March 19, 2024

US Set to Train Ukrainian F-16 Pilots

F-16

The Pentagon said that the US will begin training Ukrainian F-16 pilots within the next few months. Following English language training for pilots, F-16 flying training is expected to begin in October at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, AZ, facilitated by the Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing.

MD Won’t Send Guard to Southern Border

Border

A growing list of Republican leaders are sending their state National Guard soldiers or other state law enforcement officers to the US border with Mexico. Gov. Wes Moore (D) said last week that “Maryland’s not doing that. Right now, what Maryland is doing — Maryland is focusing on public safety here. Maryland is focusing on our schools here. Maryland is focusing on the myriad of challenges and the myriad of opportunities that we have here in the state of Maryland … .”

DoD Rescinds COVID Vaccine Mandate

The Pentagon has dropped the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops.

It’s Finally Arrived — Election Day

Voters are casting their ballots in the 2020 presidential election in record numbers — here in Maryland, all across the country, and even in outer space.

Service Members Should Expect Pay Hike in January

Pay Hike

Service members should see a 3% raise starting in January 2020 under the federal budget plan unveiled by the White House in February. The top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee said the worldwide pandemic won’t change the potential national security threats facing the military, and lawmakers need to make sure that defense funding isn’t compromised.

DoD End-of-Year Contracts Awarded

End-of-Year Contracts

These are the end-of-year Department of Defense contracts awarded in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, region from December 23 through December 31, 2019.

Charges Dropped Against Fitzgerald CO

charges dropped

Former Fitzgerald CO Cmdr. Bryce Benson gives an 18-page rebuttal of charges against him regarding the 2017 collision with a merchant vessel that killed seven sailors. The Navy also dropped all criminal charges against Lt. Natalie Combs.

Cyber Summit Planned Sept. 18

New Leadership

Mark your calendar for The Patuxent Partnership’s one-day Cyber Summit on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.

East Coast on Alert As Florence Nears

Florence

The mid-Atlantic region is expecting to be impacted by the approaching Hurricane Florence. Naval Station Norfolk is among the military installation taking precautions. The National Hurricane Center says it is still too early to predict the storm’s exact path.

Navy Eliminates Office Overseeing Warfare UAVs

Triton

The Navy’s Office of Unmanned Warfare Systems has been eliminated, and its functions are being distributed to other offices. OPNAV N99 was set up less than two years ago to oversee the warfare development of UAVs by then-NavSec Ray Mabus.