SCHOOL CLOSINGS
Female soldiers in Army special operations face rampant sexism and harassment, military report says
Read full article: Female soldiers in Army special operations face rampant sexism and harassment, military report saysA new report says female soldiers face rampant sexism, sexual harassment and other gender-related challenges in male dominated Army special operations units.
Highly decorated Marine officer nominated to be next commandant
Read full article: Highly decorated Marine officer nominated to be next commandantPresident Joe Biden has nominated a highly decorated Marine officer who's been involved in the transformation of the force to be the next commandant of the Marine Corps.
Late Pentagon chief Ash Carter to be honored at service
Read full article: Late Pentagon chief Ash Carter to be honored at servicePresident Joe Biden and other past and present U.S. officials are honoring the late defense secretary, Ash Carter, who opened the way for women to fight in combat and for transgendered personnel to serve.
Army probes whether troops wrongly targeted in bonus scandal
Read full article: Army probes whether troops wrongly targeted in bonus scandalU.S. officials say Army investigators have launched a broad review of at least 1,900 National Guard and Reserve soldiers who were swept up in a recruiting bonus scandal up to a decade ago.
Where Ukraine's sunflowers once sprouted, fears now grow
Read full article: Where Ukraine's sunflowers once sprouted, fears now growOn a warm spring day in Ukraine 26 years ago, three men smiled for cameras as they planted symbolic sunflower seedlings in freshly tilled earth where Soviet nuclear missiles had once stood ready.
Biden reverses Trump ban on transgender people in military
Read full article: Biden reverses Trump ban on transgender people in militarySecretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens as President Joe Biden speaks before signing an Executive Order reversing the Trump era ban on transgender individuals serving in military, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed an order Monday reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military. And the military set July 1, 2017, as the date when transgender individuals would be allowed to enlist. A few weeks later, Trump caught military leaders by surprise, tweeting that the government wouldn't accept or allow transgender individuals to serve “in any capacity” in the military. But they also acknowledged that some commanders were spending a lot of time with transgender individuals who were working through medical requirements and other transition issues.
Extraordinary warning to Trump by 10 former Pentagon chiefs
Read full article: Extraordinary warning to Trump by 10 former Pentagon chiefsFollowing the Nov. 3 election and subsequent recounts in some states, as well as unsuccessful court challenges, the outcome is clear, they wrote, while not specifying Trump in the article. The former Pentagon chiefs warned against use of the military in any effort to change the outcome. “Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. Biden has complained of efforts by Trump-appointed Pentagon officials to obstruct the transition. In reversing himself, Miller cited “recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials.” He did not elaborate, and the Pentagon did not respond to questions.
Extraordinary warning to Trump by 10 former Pentagon chiefs
Read full article: Extraordinary warning to Trump by 10 former Pentagon chiefsFollowing the Nov. 3 election and subsequent recounts in some states, as well as unsuccessful court challenges, the outcome is clear, they wrote, while not specifying Trump in the article. The former Pentagon chiefs warned against use of the military in any effort to change the outcome. “Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. Biden has complained of efforts by Trump-appointed Pentagon officials to obstruct the transition. In reversing himself, Miller cited “recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials.” He did not elaborate, and the Pentagon did not respond to questions.
Scores of retired military leaders publicly denounce Trump
Read full article: Scores of retired military leaders publicly denounce TrumpWASHINGTON Scores of retired military and defense leaders are denouncing President Donald Trump and accusing him of using the U.S. Armed Forces to undermine the rights of Americans protesting police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. The condemnation Friday came in an op-ed in The Washington Post, signed by 89 former defense officials, and in a letter in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, signed by 55 retired military leaders. The president also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy federal troops to quell the protests. In the letter released by the Biden campaign, leaders including retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, an Air Force chief of staff in the 1990s, call on Trump to stop tarnishing the military by deploying its forces against peaceful protesters. Those of us who have served believe the greatness of our military -- and the greatness of our nation -- depends upon the calls for change in the streets today becoming votes for change in November, the 55 military leaders wrote.