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Military pay raises, changes to housing allowance included in House-passed $1.15 trillion defense budget
After controversial amendment votes, a House committee advanced a bill early Friday morning that would authorize the largest defense budget in history.
House advances measure to give troops a discount on gas
The proposal would authorize the defense secretary to offer a discount on fuel at military exchanges that's equivalent to the price of the federal gas tax.
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Read up on tips and tricks in Military Times’ 2025 Permanent Change of Station Guide.
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Learn how your military benefits — including health care, retirement pay and more — have changed in 2025.
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US forces board sanctioned tanker in Indian Ocean, Pentagon says
U.S. forces have intercepted multiple commercial and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean in recent months.
Pentagon balks at court order allowing HIV-positive persons to serve
The Pentagon is fighting a court ruling that lifted a ban on potential recruits with controlled HIV from joining the military.
Army identifies soldier who died in training accident in Iraq
U.S. Army Sgt. Devin A. Seibel, 26, died on May 31 at Erbil Air Base. British Lance Corporal James Freeman was also killed in the incident.
DoD should review special needs health care programs to ensure they’re helping military families, watchdog says
The coverage amounts for Tricare ECHO services haven't increased since 2009.
In other news
Draft defense bill would halt cuts, closures of military health facilities
House members are seeking to stop the closure or reductions of services at U.S. military hospitals and clinics.
Sailor reportedly finds dead rat in finished energy drink
The sailor said medical personnel informed him, “with the chemicals that are in Monster, that it should be OK.”
That time the Air Force proposed making a ‘gay bomb’
The Air Force once explored the idea of a chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to one another — striking a blow to morale.
Master Chief actor condemns use of character in White House’s Iran war hype video
“I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately,” Steve Downes wrote in a post on X.
‘War Machine’ review: Finally, a training scenario with aliens
The sci-fi flick raises the premise: What if the final phase of U.S. Army Ranger selection suddenly involved fighting a giant alien robot?
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Game-changing new tech emerges for troops and commands | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 6.2.26
A box that makes drinkable water out of the air and hydrofoil drone tech have emerged at defense shows. Plus, an interview with a top executive at Lockheed.
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FY25 defense budget work to ramp up after security supplemental finish
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of April 30, 2024.
Advocates urge Austin to act on active duty obesity ‘epidemic’
A new letter urges defense leaders to do more to prevent, identify and treat obesity in the ranks.
By Karen Jowers
The Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient died rescuing Marines
When asked if he could go back and extract the overwhelmed Marines from Guadalcanal, the 22-year-old Munro reportedly gave a confident, “Hell, yeah!”
VA expands benefits options for vets with other-than-honorable status
Veterans Affairs officials are updating rules regarding benefits eligibility to include more individuals with other-than-honorable discharges.
Senators unsure about House plan to boost troop pay, housing stipends
House lawmakers are moving ahead with plans to increase junior enlisted pay and military housing stipends, but the idea could face opposition in the Senate
No paper, no plastic: Be ready as commissaries adopt reusable bags
Reusable bags can be more expensive for commissary shoppers up front, but more cost-effective in the long run.
By Karen Jowers
Pentagon disputes report of firefight following Abbey Gate bombing
A new report on the 2021 airport bombing in Afghanistan which killed 13 U.S. troops suggests the assault may have involved more than one attacker.
The man who made Belleau Wood — and the Marine Corps — immortal
Floyd Gibbons made history when his dispatch got past the wartime censor.
Vets advocates push Supreme Court to dump laws punishing homelessness
A case being considered by the Supreme Court could have far-reaching impact on efforts to help homeless veterans.
Special Forces soldiers in NW Florida still awaiting child care center
A decision on whether Special Forces families will get a child development center at Camp "Bull" Simons, Florida, may arrive in the coming weeks.
By Karen Jowers