Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

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June 23, 2021

 

Austin, Milley push back on lawmakers' extremism, critical race theory challenges The Pentagon’s top leaders on Wednesday offered full-throated defenses of their handling of extremism and diversity issues amid challenges from House Republicans skeptical of efforts to root out radicals and racists in the military force. READ MORE

Coast Guard commandant skirts accountability questions from lawmakers as reports of sexual assault in the service climb The number of reported incidents of sexual assault increased from 225 in fiscal 2019 to 245 reports in fiscal 2020, according to a Coast Guard report sent to Congress on June 16. READ MORE

National Guard chief says Capitol quick-reaction force better suited for law-enforcement agencies The National Guard’s top commander on Wednesday said a quick-reaction force to respond to threats on Capitol Hill is a concept better suited for law enforcement, as senators consider a security funding bill that would, in part, create a military unit for the job. READ MORE   New bill would make extra pandemic assistance permanent for homeless veterans  Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced the Building Solutions for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness Act of 2021 this week. The committee discussed the measure during a hearing Wednesday.   READ MORE   House introduces bill merging two high-profile measures to combat military sexual assault The new legislation would remove the decision to prosecute serious crimes in the military from the chain of command. Instead, the decision would fall to trained, independent military prosecutors. READ MORE

Russia says warning shots deter UK warship; London denies it Russia said one of its warships in the Black Sea fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs Wednesday to force a British destroyer out of an area near Crimea that Moscow claims as its territorial waters, but Britain denied that account and insisted its ship wasn't fired upon. READ MORE   Merle Smith, first Black graduate of Coast Guard Academy, dies Merle Smith Jr., the first Black cadet to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy, has died, his family said. He was 76. Smith died on June 16 of complications from Parkinson's disease and COVID-19, his wife Lynda Smith said. READ MORE   Missing Fort Benning soldier returned ‘safe and sound’ Before his disappearance, Spc. Jared Ziehm was last seen at Fort Benning outside Columbus, Ga. READ MORE   In Pentagon reversal, Austin backs independent prosecutors for sexual assaults in military In a statement issued Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon would work with Congress to amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice by removing the prosecution of sexual assaults and similar offenses from the military chain of command. READ MORE   Historic alliance: Marriage between US, South Korean army officers is first of its kind While relationships between Americans and Koreans are not uncommon, the couple’s Feb. 20 union became the first of its kind: a marriage between active-duty officers in the U.S. and Korean armies, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. READ MORE   Navy sends warship through Taiwan Strait for sixth time this year A week after China flew a record sortie of 28 fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone, the U.S. Navy sent the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur through the narrow strait dividing Taiwan from mainland China. READ MORE

 

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