In addition to canceling training and postponing permanent change-of-station moves, the Defense Department’s March 12 stop-movement order threatened to eat up precious vacation time for service members, as canceled leave and restrictions on anything but local travel has grounded many troops.
But as it’s looking more and more like the coronavirus pandemic will be keeping America at home into the summer, DoD has decided to relax its restrictions on accumulating vacation days.
“Leave is vital to the continued health and welfare of our service members and civilian workforce and is key to the secretary of defense’s first priority in responding to COVID-19 ― protecting our service members," Matthew Donovan, the defense under secretary for personnel and readiness, wrote in a Thursday memo.
The new policy, backdated to March 11, allows troops to accumulate more than the standard 60 days of leave ― though no more than 120 ― through September 30. They will have until Sept. 30, 2023 to use up that excess leave, Donovan added.
“Commanders will continue to encourage and to provide members with the opportunity to use their leave in the year in which it is earned,” Donovan wrote.
RELATED
For the first time, more troops recovered from COVID-19 than were diagnosed in the past 24 hours.
The issue of accrued leave can come up multiple times during virtual town halls with senior Pentagon leadership in recent weeks.
“We want to make sure that our service members do not lose that entitlement,” Senior Enlisted Adviser to the Chief Ramon Colon-Lopez, said April 9.
Though the original travel ban was due to expire May 12, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters Tuesday that it will be modified and extended.
“While I understand the impact this has on our troops and their families this is a necessary measure to keep our people safe and our military ready to act,” Esper said.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members. Follow on Twitter @Meghann_MT
The new aid also included ammunition drawn from U.S. stockpiles for American-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
The notable military figures were included among 17 individuals being granted the nation's highest civilian honor.
The changed security environment in Europe will yield increased demand from European allies for integrated missile defenses, early warning systems, air-to-air missiles and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday.
Hershel “Woody” Williams, awarded the nation's highest combat honor in 1945, passed away Wednesday.
The VA currently does not offer the procedure or counseling to patients seeking to get an abortion.
The High-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike Weapon (HiJENKS) uses microwave technology to disable an adversary’s electronic systems.
Some of the highest concentrations of PFAS chemicals in the country have been found at and around military bases.
The scenario involved a Navy amphibious ready group and an embarked Marine expeditionary group poised to conduct an exercise with a partner nation amid storms and a typhoon.
Efforts to recover the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles have begun.
Patience is the key to owning the car of your dreams without breaking the bank.
Russia said it withdrew its forces from the island as a “goodwill gesture.” Ukraine said the Russians fled following a barrage of artillery and missiles.
The jury deadlocked and reached no verdict on charges against a fifth defendant, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Relatives say Lois “Bunny” Drueke spoke to her son Alexander Drueke, one of two Alabama veterans captured earlier this month in Ukraine, via telephone.
Four wives of fighter pilots dish the details you don’t see in the Hollywood films on this episode of The Spouse Angle.
Providing savings to service members is of particular concern right now due to the inflation in food prices.
Load More