U.S. Department of Defense Archives

Veteran: DOD Withholds Documents on Whether DEI Hiring Improves National Security

August 30, 2024 The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Defense is under scrutiny for refusing to release records about exactly how spending on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion helps with national security.

The Center to Advance Security in America in May filed with the DOD a Freedom of Information Act Request, the legal pathway to obtain government documents. The FOIA sought to find out what DOD officials estimate is the real impact on national security of DEI spending, for which Congress approved $86.5 million in fiscal year 2023.

Diabolical 9/11 Plotter with Plea Deal from Pentagon Planned Even More Carnage for United States

August 3, 2024 Just the News

As the passage of 23 years fades the nation’s memory, the terrorist who has now received a plea deal from the Biden administration was a diabolical plotter who planned even more insidious carnage than what the terrorists achieved in the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday that it had reached a plea deal with notorious 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two of his accomplices after more than 16 years after they were first prosecuted.

Virginia Lawmakers Urge Department of Defense to Send ‘American-Made’ Drones to Ukraine

May 14, 2024 The Center Square

Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans (composite image)

A group of lawmakers, including two Virginia congressmen, are calling on the U.S. Department of Defense to send more “American-made” drones to be deployed on the Ukrainian battlefield.

In a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Virginia Republican Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans along with nine other lawmakers say “most drones being used in Ukraine’s fight” against Russia are being made by a “single Chinese company.”

Commentary: Virginia’s Veterans Deserve Better

January 31, 2024January 30, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Ranger Buddy, Wing Man, Swim Partner.

The Armed Services drills individuals from day one that you are part of a team. The military member is not alone. The chain of command has your back. But this doctrine, while well-known to those who have served in the military, may soon change depending on the outcome of an ongoing legislative debate in Richmond.

Virginia Lawmakers Urge Department of Defense to Address Chinese Seabed Mining

December 12, 2023December 11, 2023 The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Defense is being urged by members of Congress to develop a national security plan to address China’s interest and investments in seabed mining.

Virginia U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, led over two dozen legislators including fellow Rep. Jen Kiggans in sounding the alarm on China’s involvement in mining critical resources, such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese and zinc from the seabed.

Pentagon Makes Plans for Nuclear Gravity Bomb with Bigger Bang

November 13, 2023 The Center Square

The Pentagon wants to build a bigger nuclear gravity bomb to provide the military with “more flexibility” in the nation’s nuclear stockpile.

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced plans to pursue a modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, designated the B61-13. The move will require Congressional authorization and appropriation.

Report: Government Needs to Determine If Troops-to-Teachers Program Works

August 7, 2023 The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Defense needs to figure out if its Troops-to-Teachers program is meeting its goal to reduce teacher shortages in high-need schools and key subjects such as math, science and special education.

A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that it is unclear if the Troops-to-Teachers program is meeting its goals because the Department of Defense lost access to participant data when it canceled the program in 2020, has not used the data from annual performance reports and has not worked with the Department of Education on the program as required.

New Bill Would Ban U.S. Department of Defense from Funding Adult Cabaret, Drag Shows

May 12, 2023May 11, 2023 The Center Square

A Republican lawmaker wants to prohibit the U.S. Department of Defense from using taxpayer funds for drag queen shows and other adult cabaret performances.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced legislation to stop the department from using taxpayer funds or taxpayer-funded facilities to host such performances. The bill comes after the U.S. Navy said it had one of its sailors, a drag performer and social media influencer, serve as a Digital Ambassador for military recruitment.

Chinese Companies with Links to CCP Buying American Private Schools with ROTC Programs, Florida U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz Warns

February 6, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are purchasing private schools with junior ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] programs and military academies in the United States, warns Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL).

Military Subsidizes Service Members’ Grocery Bills amid Higher Prices

September 26, 2022September 25, 2022 Admin

The U.S. Department of Defense is taking new measures to help U.S. service members deal with rising costs as inflation continues to put the pressure on Americans.

Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder laid out a series of changes from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to help families deal with the recent rise in costs, particularly in food, housing and childcare.

NASA Commissions UFO Study

June 14, 2022June 13, 2022 Admin

NASA on Thursday announced plans to create a scientific study starting this Fall to investigate “unidentified aerial phenomena,” also known as UFOs.

The space agency stressed in a press release that there is no evidence showing that the aircraft are of extra-terrestrial origins.

Fort Bliss in Texas Becomes Ground Zero for Resettling Afghan Refugees During Chaotic Exit

August 20, 2021August 19, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, is best known as home to the Army’s tank division, the revered Old Ironsides military insignia and the country’s largest military-controlled airspace. But the Biden administration’s botched exit from Afghanistan is turning the vast installation into ground zero for the evacuation of Afghans who spent two decades helping the United States fight the war against terror.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn says the fort is preparing to receive 10,000 Afghan refugees, and military officials have hinted that number could reach much higher.

It’s the second major wave of civilian guests to be hosted at the fort, which began this spring helping the Homeland Security and Health and Human Services Departments to house thousands of unaccompanied minor children who were brought across the border.

Poll Shows Republican Jim Hagedorn With 14-Point Lead Over Democrat Dan Feehan in First Congressional District

September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

A new poll shows that Republican Jim Hagedorn leads his Democratic opponent Dan Feehan by 14 points in the race for Minnesota’s First Congressional District. The poll, conducted by Harper Polling for the Hagedorn campaign, suggests that 47 percent of likely voters favor the Republican, while 33 percent said they…