Military Times
Eight inspiring teenagers—representing each branch of the armed forces—looked beyond their own difficulties during the pandemic and found ways to offer their unique skills, talents, and passion to help others get through hard times. Whether it was sending boxes of gifts to critically ill children who couldn’t travel to fulfill their Make-A-Wish dreams; flying on volunteer missions to deliver medical supplies to rural areas; bringing healing music to those in need; or helping out home-bound neighborhood parents with child care, they have made a difference.
Military.com
Troops are set to get more money reimbursed for out-of-pocket gasoline costs when they move or transfer to a new duty station beginning in July. The change will mean the mileage rate for permanent change of station, or PCS, travel during the busiest summer months will increase from 18 cents to 22 cents per mile, and the rate for temporary duty, or TDY, travel will jump from about 59 cents to 63 cents for the second half of this year, according to the new rates first announced by the Coast Guard.
Defense One
NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said there is no way to predict when Finland and Sweden will be able to join the alliance, despite initial expectations that the two Nordic nations would be swiftly accepted. “We are working to find a solution as soon as possible, but when … several countries are involved, there’s no way to say exactly when these countries are going to be able to agree,” Stoltenberg said.
Breaking Defense
The Pentagon’s information and artificial intelligence chiefs are crafting a new digital workforce strategy that would recruit from a more diverse pool of candidates and lure them to government work in part by offering training and experience that would be valuable after their government service is up.
Defense News
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a stark reminder that Europe’s NATO members need to spend more wisely—and not simply spend more—in bolstering their collective defense against unwarranted aggression. Kyiv’s success so far in blunting Moscow’s armed forces provides a pointer as to where at least some of the additional investment and focus should go, not least of all in air and counter-air systems as well as what are sometimes termed combat enablers,” writes Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
The Defense Post
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a boost to defense budgets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying France was now on a “war economy” footing. Speaking at Eurosatory, a weapons industry fair, Macron said Europe needed “a much larger defense industry” to avoid relying on suppliers elsewhere for its equipment needs. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, France “has entered into a war economy in which I believe we will find ourselves for a long time.”
Air Force Times
A Maryland Air National Guard unit recently sent a fleet of 10 A-10C Thunderbolt II attack planes to participate in multinational combat exercises in Eastern Europe, one of its largest training delegations there in the past decade. It’s the A-10 enterprise’s latest step toward a greater presence in Europe as it pivots away from decades of combat missions in U.S. Central Command.
The Drive
In the wake of three recent crashes, two of them fatal, a “safety pause” for all non-deployed Navy and Marine aircraft went into effect June 13. “As a result of recent crashes involving U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, Commander, Naval Air Forces has directed all non-deployed Navy aviation units to conduct a safety pause on June 13 in order to review risk-management practices and conduct training on threat and error-management processes,” the Navy said.
Air Force Technology
The Indian Air Force is reportedly planning to procure 114 multirole fighter aircraft, with 96 aircraft to be produced within the country. A report by Asian News International said the remaining 18 of 114 aircraft would be purchased from foreign manufacturers selected under the new project. The fighter jets are being acquired under the Government of India’s ‘Buy Global and Make in India’ initiative, which allows local companies to collaborate with international vendors.
One More Thing
Task & Purpose
Your job might be cool, but is it getting-buzzed-on-the-set-of-Top-Gun-2 cool? Doubtful. Since last month’s debut of "Top Gun: Maverick," the long-awaited "Top Gun" sequel, cast and crew members alike have been taking viewers backstage with behind-the-scenes videos posted on TikTok. One video, in particular, shows the crew filming a Navy F/A-18 flying directly overhead.
