North vs. South Over UAVs?: It was bound to happen, given the urgent need for many reserve units around the country to latch onto a new mission—and unmanned aerial vehicles are as close to a flying mission as some may get. The Associated Press news service reports that North Dakota and South Dakota both have their sights set on the Global Hawk UAV and, perhaps, the smaller Predator, as well. North Dakota officials believe they have UAVs all sewn up for Grand Forks Air Force Base, but with the winning ways of South Dakota lawmakers, they may feel the need to keep the pressure on.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.