U.S. Space Force

High Cost of Taiwan Invasion Will Dissuade China, Pentagon Official Says

Taiwanese Marines on Jan. 11, 2023. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense Photo

China will not attempt to invade Taiwan before the end of the decade because it understands the high cost, the senior Pentagon official in charge of Indo-Pacific security said Thursday.

“Deterrence is real; deterrence is strong” today and tomorrow, said Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary for the Indo-Pacific. The United States can likely deter Beijing from attacking the self-governing island 100 miles off the Chinese...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/02/high-cost-of-taiwan-invasion-will-dissuade-china-pentagon-official-says

Pentagon Not Pursuing Separate Reentry Path For Vaccine Separated Service Members

Lance Cpl. Carlos Benitez, assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, receives a COVID-19 booster shot aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) on March 23, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Department of Defense will not issue a separate policy to bring back service members who were separated for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a top Pentagon personnel chief testified to Congress on Tuesday.

Service personnel who were separated for failing to get vaccinated...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/28/pentagon-not-pursuing-separate-reentry-path-for-vaccine-separated-service-members

Pentagon Committee Recommends Private Firearm Restrictions for Service Members, Personnel Policy Reform to Prevent Military Suicides

Sailors assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) look for foreign object debris on the flight deck after a replenishment-at-sea with the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE-8) on Feb. 17, 2023. US Navy Photo

Reforming the military up-and-out personnel system, guaranteeing pay and reimbursements for troops and limiting access of younger service members to firearms top a list of recommendations from an independent group of researchers tasked to help reduce suicides in the...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/24/pentagon-committee-recommends-private-firearm-restrictions-for-service-members-personnel-policy-reform-to-prevent-military-suicides

Carrier USS George H. W. Bush in Eastern Mediterranean in Joint U.S.-Israel Exercise Juniper Oak

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group sails in formation with the Israeli Navy during exercise Juniper Oak 2023-2, Jan. 24, 2023 in the Mediterranean Sea. U.S. Navy Photo

Aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is participating in the Juniper Oak, joint drills between Israel and the United States in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The exercise kicked off on Sunday and will include assets from across the U.S. military branches, U.S. Central Command said in a news release this week.

“This...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/25/carrier-uss-george-h-w-bush-in-eastern-mediterranean-in-joint-u-s-israel-exercise-juniper-oak

Biden Signs FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act

Marine One lands on White House lawn on 2021. White House Photo

President Joe Biden on Friday signed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act into law while both the House and Senate passed the FY 2023 funding bill.

The House and Senate each passed the agreement version of the policy bill earlier this month.

“America’s global leadership is not only measured in our modern military capabilities but in our strength and vitality here at home. With this NDAA, Congress authorizes a 4.6...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/23/biden-signs-fy-2023-national-defense-authorization-act

Navy Used 16-Year-Old Law Made to Boost Army Recruiting to Raise Enlistment Age for Sailors

Recruits with the 64th Annual Recruit Cardinal Division stand at attention during a pass-in-review graduation ceremony inside Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall at Recruit Training Command, Nov. 4, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Navy will now allow men and women up to age 41 to enlist in the service, a new change in policy for which it has the Army to thank.

Under the change, made by Navy Recruiting Command this month, the new maximum age for Navy recruits is 41, as long as the person enlisting can report to...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/09/navy-used-16-year-old-law-made-to-boost-army-recruiting-to-raise-enlistment-age-for-sailors

U.S. and Japan Prepare for Joint Exercise; U.S. Wraps up Drills with Allies in South China Sea

U.S. Marines with Marine Air Control Squadron 4 prepare to off-load ammunition from a KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft during Resolute Dragon 22 on Camp Betsukai, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 8, 2022. U.S. Marine Corps Photo

The United States and Japan are preparing for a large-scale joint exercise in Japan next month, the Japanese government announced today.

Exercise Keen Sword will involve 36,000 personnel, 30 ships and 270 aircraft from the two countries, along with the crews of four ships and three...

https://news.usni.org/2022/10/21/u-s-and-japan-prepare-for-joint-exercise-u-s-wraps-up-drills-with-allies-in-south-china-sea

Navy Plans To Defuel Red Hill By End of 2024, Leak Result of Human Error

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro is shown some of the items highlighted in the third-party assessment of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii on June 13, 2022. U.S. Navy Photo

The Navy will not finish defueling Red Hill until Dec. 31, 2024, at the earliest, according to the Navy’s defueling plan for the Hawaii fuel storage facility.
The defueling plan, as well as the Navy’s investigation into leaks at Red Hill – which led to decontamination of the drinking water used by Hawaii...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/01/navy-plans-to-defuel-red-hill-by-end-of-2024-leak-result-of-human-error

Vet Coalition Aims to Get Veterans, Family Members to Sign Up As Poll Workers

Spc. Grace Hayes, an intelligence analyst assigned to 3rd Infantry Division, reads a Federal Voting Assistance Program brochure at Fort Stewart, Georgia, May 31, 2022. U.S. Army Photo

A veterans-led coalition launched a national campaign Tuesday to recruit 100,000 veterans and military family members to sign up as election poll workers in their communities.

The Vet The Vote coalition’s campaign is intended to help address a “critical” shortage of poll workers across the country ahead of the fall...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/29/vet-coalition-aims-to-get-veterans-family-members-to-sign-up-as-poll-workers

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