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Newly minted Marine officer makes Steelers’ 53-man roster
The seventh-round pick and Pittsburgh native Eli Heidenreich was included in the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster Sunday.
Marine One crew failed to reach air traffic control before safety incident, NTSB says
A Marine One crew transporting President Trump failed to reach air traffic controllers before departing Aug. 4 and came too close to a passenger jet.
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Pentagon & Congress
Pentagon still failing to secure health records of top officials, audit finds
The Pentagon is still failing to safeguard the electronic health records of top government officials, the DoD Inspector General found.
Where the Pentagon can’t go, a small nonprofit searches for America’s war dead
One nonprofit is working to help the U.S. military recover its war dead as the Pentagon's budget for that mission shrinks, The War Horse reports.
Defense startup raises $61 million to put AI into a wrist-worn display
A defense startup has raised $61 million to put AI into a wrist-worn display that connects field operators to real-time data.
The military’s ChatGPT is now live via the Pentagon’s GenAI platform
The DoD on Monday launched OpenAI’s ChatGPT Mil on GenAI.mil, making the chatbot available for work involving controlled unclassified information.
In other news
Trial for accused mastermind of 9/11 attacks set for June 2028
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and three co-defendants are slated for a trial before a military tribunal in June 2028.
VIDEOS
Monument in DC honors 41 million service members | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 9.1.26
For the nation’s 250th birthday, USAA erected a monument that displays the name of every service member in the military — ever.
Featured Videos
TSA stops Alabama traveler for Civil War-era cannonballs in luggage
An Alabama traveler was stopped recently by TSA after checking luggage containing five Civil War-era cannonballs. Roll Tide.
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.”
By J.D. Simkins
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.
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MORE STORIES
Marine One crew failed to reach air traffic control before safety incident, NTSB says
A Marine One crew transporting President Trump failed to reach air traffic controllers before departing Aug. 4 and came too close to a passenger jet.
By Reuters
Pentagon upgrades awards for 3 Marines at Abbey Gate attack
The awards come five years after a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members and around 170 civilians at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan.
By Eve Sampson
Pentagon’s NATO review preparing troop options for Hegseth by November 6
A Pentagon review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe will create at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by Nov. 6.
By Phil Stewart, Reuters
Marines fielding new laser sights at School of Infantry
The Marine Corps introduced the Squad Aiming Laser to students at its North Carolina school.
They survived an Iran war drone attack. Six months later, they’re struggling to get care.
The War Horse reports that soldiers wounded in an attack by Iran have faced months of delayed appointments, referrals and battles to receive treatment.
By Leah Rosenbaum, The War Horse
American flags lowered to half-staff at military installations in honor of Dolly Parton
American flags domestically and abroad will be lowered to half-staff until Sept. 1 in honor of country singer Dolly Parton, who passed Tuesday.
Marines overhaul infantry, stress stealth in new ground combat strategy
A new Marine Corps strategy document published Wednesday outlines the service’s vision and planning for the next decade and a half.
By Hope Hodge Seck
Marine Corps brings back flu shot mandate for some troops
Marine Corps troops in select roles must get flu shots this year as the service follows a revised Defense Department vaccination policy.
Marines, corpsmen ‘ran toward’ Twentynine Palms home rocked by explosion
On Aug. 21, an explosion rocked a house in Twentynine Palms, California. Local Marines and Navy corpsmen "quickly ran toward it."
By Brooke Griswold
USS Abraham Lincoln to dock in Thailand next week, Thai official says
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to dock in Thailand next week, according to a Thai official.
By Reuters
Marines, Navy mandate yearly gas mask training to ‘reinforce grooming compliance’
The Marine Corps and Navy are mandating annual gas mask fit training, with the move intended in part to “reinforce grooming compliance,” the services said.
Some military barracks ‘chronically neglected’ due to $285 billion in maintenance backlogs, GAO finds
A GAO report found that the department underperforms in funding maintenance needs as recommended by its Facilities Sustainment Model.
Marine Corps may charter more commercial vessels amid experimentation efforts
The charter agreement, the Corps' second since 2021, allows the service to experiment without having to invest heavily in in-house shipbuilding.
By Hope Hodge Seck
He earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam. Why did it take decades to receive it?
A June Medal of Honor ceremony concluded a 20-year struggle that profoundly shaped the latter decades of retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr.'s life.
By Ethan Rocke, The War Horse
Hundreds of US military family members trapped at camp facing closure, group says
Family members of U.S. troops and veterans are stranded at a camp in Qatar that the U.S. is planning to close Sept. 30, an aid organization said.
By Hope Hodge Seck
Pentagon needs more resources to meet requirements for assessing blast exposure, GAO finds
The Pentagon needs more resources to meet new requirements for assessing the effects of blast exposure, a government watchdog found.
By Patricia Kime