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Graduates of the 129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) Officer Candidate School, Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois, recite the oath of office as newly-commissioned second lieutenants, at the commissioning ceremony Aug. 21 at Crowne Plaza hotel, Springfield, Illinois. Twenty-two Soldiers in the Illinois Army National Guard and one Soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves fulfilled the leadership and military education requirements to be commissioned as U.S. Army officers. Two graduates of the program decided to "hip-pocket" their commissions and seek federal recognition as officers at a later date.

Racial disparity in Army officer promotions has improved since service removed photos from selection process

The disparity between promotion rates of white and non-white Army officers has narrowed in the first two years under a policy to remove photos and data that identify an officer’s race and gender at promotion boards.

RELATED Strong retention success prompts short shutdown of Army bonuses for reenlisting
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A CV-22 Osprey takes part in an elephant walk at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 21, 2020.

Divers have found wreckage, 5 remains from Osprey aircraft that crashed off Japan, US Air Force says

A U.S. soldier holds up a belt of 7.62 mm rounds during an M240B machine gun qualification range at Camp Atterbury, Ind., in 2015. There was a decline in annual global arms revenue in 2022, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Preliminary data suggests an upswing for weapons contractors in 2023.

US defense firms showing signs of bounce-back from 2022 global dip in arms revenue

US warship responds to Houthi-claimed attacks on 3 commercial ships in Red Sea

Electrical fire aboard Navy destroyer hospitalizes 12 sailors in Japan

USS Gerald R. Ford crew gets break at Souda Bay amid extended deployment

more top news

US Navy plane removed from Hawaii bay after it overshot runway; coral damage remains to be seen

Air Force expands review of cancers for service members who worked with nuclear missiles

Protesters demand halt to Osprey flights as divers discover remains, wreckage from crash

South Korean navy tests ship-to-air missile in its territory for first time

Secretary of Defense Austin calls out those who advocate isolationism and ‘an American retreat from responsibility’

Nearly 80 service members suspected of advocating to overthrow US government, DOD investigation finds

China says US Navy ship ‘seriously violated’ its sovereignty

Yokota airmen pay tribute to lost Osprey crew during Operation Christmas Drop

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Army

Graduates of the 129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) Officer Candidate School, Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois, recite the oath of office as newly-commissioned second lieutenants, at the commissioning ceremony Aug. 21 at Crowne Plaza hotel, Springfield, Illinois. Twenty-two Soldiers in the Illinois Army National Guard and one Soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves fulfilled the leadership and military education requirements to be commissioned as U.S. Army officers. Two graduates of the program decided to "hip-pocket" their commissions and seek federal recognition as officers at a later date.

Racial disparity in Army officer promotions has improved since service removed photos from selection process

US, Japan kick off 10-day tabletop exercise that includes Australia for first time

Live-fire training in Makua Valley not needed, Army says

Air Force

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Airman 1st Class Jackson Ligon, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron technician, examines the internals of an intercontinental ballistic missile during a simulated electronic launch Minuteman test Sept. 22, 2020, at a launch facility near Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Mont. The Air Force has determined that cancer data recorded in health records of service members who worked with the nation's nuclear missiles warrants a further review, as part of a massive testing and cleanup effort it launched in response to reports that many who served are now ill. (Tristan Day/U.S. Air Force via AP)

Air Force expands review of cancers for service members who worked with nuclear missiles

Protesters demand halt to Osprey flights as divers discover remains, wreckage from crash

Divers have found wreckage, 5 remains from Osprey aircraft that crashed off Japan, US Air Force says

Navy

Personnel in support of Joint Task Force-Red Hill conduct an annual elevator inspection inside Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility Halawa, Hawaii, on Nov. 27, 2023.

Focus on Red Hill is shifting to future after defueling

Cost to fully modernize 20,000 stateside Navy base buildings pegged at $49 billion

Civilian engineer says she was sexually assaulted on Navy ship, sues service for not protecting her

Space Force

SpaceX's Starship rocket launches from Starbase during its second test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2023.

SpaceX Starship’s second uncrewed launch ends in explosion

SpaceX to attempt another Starship rocket launch after mid-air explosion

SpaceX launch makes it 60 for the Space Coast, this time with record booster flight

Coast Guard

The Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and multiple state and area agencies respond to a fire in Port Newark on the vehicle carrier ship, Grande Costa D’Avorio.

Coast Guard cites lack of training in deadly ship fire. Legislator wants to change that.

Coast Guard rescues NJ boater from disabled sailboat adrift at sea

Coast Guard’s newest cutter Calhoun sails away from Ingalls

Marine Corps

Lance Cpl. Manuel Gomez, 21, a motor vehicle operator at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, was charged with bodily injury Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.

Japanese prosecutors indict US Marine accused of punching elderly woman in face

US Marines join Finnish-led drills in Baltic Sea, with Russia watching

Marine Corps considers liberty changes after uptick in off-base incidents in Japan

theaters

U.S.

Vice Adm. Christopher Grady speaks during the change of command ceremony Thursday March 2, 2018. Grady relinquished command of 6th Fleet and was nominated to become a full admiral in charge of U.S. Fleet Forces.

