Report: Panel to recommend killing 20-year retirement

The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission will release its long-awaited report Thursday, which will propose fundamental changes to military benefits including ending the 20-year retirement, according to the Military Times, citing sources familiar with the report.

Lawmakers mull forcing VA to release data

Members of a House subcommittee lashed out at the Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday for withholding information they and budget researchers say is crucial to overseeing the VA’s ailing health care system and said they are considering legislation that will force department to release data.

Service chiefs: Defense spending caps will undercut troop morale

Military chiefs of staff warned the Senate on Wednesday that coming caps on defense spending will break faith with troops and hollow out the nation’s all-volunteer force. The testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee comes days before the White House releases its federal budget proposal and Congress launches into a debate over whether to lift defense spending limits.

Oliver found guilty in AFN murder

Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean Oliver was found guilty of unpremeditated murder Wednesday in the killing of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dmitry Chepusov after two weeks of testimony at a court-martial at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Jordan ready to swap prisoner for pilot held by Islamic State

Jordan's information minister says his government is ready to swap an Iraqi woman held in Jordan for a Jordanian pilot captured in December by extremists from the Islamic State group.

Command Master Chief Petty Officer Jesus Galura

Ship's ex-command master chief pleads guilty to prostitute conspiracy

The former command master chief of the USS Germantown said in court that he oversaw a prostitution research ring operated by four senior chief petty officers aboard the ship.

More Stars and Stripes coverage of sexual assault in the military

Veteran jobs

See more at the Stars and Stripes Veteran Job Center.

Find your 2014 Basic Allowance for Housing rate

Ombudsman

Ernie Gates, Stars and Stripes' ombudsman

Official 2014 military pay tables

Doing this in a Korean taxi could cost you big bucks

Seoul taxi drivers are putting out the word: Don’t drink and yak. Tired of the yucky cleanup and complaints from customers about the stench, drivers associations have banded together and beginning Feb. 1, drivers will ask passengers who vomit in their cabs to pay a city-approved fine of 150,000 won, or approximately $138.
Libyan group loyal to Islamic State claims hotel attack

Militants loyal to the Islamic State group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a deadly and complex attack on a hotel in Libya's capital Tripoli, signaling an expansion of the jihadi group's reach in the chaotic North African state while raising questions about the extent of coordination with leaders in Syria and Iraq.
Military letter to Washington pot shops: Stores off limits to troops

The letter states that shops have 30 days to present evidence to the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board at Joint Base Lewis-McChord that the businesses agree to stop selling the substances to military personnel.
Pentagon unit seeks technology to allow drones to work in unison
On patrol for smugglers, Coast Guard has an air of ‘Master and Commander’
Senate bill: Veterans won't trigger employer health law coverage
Army: Reports of decision to charge Bergdahl with desertion 'patently false'
Pentagon documents: Obama to request big defense budget hike
Retired generals urge Senate to lift defense spending cap
McDonald criticized during hearing on VA bonuses bill

Senate bill: Veterans won't trigger employer health law coverage

A Senate committee voted unanimously Wednesday to exclude veterans from the 50-worker threshold that triggers required coverage for employees under President Barack Obama's health care law.
Guantanamo officer: Limits on female guards puts mission at risk

The commander of a top-secret Guantanamo prison housing unit testified Wednesday that two court orders barring female guards from jobs requiring physical contact with certain Muslim detainees could jeopardize the safety of his operation by limiting his staffing options.
35 years in prison for Saudi airman in Vegas child rape case
Raul Castro: US must return Guantanamo for normal relations
Muhammad's image at Supreme Court shows taboos aren't eternal
Hornet's fast flight over Calif. neighborhood startles residents
Ex-Los Alamos scientist gets 5 years in nuke spy sting
State Dept: Ready to meet with Gowdy on Benghazi

Israeli military says 2 soldiers killed in Hezbollah attack

The Israeli military says two soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah strike on an army convoy near the Lebanese border.
Iran bill would scrap nuclear deal over new sanctions

