Inflation Bonus Proposed for Troops
Troops making less than $45,000 would get an “inflation bonus” under an amendment proposed to the $802 billion annual defense policy bill being hammered out by Congress.
Big Boost Proposed for DIU Budget
House lawmakers eye 70% funding boost for Pentagon’s commercial innovation hub, charged with transitioning commercial technology for military use. The unit’s leader, Mike Brown, unexpectedly announced in April he would retire from the position in September, reportedly over concerns about a lack of support for the DIU’s mission.
Kingsley New CO at NAS Patuxent River
CAPT Derrick Kingsley is the new commanding officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Kingsley’s role as Pax River CO follows his previous position as the base executive officer.
Morning Coffee Is Off the Burner
Morning Coffee is off the burner today, June 20, in observance of Juneteenth. We’ll be back Tuesday, June 21.
House Dems: No Inflation Add-On to $762B Defense Budget
A draft FY23 defense budget out of the US House Appropriation’s Committee rejects calls for an inflationary hike from 3% to 5% and sticks with the Biden administration’s $762B budget.
A Mixed Week for Women
The good news is, Google is paying15,500 female employees owed money to achieve equitable pay. Meanwhile, 79% of the CEOs in the top 100 government contracting firms are male. Furthermore, higher levels of “forever chemicals” when found in middle-aged women’s blood increase her risk of hypertension. The “forever chemicals” — PCFs — are associated with large scale fire retardants but are also in kitchenware and cosmetics.
Aircraft ‘Safety Pause’ Ordered by Navy
Three US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft crashes in the past week and a half — two of which were fatal — have led the Navy’s aviation community to undergo a “safety pause.” During the pause Monday, all non-deployed units reviewed risk-management practices and conducted training “on threat and error-management processes.”
New Helicopters Headed to Andrews
Joint Base Andrews, MD, will be the next location to receive the new MH-139 helicopter. The Grey Wolf will replace the aging UH-1N Huey and expand the base’s fleet size.
Autonomous Tanker Crosses Pacific
The 134,000 ton Prism Courage, just became the first autonomous tanker to cross the Pacific Ocean. The liquefied natural gas carrier sailed itself for roughly 12,427 miles.
US to Review Wind Project Off Ocean City
The US Dept. of the Interior will conduct an environmental review of an energy-producing wind project proposed by US Wind about 10 nautical miles offshore of Ocean City, MD, and Sussex County, DE. US Wind submitted the $8.7M winning bid to develop the Maryland lease area in a 2014 lease sale. A 30-day public comment period runs through July 8, 2022, as Interior determines the scope of its environmental review.
