The Army and Air Force are on track to meet recruiting goals for the first time in years, although the Navy is lagging. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth credited initiatives that offer physical and academic training to potential recruits who do not meet testing or fitness requirements. The Navy launched a similar program this year.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's recent virtual meeting with Adm. Dong Jun, China's minister of defense, marked the first direct communication between the two countries' defense chiefs in nearly two years. During the call, which followed a conversation between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, Austin emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation, in light of recent aggressive maneuvers by Chinese military forces against US and allied vessels and aircraft.
The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform has released recommendations for updating and improving the Pentagon's budget process. "We can't undersell the difficulty it's going to be to implement the change -- and one could say ... the easy work has actually been done," said John Ferrari of the American Enterprise Institute.
Transferring space-related units in the Air National Guard to the Space Force will have minimal impact on the 1,000 Guard personnel performing space missions in seven states, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told lawmakers. "There's no intention to move anyone," and "people will basically have stability if they transition," Kendall said at an April 16 hearing.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a hearing last week that the agency's proposed $369 billion spending plan will streamline its workforce and reduce construction but keep disability and Veterans' care benefits on the front burner. McDonough also spoke about the impact of recent VA health care enrollment increases under the PACT Act, which he called "the largest expansion of Veterans' benefits in a generation."
Military space leaders from 18 countries, including the UK, Japan and Germany, gathered at the fourth annual Space Chiefs Forum in Colorado Springs, hosted by the US Space Force. The forum highlighted the growing importance of international cooperation in space, focusing on issues like satellite proliferation, space debris, and anti-satellite weaponry, reflecting the increasing role of space in national defense strategies.
Greater Army physical fitness standards are needed to ensure military readiness, writes Army Reserve officer Alex Morrow. "Finding yourself in combat without the requisite resilience -- physical, mental and spiritual - has consequences far beyond failing a fitness test," Morrow writes.
Marines photographed in dress uniform at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate caused a stir on the internet, but the Marine Corps clarified that the event in question was hosted by a nonprofit that aims to raise awareness about military and veteran suicides. "A Marine Corps Reserve unit, 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, supported a nonpolitical event hosted by a civic organization at the Mar-a-Lago Club by providing a color guard and static display," the Corps said in a statement.
Fifty Army Reserve medical professionals -- including nurses, surgeons, dentists and other medics -- will provide a range of healthcare services at six hospitals in the Pacific island territory of Samoa through April 24. The Soifua Manuia Medical Mission will also offer emergency response and casualty training to hospital personnel and first responders.
