Are Shulkin’s Days at VA Numbered?
Is the Veterans Affairs secretary on his way out? There are conflicting reports. Sources say President Trump is planning to oust David Shulkin amid a rebellion at the agency and damaging government investigations into his alleged spending abuses. Others say the president has confidence in Shulkin “at this point in time.”
Defense Spending Sees Largest Hike in 15 Yrs.
With the finalized $1.3 trillion budget deal at the close of last week, Congress gave the DoD its largest spending increase in 15 years.
Senate Compromise Ends Gov’t. Shutdown
A bipartisan group of negotiators in the Senate prevailed with leadership, trading Democratic support for ending the nearly 60-hour federal government shutdown, for a commitment by Republicans to hold a vote resolving the status of young undocumented immigrants next month.
New Effort to Coordinate DoD Research, Development
The Pentagon is drafting a list of desired technologies as part of a new modernization strategy to coordinate DoD’s research and development, including at US laboratories and government-funded research centers. The goal is to make sure that the military is aligned across the services.
Are Our Nuclear Bombers on 24-Hour Alert?
The Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour alert. “This is yet one more step in ensuring that we’re prepared,” Gen. David Goldfein, AF chief of staff, says.
McCain Leadership Removed for ‘Preventable’ Collision
The fatal collision of the USS John S. McCain was “preventable, the commanding officer exercised poor judgement, and the executive officer exercised poor leadership of the ship’s training program,” according to Navy findings.
For Today’s Eclipse, All Eyes on the Sky
Today, Monday, Aug. 21, Southern Marylanders will be able to see a partial solar eclipse and, at peak, a light shadow of the moon will cover 81 percent of the sun.
‘Space Corps’ Debated as 6th Military Branch
DoD brass questions the wisdom of a Space Corps separate from the Air Force as House and Senate committees consider a 6th military branch among multiple options in the debate of how to address the national defense of space.
Rocket Launch Lights Up the Sky
The 11th try was it! A Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility early last Thursday. Southern Maryland could see color explosions in the sky a few minutes following the 4:25 am launch.
