Area law enforcement agencies arrested two teenagers this weekend in connection with the May 3 theft of a laptop and external hard drive from the home of a now-former Veteran Affairs employee. The affair sparked a nearly two-month hullabaloo for more than 26 million veterans and military members who faced possible identity theft. An informant turned in the computer equipment June 28, and the FBI subsequently decided that no one had compromised the data. Law enforcement officials do not believe the two teens—Jesus Alex Pineda (19) and Christian Brian Montano (19), both of Rockville, Md.—knew what they had in hand, until the situation became front-page news. Officials are looking at a third suspect, a juvenile. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said in a statement, “While these arrests are good news, we were lucky that the data belonging to the veterans was not accessed and misused.” Too right.
Air & Space Forces Magazine traveled the the globe in 2024 to cover the biggest stories involving the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, from Ukraine to the Middle East, from Florida to California. Now, as we head into 2025, here are some of the stories that we'll be keeping…