Iranian lawmakers have proposed a bill that would scrap a landmark 2013 interim nuclear agreement if new sanctions are imposed.
Yemen rebels beat, detain demonstrators in capital
Report: Iran says Washington Post writer to face trial soon

US says it’s ready to press Russia amid renewed Ukraine unrest

Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said the U.S. is “prepared to do more” to press Russia after battles between Ukrainian troops and separatists intensified to the deadliest in almost five months.
Poisoned Russian spy laid blame on Putin from deathbed

Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who died after drinking radioactive tea, blamed President Vladimir Putin for ordering his assassination, according to a lawyer in charge of a British probe into the 2006 killing.
Putin goes all in as Ukraine fights for funding to avert default
Litvinenko inquiry: Post-mortem was most dangerous ever

Germantown command master chief pleads guilty to prostitute procurement conspiracy

The former command master chief of the USS Germantown admitted Wednesday at a court-martial that he oversaw a prostitution research ring operated by four senior chief petty officers aboard the ship.
Helicopter crashes in Vietnam, killing 4 soldiers

An American-built helicopter once used in the Vietnam War crashed Wednesday during a training mission in the Southeast Asian nation, killing all four soldiers aboard, the military said.
Philippines says peace pact collapse would aid terrorists
Japanese journalist Kenji Goto's friends: His voice, but not his words

Germantown command master chief pleads guilty to prostitute procurement conspiracy

Lawmakers mull forcing VA to release data

Oliver found guilty in AFN murder

Lawmakers mull forcing VA to release data

Report: US, Iraq prepare offensive to retake Mosul

Doctor says 'sham peer review' used to destroy his career after pointing out VA problems

Biological evolution must catch up to nuclear threat

Most people can be forgiven for ignoring the threat posed by nuclear weapons. It might seem surprising, but we have been preprogrammed by our own evolutionary history to engage in such ignorance.

Diversity at Sundance Film Festival doesn’t carry over to Hollywood

Home Team

They're aiming at a higher target

Latest Blogs

Archive Photo of the Day

Bob Hope and friends at Wiesbaden, 1948
Archive Photo of the Day

Aaron Tippin, 2008
Pacific Sportsblog

USFJ dependents to play in charity game for Yankees great Jeter

Charity baseball game set for March 21 at Tokyo Dome, proceeds going to in-need children affected by the March 11, 2011, earthquake.
Europe Traveler

Alps craft fair, Jan. 30-31

Aosta, an Italian city nestled in the Alps close to the French and Swiss borders, hosts its traditional crafts market on the same date each year: Jan. 30 and 31.
Pacific Sportsblog

Kanto teams dominate prep rankings

It’s all-Kanto, all the time atop the latest edition of Sports Blog’s high school basketball Top 10s and wrestling Fine Five.
Archive Photo of the Day

Patrol in Bosnia, 1997
Archive Photo of the Day

Valencia, Spain, 1956
Archive Photo of the Day

Shower time in Lebanon, 1958
Archive Photo of the Day

F-15 inspection, 1991
Spouse Calls

Make the days count

Servicemembers compare the passage of days during a deployment to the movie “Groundhog Day,” in which actor Bill Murray is doomed to repeat the same day over and over again. At home, the absence of a pivotal member of the family can make the days feel shapeless, lacking the structure that makes a family schedule tick along. Days come and go, uneventful, stressful and significant alike. We might wish we could bypass a birthday or an anniversary or save it until deployment is done, but we can’t. Those days go by, celebrated or not.
Europe Traveler

Dublin hosts Tradfest Jan. 28-Feb. 1

The TradFest Temple Bar, opening Wednesday, Jan. 28, offers five days of live performances from traditional and folk artists, nu-folk and rock bands.
Europe Traveler

Motorcycle expo in Verona, Jan. 23-25

Many of the lovers flocking to Verona, Italy, this weekend will be those with a passion for the open road as the city hosts its annual Motor Bike Expo.
Archive Photo of the Day

Nguyen Cao Ky, 1966