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November 29, 2021

 

Pentagon report recommends expanded forces in Guam, Australia to challenge China in the Pacific The report, known as the Global Posture Review, is designed to help the military decide where to position forces throughout the world and determine whether it “has the correct number of troops in the correct places,” Pentagon officials have said. READ MORE

US bases in Italy don’t expect COVID-19 policy changes as country tightens controls on unvaccinated U.S. military installations in Italy likely will see little impact from the country’s latest effort to turn up the heat on unvaccinated people, mostly because of earlier Pentagon vaccination mandates for service members and civilians, officials said Monday. READ MORE

Ex-Army civilian sentenced for offering kickbacks on Kuwait base contract An ex-Army civilian employee was sentenced to prison this month for offering a government contractor much more than soup, salad and breadsticks at an Olive Garden in Kuwait in 2015. READ MORE   Japan exempts US military from ban on foreign travelers as new coronavirus variant spreads A new ban on foreign travelers to Japan does not affect the US military population covered by the status of forces agreement, a spokeswoman for US Forces Japan said. READ MORE   Quarantine shortcuts for US military travelers in Japan still an option under entry ban, for now A program that puts US military-affiliated travelers onto flights from Haneda International Airport in Tokyo to Naha, Okinawa, was expanded after it started as a 30-day trial Nov. 12, officials said. READ MORE

Austin denies Oklahoma bid for National Guard exception to vaccine mandate Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday rejected a request by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt that his state's National Guard be exempt from a Pentagon requirement that all military members be vaccinated against COVID-19. READ MORE   Former Pentagon chief Esper sues to publish material in memoir The lawsuit contends that "significant text" in the memoir, scheduled for publication by William Morrow in May, is being improperly held under the guise of classification and that Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper maintains it contains no classified information. READ MORE   What happened to the Afghanistan evacuation? Here’s a look at the progress on getting people out of Afghanistan since the departure of the last US troops on Aug. 30. READ MORE   Threat of Russian invasion of Ukraine tests Biden administration The White House is reviewing options to deter a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine, including providing more military aid to Kyiv and threatening sanctions, to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from escalating the simmering conflict into a full-blown transatlantic crisis. READ MORE   At Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, help for Afghan evacuees starting new lives Liberty Village is roughly the same size as the permanent population of Ocean City, N.J. And three times bigger than Cape May. For practical purposes it’s a town that’s located on a military base, home to 3,377 families. READ MORE   Big plans with a big runway: Historic airport and former Air Force base seeks to transform itself Chennault International Airport has been a Cold War air base, a deserted strip used for drag races and driving lessons, and more recently a site for training flights and plane maintenance, including for Donald Trump's jet. Now there are hopes to turn it into a money-maker, or at least more of one. READ MORE

 

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