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Some National Guard troops in DC now carrying service-issued weapons
Roughly 2,300 Guard troops have been deployed in Washington and seen in low-crime tourist areas.
Pilot program at Fort Hood gives soldiers more dining options
In part, the program allows soldiers to use their meal entitlements for special menu items at Qdoba, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway and Freshens.
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Learn how your military benefits — including health care, retirement pay and more — have changed in 2025.
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Your Army
Army training sites don’t simulate future battlefields: Analysis
The Army’s training sites don’t replicate the terrain troops are most likely to fight on, such as the Baltic states and Taiwan, warns a U.S. Army officer.
Tricare wants your feedback on its website experience
Got an opinion on the Tricare.mil website? Want to help improve it? Now’s your chance to provide feedback.
Hegseth fires Defense Intelligence Agency head, Navy leaders
The ousters have ramped up the Trump administration’s targeting of both military leadership and the intelligence community.
Trump suggests Guard troops will be deployed to Chicago next
The president said he has been pleased with the Guard presence in Washington, D.C., and vowed to "go to another location" after this deployment ends.
In other news
Hegseth signs memo authorizing arming of Guard in DC
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed a memo authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington to carry weapons if their mission requires it.
Back-to-school, military edition: why August is also admin hell
For civilians, August is a return to structure. For service members and veterans facing bureaucratic deadlines, it often feels like drowning in it.
Deployment playlists, then and now: from Walkmans to wireless despair
Music has always been more than a distraction for deployed service members — it's a lifeline. Here's how its method of delivery has changed over time.
By Clay Beyersdorfer
US Air Force vet charged with felony assault with a deli weapon
The DOJ says the incident included shouting verbal insults and tossing a wrapped sub at a Customs and Border Protection officer in D.C.
Nazi-fighting ‘Wolfenstein’ game being developed for TV series
“The story of killing Nazis is evergreen,” said show runner Patrick Somerville in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
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Protecting troops’ benefits in an evolving government | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 8.23.25
The president of the Military Officers Association of America talks about the state of efforts to ensure troops’ and vets’ benefits in a new administration.
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World War II’s last American ace dies at 103
Don McPherson claimed his score in the conflict’s last campaign: Okinawa.
By Jon Guttman
Four soldiers charged with sexual assault in JBLM barracks
Four soldiers are accused of sexually assaulting a single victim in a barracks building at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
By Todd South
DOD civilians await decision on commissary shopping privileges
Contrary to rumors, DOD hasn't made a decision on expanding the discount shopping benefit.
By Karen Jowers
Trump plans to patrol DC with National Guard on Thursday
The president told a radio show host that he hopes to get a first-hand view of the National Guard presence on the streets of the nation's capital.
DC driver trapped, then freed from SUV after crash with Guard vehicle
The crash, in which the civilian driver had to be freed from the SUV by firefighters, is under investigation.
By Carla Babb
VA cancels plans for employee satisfaction survey this year
VA has conducted a poll of federal employees every year since 2006, but won't distrubute one this year amid multiple reforms to the workforce.
Space Force seeks ‘talent scout’ assistance from Washington Nationals
Space Force officials will consult with the MLB team about how to fine-tune the service's scouting as it faces an excess of talent with few jobs to fill.
By Hope Hodge Seck
New Tricare Prime option coming to beneficiaries in 2 metro areas
About 150,000 eligible beneficiaries can enroll for the demonstration program during open season.
By Karen Jowers
Should America’s military plan for a retreat from the Pacific?
In the face of growing Chinese military power, America needs to relearn how to conduct a fighting retreat in the Pacific, a U.S. Army officer warns.
By Michael Peck
She hid an eating disorder and lost her Navy career. It saved her life
Advocates worry the military’s focus on ‘fit, not fat’ is silencing service members who struggle with their body image.
By Noelle Wiehe, The War Horse
Vance, Hegseth visit troops amid growing Guard presence in DC
The vice president and defense secretary met with National Guard troops at Union Station, while protesters booed at the two leaders and chanted “free D.C.”
By Carla Babb
Lawmakers announce legislation to restore office for Afghan relocation
The Enduring Welcome Act would restore a government office — closed last month by the Trump administration — that led Afghan relocation efforts
By Riley Ceder
At Army base, accountability tools may be reducing heat injuries
Direct accountability is preventing heat injuries at Fort Benning from turning debilitating or deadly, the director of the Army Heat Center said.
By Hope Hodge Seck
Crackdown on mail-in ballots won’t focus on military, White House says
The White House won't say if any protections are being considered for overseas military voters but vowed to make sure those ballots are still counted.
Mail-in voting is nothing new, just ask Civil War soldiers
During the Civil War, 19 Union states changed their laws to allow their soldiers to vote absentee.
DOD to offer new medal for personnel deployed to Southern Border
The Mexican Border Defense Medal recognizes service members deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border since Jan. 20, according to a DOD memo.
By Riley Ceder