destroyed Russian ammunition depots and headquarters, disrupting logistics and command and control, and spurring Russian forces to move vital facilities deeper behind their lines. Collectively, such trends are prompting some militaries to consider possible alternatives to the US HIMARS system, though certainly that remains a major player in this competition for contracts."

Persons: HIMARS, KNDS, EuroPULS, hasn't, Emely Gonzalez, What's, Elbit, Lockheed Martin, that's, Elbit's PULS, James Black, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Franco, Systems, Israel Defense Forces, High, Artillery, U.S ., US Marine Corps, HIMARS, Lockheed, Munitions, MARS, US Defense Department, RAND, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, HIMARS, Germany, Europe, Netherlands, Denmark, RAND Europe, Forbes

☆ OpenAI's latest reputation problem: hackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Related storiesOpenAI told Business Insider that the company had "identified and fixed" the "underlying security issue" that led to the breach. AdvertisementStill, the hacking prompted concern inside and outside the company that OpenAI's security is too weak, leaving it open to foreign adversaries like China. He described the company's security as "egregiously insufficient" to protect against theft by foreign actors. A month after OpenAI fired Aschenbrenner, two more of the team's top members quit, and the team effectively dissolved.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Leopold Aschenbrenner, Aschenbrenner, Ilya Sustkever, Sam Altman's, Sustkever, Jan Leike, Paul Nakasone Organizations: Service, Business, New York Times, FBI, Employees, NSA, US, Command, Defense Department Locations: China, United States

☆ Japan: US sending dozens of F-15EX, F35 fighter jets in $10 billion modernization
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Japan said basing the new fighter aircraft in the country would enhance US capabilities there. But from 2022, as the twin-engine fighters neared the end of their service life, the US Air Force began pulling them from Kadena. The F-15EX is the Air Force’s newest fighter jet, with the first operational plane delivered to the Oregon Air National Guard in early June. The F-35As that will be stationed at Misawa Air Base are the Air Force’s newest stealth fighters. F-35s deliver “an enhanced capability to survive in the advanced threat environment in which it was designed to operate,” an Air Force fact sheet says.

Persons: Yoshimasa Hayashi, Carlos Barria, 15EX, Peter Layton, ” Layton, Layton, ”, CNN’s Hanako Montgomery Organizations: CNN, Defense Department, Pentagon, Japan Alliance, Misawa Air Base, Kadena Air Base, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, U.S . Air Force, Chinese Communist Party, US Air Force, Boeing, Military, Air Force’s, Oregon Air National Guard, USAF, Air Force, Griffith Asia Institute, Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Locations: Japan, Okinawa, Hiroshima, Honshu, United States, U.S, China, Russia, North Korea, Tokyo, East, North, Pyongyang, Britain, Australia, Nevada, Taiwan, Kadena, Washington

It was a one-time, lump-sum special separation benefit offered to service members when the U.S. had to reduce its active-duty force. Courtesy Vernon ReffittThousands have found themselves in Reffitt’s position due to a little-known law that prohibits veterans from receiving both disability and special separation pay. Under the law, the VA has to recoup special separation benefits from veterans before those eligible can begin receiving disability payments. Army veteran Daphne Young said she would not have taken the separation pay had she known. Under the law, veterans have a chance to pursue a waiver of their recoupment responsibilities for voluntary separation pay, but the standards are high.

Persons: Vernon Reffitt, Reffitt, Stephanie Rennane, Rennane, it’s, Daphne Young, Daphne Young Young, Young, Marquis Barefield, Barefield, Shane Collins, Collins, Ruben Gallego, Gallego, I’ve Organizations: Department of Veterans Affairs, RAND Corporation, NBC News, Army, Young, DAV, American Veterans, Veterans, recoupment, RAND, Marine, Marines, Pentagon, Defense Locations: U.S, Twin City , Georgia, Panama, Honduras, Germany, Columbus , Georgia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Twin Falls , Idaho, United States

Domestically, slot machines are prohibited on military bases, though casinos are frequently located nearby. The VA began treating gambling disorders in the late 1960s, about nine years after Congress banned slot machines from domestic bases. The Department of Defense declined CNBC's request for an interview, but said in a statement there hasn't been any systemwide increases in resources to address problem gambling. "DoD researchers are aware of changes in gambling availability due to new mobile and sports gambling options and will consider these variables in future military gambling research," a department spokesperson said in an email. The military is conducting a new survey, with results expected in the fall, the spokesperson addedThe Department of Defense operates slot machines on military bases abroad.

