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Washington Post
National Guard and Reserve Soldiers are having trouble feeding their families due to a year of record deployments. Hunger among Guard members and Reservists is more than double the national rate, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from mid-April through early June. They report more food insecurity than nearly any other group, regardless of household income, education, age or race. Nearly one in five Guard members report sometimes or often not having enough to eat.
U.S. News and World Report
The military's top officer on June 23 volunteered a forceful defense to a congressional panel of the Defense Department's attempts to better understand social injustice within its ranks and American society, moments after facing accusations from conservative members that he called "offensive." An unusually emotional impromptu statement from Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, followed provocative questions from Republican members during a budget hearing, including from Rep. Michael Waltz, who, like Milley, served in the Army as a Special Forces officer, about studies in "white rage" and "critical race theory.”
Task and Purpose
The CEO of a major airline is saying that a pilot shortage might be on the horizon—if it’s not already on its way—and it’s due to the military not producing enough pilots that they can then siphon away to the private sector. While answering a question about the United Aviate Academy, United Airlines’ training program for future pilots, Scott Kirby, the CEO for United suggested that the military was to blame for the limited pool of pilots available to airlines.
Military.com
The U.S. Air Force believes it can sustain and upgrade 92 of its oldest C-130 military transport aircraft even as it aims to downsize the overall Hercules fleet over the next few years, according to top brass. During a Senate Armed Services Airland subcommittee hearing Tuesday, the Air Force reiterated budget plans to reduce its C-130 fleet to 255 aircraft in the near future from about 300 currently.
The Guardian
Britain was unexpectedly embroiled in a diplomatic and military dispute with Russia on June 23 after Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender briefly sailed through territorial waters off the coast of the disputed territory of Crimea. The warship sailed for about an hour in the morning within the 12-mile limit off Cape Fiolent on a direct route between the Ukrainian port of Odesa and Georgia, prompting Russian complaints and a disagreement about whether warning shots were fired.
Breaking Defense
Eager to capitalize on its successful tests of airborne lasers to shoot down drones, Israel has reached out to the US seeking funding. Results of last week’s successful small scale test already have been shared with “relevant” organizations in the US, Israeli sources say. The Israeli Defense Ministry and Elbit Systems performed the first successful test of an airborne laser that intercepted and downed several types of drones over the Mediterranean.
The Drive
The top U.S. military command in the Pacific says that Russian naval vessels passed between 23 and 34 miles of the Hawaiian Islands at one point during their recent exercises in the region, but have now departed the area. This disclosure follows reports over the past 10 days or so that the presence of Russia's warships, as well as its combat aircraft, in the region had prompted the scrambling of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters on at least two separate occasions and the movement on short notice of an entire carrier strike group to the waters off Hawaii.
Defense One
The Pentagon and State Department are developing plans to evacuate Afghans whose work with the United States has placed them in danger of being killed by the Taliban after U.S. and coalition forces complete their withdrawal, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said June 23. “We recognize that there are a significant amount of Afghans that supported the United States, supported the coalition. And that they could be at risk, their safety could be at risk,” Milley said.
Space News
United Launch Alliance will not be using an upgraded upper-stage engine in upcoming Atlas 5 missions as the company investigates the source of vibrations seen during a May 18 flight. The engine issue was identified during the launch of the U.S. Space Force’s SBIRS-5 missile warning satellite, which was successfully deployed. The Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine that powered the Atlas 5’s upper stage had a new nozzle extension that was observed vibrating, or “ringing,” during flight.
FlightGlobal
The US Air Force (USAF) is funding development of a new pulsejet-powered decoy as it continues seeking cheaper and simpler forms of unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and cruise missile propulsion. The USAF Armament Directorate awarded start-up Wave Engine a $1 million contract to build and demonstrate a “Versatile Air-Launched Platform (VALP)”, the company said on June 22
One More Thing
Holler
On a trip to Italy three years ago, Texas-based singer/songwriter Jason Eady sought out the beach where his grandfather had fought in the Battle of Anzio during World War II. The location loomed large in his mind, but in reality it was much smaller than he imagined. That discovery clarified something big for Eady: the luck that goes into being alive. With so little room to fight or seek cover, his grandfather might not have survived – and Eady wouldn’t be here today writing a song about it.