‘We can do all of that’: Admiral says US can support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan at same time

Man who posed as agent and offered gifts to Secret Service sentenced to nearly 3 years

Pilots flying tourists over national parks face new rules; none are stricter than at Mount Rushmore

Europe

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. European Union leaders gather Thursday for a two day meeting to discuss, among other issues, Ukraine and the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Hungary’s Orban demands Ukraine’s EU membership be taken off the agenda at a bloc summit

British research ship crosses paths with world’s largest iceberg as it drifts out of Antarctica

USS Gerald R. Ford crew gets break at Souda Bay amid extended deployment

Asia-Pacific

The P-8A Poseidon sits on the runway of Marine Corps Air Station Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Dec. 3, after a multidisciplinary team of military and civilian experts carefully raised the aircraft from Kaneohe Bay, Dec. 2. The operation began at 6:30 a.m, Dec. 2. The aircraft was floated adjacent to the runway by 10:18 a.m. And the last portion of the airframe, the nose wheel, lifted out of the water at 7 p.m., Dec. 2. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)

US Navy plane removed from Hawaii bay after it overshot runway; coral damage remains to be seen

Indonesia’s Marapi volcano erupts for the 2nd day as 12 climbers remain missing

‘I don’t remember the rifles being so heavy’: Korea’s army of senior citizens ready for battle

Middle East

231019-N-GF955-1104 RED SEA (Oct. 19, 2023) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, Oct. 19. Carney is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau)

US, allies in talks on naval task force to protect shipping in Red Sea after Houthi attacks

TikTok videos reanimating Hamas’ victims spur deepfake challenge

Dutch lawyers seek a civil court order to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel

Africa

Nigerien soldiers receive a class in countering roadside bombs as part of an exercise with U.S. troops in Diffa, Niger, Feb. 28, 2017. U.S. Africa Command disclosed Thursday that Nigerien and U.S. special operations forces killed 11 Islamic State militants during a firefight in December.

Why the Islamic State is surging in Africa

Death toll from a mining tragedy in South Africa rises to 13 after a worker dies at a hospital

Sudan’s warring sides forcibly recruit civilians, even refugees who return

Americas

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference a day after the consultative referendum on Venezuelan sovereignty over the Essequibo region controlled by neighbouring Guyana, at the CNE headquarters in Caracas on Dec. 4, 2023. More than half of eligible Venezuelan voters had taken part in a referendum that yielded overwhelming support for laying claim to an oil-rich border region administered by neighbour Guyana, officials in Caracas said. The "yes" vote in Sunday's non-binding referendum was 95 percent, according to officials. Venezuela has for decades laid claim to Essequibo, which makes up more than two-thirds of the territory of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens. Litigation is pending before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague over where the borders should lie. (Federico Parra /AFP/Getty Images)

Maduro claims 98% of Venezuelans favored invading Guyana, but many question referendum results

Panama Canal jam sends ships sailing continents out of the way

Secret talks, oil and sanctions: Inside a US-Venezuela breakthrough

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Korea

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Okinawa

Exploring Okinawa: Spectacular spelunking in gorgeous Ginoza caves

Exploring Japan: DOD contractor on Okinawa visits all 47 prefectures

Okinawa's wonderful waters great place to snorkel

Guam

National Wildlife Refuge near Andersen a hidden gem on Guam

Love, fun & shopping at Guam's landmark Two Lovers Point

Thanksgiving Dinner: Roasted turkey, the Guam firehouse cook way!

Veterans

Army Cpl. Gordon D. McCarthy’s remains will be interred on Dec. 14 at the cemetery in Arlington, Va., following graveside services.

Michigan soldier killed in Korean War to be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery

Army Cpl. Gordon D. McCarthy’s remains will be interred on Dec. 14 at the cemetery in Arlington, Va., following graveside services.

Sports

Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton (3) celebrates after a win against Georgia after the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game in Atlanta, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Michigan vs. Alabama, Washington vs. Texas in College Football Playoff; unbeaten Florida State left out

Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected to the College Football Playoff on Sunday, making Florida State the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be excluded from the four-team field.

History

Army Cpl. Gordon D. McCarthy’s remains will be interred on Dec. 14 at the cemetery in Arlington, Va., following graveside services.

Michigan soldier killed in Korean War to be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery

Army Cpl. Gordon D. McCarthy’s remains will be interred on Dec. 14 at the cemetery in Arlington, Va., following graveside services.

Living

Christmas markets and holiday festivals and celebrations abound in Europe this time of year. Shown: A Christmas market in Vienna, Austria.

December events calendar for Europe

Here are many of the major events and celebrations taking place in Europe this month.

Travel

Paying tribute to the original treehouse that Walt Disney and his Imagineers built in 1962 for the movie "Swiss Family Robinson," the Adventureland Treehouse inspired by Walt Disney's Swiss Family Robinson re-opened on Nov. 10, 2023, at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif.

Disneyland just revitalized one of its most underrated attractions

Dinner at Essentia Dimora Rurale, an agriturismo in Molise. The owner, Salvatore Zeoli, guided the evening’s 20 or so diners into his farmland as a way of introducing a meal made entirely of local ingredients, which Washington Post reporter Chico Harlan’s wife described as special because of its unabashed simplicity.

Far off the tourist track, Molise offers the best parts of Italy

Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu in 2017. The Philippines has long been interested in attracting Filipinos in the U.S. to come and add to the economy, but its incentives have mostly drawn retirees or immigrants catching up with relatives. Today, they are honing in on young Filipino American professionals who live on TikTok and Instagram.

The Philippines aims at a younger generation of Filipino American travelers