Senate approves Robert Storch to be Pentagon’s 1st inspector general in 7 years

There will be a full-time independent watchdog at the Defense Department for the first time in years to oversee audits and investigate potential fiscal abuses.

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Texas National Guard parks armored vehicles at border with Mexico to ward off migrants

The Texas Military Department has sent 10 armored personnel carriers — without weapons mounted on them — to sit parked along the state’s border with Mexico as part of the governor’s effort to deter illegal activity in the region.

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Navy base increases security after explosive devices sent to offices in Spain

Naval Station Rota is stepping up security in response to a recent spate of letter bombs sent to government officials and buildings in Spain, including the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, officials said Friday.

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Air Force halts use of troubled myEval performance reporting system

The Air Force admitted recently that its new system for collecting performance reports is broken and directed a return to the old system a week before reports for 44,857 technical sergeants were due.

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Japan says it’s ‘speeding up’ a review of possible defensive weapons purchases

Japan’s Ministry of Defense said this week it’s interested in spending more on defensive weaponry but declined to confirm reports that it may buy 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States.

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China’s bullying of Taiwan could trigger firm US response, veteran diplomat says in Tokyo

Chinese aggression toward Taiwan could spur the United States to be less ambiguous about American support for the island, a former deputy secretary of state told an audience in Tokyo.

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‘Bittersweet’: Air Force begins phased withdrawal of F-15 Eagles from Okinawa

The Air Force plans to replace the two units of F-15 Eagles positioned on Okinawa with rotating units of more advanced, fifth-generation F-22 Raptor stealth fighters for the foreseeable future.

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Air Force pararescuemen honored on Okinawa for saving fisherman swept out to sea

A pair of Air Force pararescuemen were recognized by a local fire chief Thursday for saving a fisherman who had fallen into the sea at Cape Zanpa, an Okinawa tourist attraction known for its lighthouse, towering jagged cliffs and heaving swells.

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American military’s first medical mission to Angola in a decade bears fruit

The exercises are designed to train U.S. soldiers to deploy and practice medicine without the technology and tools they’re accustomed to.

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From mental health care to drone missions: Air Force group in Kuwait aims for solutions

A new group at this remote desert base wants deployed airmen to pitch ideas that the Air Force can fund and develop.

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Navy’s ‘influx’ of aquatic and aerial drones tested in the Middle East

A three-week training event dubbed Digital Horizon, which started last week, features 15 types of unmanned systems, 10 of which are new to the Navy in the region, service officials said.

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