Wasp and Oak Hill to leave Puerto Rico relief effort

The Pentagon announced Thursday that two Navy ships assisting with hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico will be departing the region.

The amphibious assault ship Wasp and the dock landing ship Oak Hill are slated to depart the still-battered island after the Federal Emergency Management Agency determined “in consultation with the Governor of Puerto Rico, that some defense department assets are no longer needed,” according to a Pentagon release.

Pulling the two ships from the effort comes as roughly three quarters of the U.S. territory remains without power.

The ships have mainly provided helicopter support for the relief effort, according to the release.

“FEMA and DoD have determined there are sufficient land-based helicopters and lift capabilities in the territories to continue helping the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as they recover,” the release states.

Both ships are home-ported in Virginia.

In Other News

30 sailors and Marines injured in at-sea training mishap off Florida

Five of the injured troops were transported to a civilian hospital, with four released the next day, the Navy said.

VA’s Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs to step down in late May

Matthew Quinn, VA's top cemeteries official, will leave the key department leadership post later this month.

Charity founder in homeless vets hoax charged with fraud, stolen valor

A New York charity official who falsely claimed that homeless vets were being evicted in favor of immigrants was charged with fraud and stolen valor.

Congress presses SECNAV for answers on recruiting challenges

One lawmaker called Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro’s answers to recruiting questions “a lot of hot air.”

Lawmakers ask for DOD data on troops’ tuition assistance problems

A group of lawmakers wants to know why military officials stopped releasing information from their Postsecondary Education Complaint System.

Navy pauses T-45C Goshawk fleet operations after ‘engine malfunction’

It's the second fleet-wide stand-down of the Navy's trainer aircraft fleet since 2022.

With promotion still blocked, Air Force officer’s eligibility extended

Col. Ben Jonsson's promotion window was set to expire. The Pentagon just granted the him another year of eligibility.

The Marine officer who saved 8,000 lives at the ‘Frozen Chosin’

'To me, it didn’t matter whether those were Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, whatever — they were the enemy.'

Burn pits increased risk of asthma, heart problems, new DOD data shows

Researchers tracked nearly 460,000 veterans and found increased risk of several respiratory and heart issues among individuals who deployed near burn pits.

What Marines may be learning from Houthi tactics in the Red Sea

To some observers of the Marine Corps’ modernization plans, aspects of the Houthis' operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden sound familiar.

Load More