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September 20, 2021

 

Discharged LGBTQ veterans now eligible for benefits under new guidance issued by VA LGBTQ veterans who were kicked out of the military under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy of the 1990s and 2000s will now be eligible for government benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday. READ MORE

Pentagon replacing Defense Travel System, says savings and user satisfaction will result The Defense Department soon will begin a three-year rollout of a cloud-based system intended to replace the aging Defense Travel System, which has been beset by costly inefficiency for years. Dubbed MyTravel, the new system will let users book travel and process expense reports online. READ MORE

DODEA teachers union dismayed by use of teleconferencing for contract talks The union representing Department of Defense Education Activity teachers in the Mediterranean region and Bahrain says school officials reneged on an agreement to begin negotiations Monday on a new contract in person, highlighting what they deemed as disrespect for their workforce. READ MORE   Pentagon requested to help move thousands of migrants in Del Rio, Texas, to other processing facilities The Pentagon is reviewing the request to provide contracted air transportation to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on a reimbursable, temporary basis “to help its efforts moving non-U.S. citizen migrants from Del Rio, Texas, to other CBP processing facilities,” chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. READ MORE   Improved maintenance pier at US naval base in Japan is on time, on budget, managers say Located in Truman Bay in the southwestern quadrant of Yokosuka Naval Base, the fixed, single-deck Pier 5 will replace an older version that could no longer support crane operations or ship repairs and was demolished last year. READ MORE

Army planning for robots to identify dangerous animals and bacteria before soldiers enter caves A $14 million Army Corps of Engineers project includes plans for advanced sensors onboard unmanned vehicles that can navigate subterranean conditions. READ MORE   Tokyo coronavirus numbers lowest since June; US military in Japan reports one new case One US military base in Japan reported one new case of COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, since Friday. READ MORE   North Korea slams US over submarine deal, warns countermeasures North Korea has criticized the U.S. decision to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and warned of unspecified countermeasures if it finds the deal affects the North’s security. READ MORE   Islamic State bomb attacks on Taliban raise specter of wider conflict A string of explosions struck Taliban vehicles in Afghanistan's provincial city of Jalalabad over the weekend, killing eight people, among them Taliban fighters. On Monday, three more explosions were heard in the city, an IS stronghold, with unconfirmed reports of additional Taliban casualties. READ MORE   ‘A miracle.’ Neighbors marvel that no one was killed in Texas military plane crash Residents of a Lake Worth neighborhood where a Navy T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft crashed were reeling Monday from what seemed like a highly improbable event — and from the reality that it could have been much worse. READ MORE   AP Interview: UN chief warns China, US to avoid new Cold War U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke ahead of this week's annual United Nations gathering of world leaders — a convening blemished by COVID, climate concerns and contentiousness across the planet. READ MORE

 

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