Persons: Dave Yeager, Yeager, servicemembers, Heather Chapman, It's, Dominick DePhilippis, Chapman, hasn't Organizations: Istock, Army, Defense Department, CNBC, Department of Defense, Office, Lewis, McChord, Department of Veterans Affairs, DoD Locations: South Korea, Washington, U.S

☆ These gay military veterans wonder what Biden’s new pardon means for them
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Ramon Sanchez | Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The pardon won’t automatically change the record of convicted veterans, but it will allow them to apply for a certificate that will help them receive withheld benefits. “Our nation’s service members stand on the frontlines of freedom, and risk their lives in order to defend our country. Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Biden said. A service member’s discharge status can determine what Veterans Affairs benefits they are eligible for. To get their records changed under the pardon, veterans will need to complete an online application, which will go to their military service department.

Persons: Mona McGuire, Karla Lehmann, “, ” McGuire, McGuire, ”, Lehmann, Joe Biden, Biden, ‘ What’s, ’ ” Lehmann, Biden’s, ” Biden, Christie Bhageloe, Bhageloe, Don’t, Ruth Castro, ’ McGuire, “ I’m, I’m, …, ’, I’ve, ” “, America’s Organizations: CNN, US Army, Army, Milwaukee Police Department, Michigan State Police, Armed Forces, Military, Department of Justice, Veterans, Department of Defense, Defense Department, Affairs, Pentagon, Department, 164th Military Police Company, Army Board for, Military Records, Department of Locations: West Germany, Milwaukee, Mineola , Texas, Wisconsin

☆ Peleliu: US Marine Corps rebuilds runway on site of ‘nightmare’ World War II battle
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Marines named the rebuilt landing strip the “Sledge” runway in honor of a veteran of the Peleliu battle, Pfc. The United States must recapitalize islands gained during World War II to form a Second Island Chain of strategic expeditionary points,” Georgulis wrote. For Washington, establishing strong ties to Pacific island states is also seen as a way to keep China from gaining footholds in the region. Along with the runway, US Marines are helping make improvements to the Peleliu Civic Center Museum, to house artifacts from the World War II battle. At an event last month marking the landing of the Marine aircraft on Peleliu, island Gov.

Persons: weren’t, Eugene Sledge, Corbis, Sledge, Grant Georgulis, ” Georgulis, Xi Jinping, Biden, Palauans, Carlos Del Toro, Del Toro, Surangel Whipps, Emais Roberts, ” Organizations: CNN, Marine Corps, Marines, KC, Heritage Command, 1st Marine Regiment, HBO, ” Troops, First Marine Division, Pentagon, “, US Air Force, US Defense Department, Marshall, Xinhua, US Coast Guard, US, Palau, Peleliu Civic Center Museum, Marine, Gov Locations: Peleliu, China, Palau, Okinawa, ”, Beijing, Japan, Philippines, United States, Marianas, Guam, China’s, Yap, Federated States, Micronesia, Pacific, Washington, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Palau’s, Koror, South Korea, Taiwan

☆ Pattern of Brain Damage Is Pervasive in Navy SEALs Who Died by Suicide
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Dave Philipps | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

David Metcalf’s last act in life was an attempt to send a message — that years as a Navy SEAL had left his brain so damaged that he could barely recognize himself. He died by suicide in his garage in North Carolina in 2019, after nearly 20 years in the Navy. But just before he died, he arranged a stack of books about brain injury by his side, and taped a note to the door that read, in part, “Gaps in memory, failing recognition, mood swings, headaches, impulsiveness, fatigue, anxiety, and paranoia were not who I was, but have become who I am. Each is worsening.”Then he shot himself in the heart, preserving his brain to be analyzed by a state-of-the-art Defense Department laboratory in Maryland.

Persons: David Metcalf’s Organizations: Navy SEAL, Navy, Defense Department Locations: North Carolina, Maryland

☆ Huge US military 'Manta Ray' sea drone spotted on Google Earth at California naval base
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A US military uncrewed underwater vehicle can be seen on Google Earth at a naval base in California. The giant "Manta Ray" sea drone completed water testing in early 2024. AdvertisementThe US military's giant "Manta Ray" sea drone has been spotted on Google Earth at a naval base in California. Satellite images show the drone at Naval Base Ventura County in Oxnard, close to Los Angeles. Footage of the drone taken during water testing earlier this year was also recently shared by manufacturer Northrop Grumman on YouTube.

Persons: Ray, Northrop Grumman, — Organizations: Google, Service, Naval Base, YouTube, Defense Department's Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Business Locations: California, Naval Base Ventura County, Oxnard, Los Angeles

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