June 16, 2025

Honoring America’s Fallen Heroes at Arlington

Arlington Memorial Day

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff. The 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard, placed American flags at the base of more than 260,000 headstones and more than 7,000 columbarium niche rows at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Thursday, reports Stars and Strips. The tradition has taken place every year since The Old Guard’s establishment as the Army’s official…

MD Lawmakers Slam NASA Budget Cuts

NASA

Maryland lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to reconsider cuts at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center that could slash US space programs in half.

Study Reviews Environmental Impact of Navy’s Offshore Training, Activities

Environmental

The Department of the Navy and US Coast Guard have published information evaluating the environmental impact of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard training and testing activities conducted in the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing study area. The comment period ends Nov. 21.

Pearl Harbor’s Water Still Unsafe

The Navy urged 93,000 residents of Pearl Harbor, HI, to boil water for drinking and cooking as a precaution against bacteria, and also continue to conserve water after a fourth water main break on Monday followed three breaks on Friday of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman system. These same residents faced fuel contamination of their water last year from fuel leaks from JBPHH. The Navy was to begin draining that fuel Monday, but the broken mains prevent that.

Mach 1 Caucus to Advocate for Fighter Jets

Fighter jets have a new ally on Capitol Hill. Four GOP House members, all former military pilots, have formed the Mach 1 Caucus to advocate for policy issues important to the fighter pilot community.

Contractors Unsure of Vaccine Mandate

Vaccine

The new federal vaccine requirement has fueled questions from defense contractors about how the mandate will work and whether they could lose employees as a result.

The Afghanistan War Takes Its Toll

Afghanistan

A Brown University report has put a price tag on the two-decades-long Afghanistan war at $2 trillion, and notes that 240,000 lives have been lost in Operations Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support.

At Pax, a Scaled-Back 245th Celebration

Today marks the US Navy’s 245th birthday. NAS Pax River’s celebration will take place this morning starting at 11:30 am on base with retired CAPT Glen Ives, a former commanding officer at Pax, as the speaker. The pandemic is forcing a scaled-back celebration this year.

US Firms Celebrate: $7.5B Foreign Military Sales

It was a happy Independence Day for American defense companies, with news approval of almost $7.5 billion in potential foreign military sales approved by the State Dept to five different countries announced Monday.