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Oklahoma governor, AG sue Defense Department over vaccine requirement
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt argued that the Biden administration’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, overstepped his constitutional authority by subjecting the National Guard to the mandate, which applies to active-duty military members.
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Pentagon & Congress
‘We just feel it’: Racism plagues US military academies
Some students of color have spotlighted what they see as systemic racism and discrimination at the academies by creating Instagram accounts to relate their personal experiences.
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Senate passes stopgap funding bill, avoiding shutdown
The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
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VA won’t fire employees for refusing the COVID vaccine until after the holidays
The deadline for some VA workers to get vaccinated passed two months ago.
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Army reports the most racist extremism cases, Marines the most anti-government
The services fielded hundreds of reports of extremism in the first nine months of this year.
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Money for Afghan refugees but not military pay boost in latest federal budget plan
The budget plan would avoid a partial government shutdown set for Friday night.
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US defense chief slams China’s drive for hypersonic weapons
How should Washington and its partners contain a Chinese military that is strengthening as it pursues an end of American dominance in Asia?
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US military explosives vanish, emerge in civilian world
Explosives have been found in homes and storage units, inside military barracks and alongside roads, even at a US-Mexico border checkpoint.
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Hundreds of veterans, service personnel send letter to Washington on Afghan allies’ behalf
Hundreds of veterans and service-affiliated personnel have drafted a letter to members of Congress and the Biden administration calling for action in the continued efforts of evacuating and resettling Afghan allies.
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Confidence in military continues to fall after Afghanistan withdrawal: survey
Confidence has dropped sharply this year, but the survey is limited in its ability to say why.
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Trump had positive COVID test before event with Gold Star families: book
Trump's former chief of staff said the president knew of his possible exposure to the virus earlier than what was previously reported.
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VA to resume medical records overhaul in early 2022, with new leadership guiding the work
The program has been on hold since the summer after reports of problems with the inital rollout last year.
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US, SKorea to bolster alliance at talks amid NKorean nuke threats, challenges from China
The U.S.-South Korea alliance “is the linchpin of peace and security in this region,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tweeted after landing.
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Unvaccinated Guardsmen won’t be able to drill or draw federal pay: SECDEF memo
Guardsmen who refuse vaccination will not be able to participate in any drills or federal training, which could jeopardize their ability to stay in the military.
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With defense bill stalled, will lawmakers ‘ping pong’ it home?
With hope of a normal legislative process almost gone, lawmakers are dusting off a nearly decade-old congressional playbook in the hopes of finding a way to get the annual defense authorization bill to the president’s desk before the end of December.
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Biden closes Veterans Month by signing a series of VA reform measures
The four bills all passed Congress with broad bipartisan support.
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Reforms to military justice system endangered by slow pace of defense authorization bill
If the annual defense policy bill doesn't pass, neither will sweeping changes to how military sexual assault cases are handled.
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Four-star to review 2019 Syria strike that killed dozens of civilians
The report into an airstrike that killed 70 is due at the end of March.
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Austin denies Oklahoma bid for exception to vaccine mandate
Austin’s decision was widely expected, since the Pentagon has argued for months that the vaccine is critical to maintaining a ready force that can deploy on a moment’s notice to protect the nation.
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VA has the second-worst COVID vaccination rate among all federal agencies
More than 50,000 VA staffers have yet to get vaccinated against the virus.
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Pentagon’s military presence review done, but details lacking on new deployments, troop plus-ups or home-port shifts
The Defense Department had no announcements to report about the global posture review's results.
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This week in Congress: Shutdown threat looms again
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of Nov. 29, 2021.
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Former Trump Pentagon chief sues to publish material in memoir
The lawsuit was filed Sunday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
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Disabled combat veteran opens pecan business in Georgia
On Oct. 15, Williams, 32, opened a storefront in a converted old home and the Nut House Pecan Company was born.
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Vaccines work, Pentagon says, as surge in troop COVID deaths comes to a halt
After pandemic deaths doubled over late summer and fall, the military hasn't had any in two weeks.
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Pentagon creates new organization to investigate mysterious objects in the sky
The Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, nested in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security, will now lead investigations into mysterious objects in the sky.
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