Tag: military

Hegseth Is Right About DEI: US Military Faces Historic Recruiting Crisis Because of It

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A focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion has damaged the effectiveness of the U.S. military and hurt recruitment numbers. Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee grilled President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday. One exchange in particular highlighted the wrongheaded thinking that infects some in the current U.S. leadership and how it addresses the military’s challenges. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the panel, said in hostile questioning of Hegseth that the military is “more diverse than it has ever been” and…

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The Crumbling Foundation of America’s Military

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This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. I. Supply and Demand Here, in the third decade of the 21st century, the most sought-after ammunition in the U.S. arsenal reaches the vital stage of its manufacture—the process tended by a young woman on a metal platform on the second story of an old factory in rural Iowa, leaning over a giant kettle where tan flakes of trinitrotoluene, better known as the explosive TNT, are stirred slowly into a brown slurry. She…

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Congress looks to require military drone corps, which Army leaders oppose

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The House Armed Services Committee’s draft defense policy bill would require the Army to establish a separate drone branch, but Army leaders continue to push against the idea. A provision in the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the defense bill would require the Army to establish a drone corps as a basic branch of the service. Gen. James Rainey, who leads the Army Futures Command, said it is too early for setting up a separate drone branch. One of the main priorities for the service right now is to…

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Military construction budget prioritizes housing, shipyard infrastructure

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The Defense Department is slated to receive $ 2 billion for family housing, an increase of $ 30 million above the President’s budget request, to start remediating deteriorating conditions of military installations that have been plagued by mold, pests and toxic waste, among other problems.  Congressional leaders rolled out the fiscal 2024 spending “minibus” over the weekend, placing particular emphasis on funding quality-of-life programs, including improving what they have long called “substandard” and “unacceptable” living conditions of military housing facilities.  “This is disgusting, this is unsatisfactory. Would any of you want…

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‘Decade of decline’ for U.S. military tees up likely campaign clash for 2024

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The Army doesn’t have enough soldiers, the Navy’s fleet is half the size it was during the Cold War, and Air Force pilots aren’t getting the flight time needed to maintain their edge. That’s the stark conclusion of the latest ranking of U.S. military strength from the Heritage Foundation think tank, which says a “decade of decline” has left America’s armed forces with a “weak” rating for the second year in a row, despite Congress allocating more than $ 800 billion last year on national defense. The Washington Times stories:…

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