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‘We’re not taking a knee’: Training under pandemic conditions could better prepare soldiers for the big fight
A soldier with the Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment enters an armored vehicle at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., on Sept. 20. The 11th ACR serves as an opposing force at the massive installation in the Mojave Desert, testing the skills of rotational units training at NTC. <br>Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes
A soldier with the Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment enters an armored vehicle at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., on Sept. 20. The 11th ACR serves as an opposing force at the massive installation in the Mojave Desert, testing the skills of rotational units training at NTC. <br>Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes

At Fort Irwin, before reopening after missing two rotations, officials had to answer a challenging question: How do you move 5,000 soldiers on and off the installation without spreading the coronavirus between rotational forces and the post’s own population of troops, family members and civilian workers?

Lt. Gen. David W. Allvin.<br>U.S. Air Force
Lt. Gen. David W. Allvin.<br>U.S. Air Force

Senate confirms Lt. Gen. David Allvin as next Air Force vice chief of staff

Lt. Gen. David W. Allvin was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday to be the next vice chief of staff of the Air Force and to receive his fourth star. He replaces Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, who has served as vice chief of staff of the Air Force since July 2016.

Marines salue after raising flags for the first time at the new Camp Blaz on Guam, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.<br>Andrew King/U.S. Marine Corps
Marines salue after raising flags for the first time at the new Camp Blaz on Guam, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.<br>Andrew King/U.S. Marine Corps

Marines activate Camp Blaz on Guam, the Corps’ first new base since 1952

The Marine Corps has activated a new base on Guam for 5,000 members of III Marine Expeditionary Force set to move there over the next five years from Okinawa, Japan.

Mathias Moretti creates a tattoo for the first time at a shop on a U.S. military installation at American Tattoo Society on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Sept. 4, 2020.<br>American Tattoo Society of Nellis
Mathias Moretti creates a tattoo for the first time at a shop on a U.S. military installation at American Tattoo Society on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Sept. 4, 2020.<br>American Tattoo Society of Nellis

Tattoo shop at US military base exchange could be first of a trend

Military Star Cards are accepted at the Nellis Air Force Base Exchange tattoo store, which opened last month.


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Episode four: Unidentified aerial phenomena part two — the engineer's take

In the most recent episode of Military Matters, host Rod Rodriguez explored unidentified aerial phenomena and what the Defense Department knows about them. This week, he finds out from a former aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin's famed Skunk Works about the facts that can be gleaned from those unexplained encounters.

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Maj. Christy Barry speaks Dari with Afghan national army officers at the Counter Insurgency Training Academy on Camp Julien, Afghanistan, April 2010. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, which trained service members to be cultural experts versed in Central Asian languages, ended Sept. 30, 2020.<br>Matthew Chlosta/U.S. Army
Maj. Christy Barry speaks Dari with Afghan national army officers at the Counter Insurgency Training Academy on Camp Julien, Afghanistan, April 2010. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, which trained service members to be cultural experts versed in Central Asian languages, ended Sept. 30, 2020.<br>Matthew Chlosta/U.S. Army

US ends Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands military adviser program

A military program closed after more than a decade of training service members in languages such as Dari, Pashto or Urdu.

The gate to the campus of Ramstein Intermediate School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, was closed on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. School officials announced this week that the school will remain closed until Oct. 14 due to quarantine requirements resulting from five positive coronavirus cases associated with the school. The school was supposed to reopen Monday after closing Sept. 25.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes
The gate to the campus of Ramstein Intermediate School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, was closed on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. School officials announced this week that the school will remain closed until Oct. 14 due to quarantine requirements resulting from five positive coronavirus cases associated with the school. The school was supposed to reopen Monday after closing Sept. 25.<br>Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes

Ramstein school will remain closed after more positive coronavirus tests

Ramstein Intermediate School will stay closed to students until Oct. 14 due to quarantine requirements, officials said after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases at the school rose to five.

A barbershop at the home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo offers haircuts for 970 yen, about $9.20, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.<br>Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes
A barbershop at the home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo offers haircuts for 970 yen, about $9.20, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.<br>Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes

Airmen can now grow their hair longer thanks to dress and personal appearance revision

The service approved the revision to its regulations on Sept. 15, the latest in a series of changes made in effort to “enhance inclusiveness."

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A photo of Vietnam veteran Ron Hepper lies beside his dog tag.<br>Gov. Doug Burgum/Facebook

Returned from Russia: Dog tag of vet wounded in Vietnam make it to widow in ND

Ronald Hepper had kept a set of his dog tags in his boots, and had been in Vietnam just a few months when a blast from a hand grenade blew his boots off his body in June 1969.

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Marines salue after raising flags for the first time at the new Camp Blaz on Guam, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.<br>Andrew King/U.S. Marine Corps

Marines activate Camp Blaz on Guam, the Corps’ first new base since 1952

The Marine Corps has activated a new base on Guam for 5,000 members of III Marine Expeditionary Force set to move there over the next five years from Okinawa, Japan.

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Russian troops march during the Victory Day military parade to celebrate 74 years since the victory in WWII in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2019. <br>Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Russian military strength at a post-Cold War high, report says

The Russian military is more capable than at any time since the end of the Cold War, the result of an effort to produce a more agile force, a new study found.

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Maj. Christy Barry speaks Dari with Afghan national army officers at the Counter Insurgency Training Academy on Camp Julien, Afghanistan, April 2010. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, which trained service members to be cultural experts versed in Central Asian languages, ended Sept. 30, 2020.<br>Matthew Chlosta/U.S. Army

US ends Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands military adviser program

A military program closed after more than a decade of training service members in languages such as Dari, Pashto or Urdu.

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Tunisian Defense Minister Brahim Bartagi, left, welcomes U.S Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in Tunis Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. <br>Hassene Dridi/AP

US defense chief visits North Africa, World War II cemetery

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper met with Tunisia's president Wednesday, kicking off a North African tour amid growing concern about lawlessness in Libya.

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A photo of Vietnam veteran Ron Hepper lies beside his dog tag.<br>Gov. Doug Burgum/Facebook

Returned from Russia: Dog tag of vet wounded in Vietnam make it to widow in ND

Ronald Hepper had kept a set of his dog tags in his boots, and had been in Vietnam just a few months when a blast from a hand grenade blew his boots off his body in June 1969.

See more U.S. news
Marines salue after raising flags for the first time at the new Camp Blaz on Guam, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.<br>Andrew King/U.S. Marine Corps

Marines activate Camp Blaz on Guam, the Corps’ first new base since 1952

The Marine Corps has activated a new base on Guam for 5,000 members of III Marine Expeditionary Force set to move there over the next five years from Okinawa, Japan.

See more Pacific news
Russian troops march during the Victory Day military parade to celebrate 74 years since the victory in WWII in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2019. <br>Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Russian military strength at a post-Cold War high, report says

The Russian military is more capable than at any time since the end of the Cold War, the result of an effort to produce a more agile force, a new study found.

See more Europe news
Maj. Christy Barry speaks Dari with Afghan national army officers at the Counter Insurgency Training Academy on Camp Julien, Afghanistan, April 2010. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, which trained service members to be cultural experts versed in Central Asian languages, ended Sept. 30, 2020.<br>Matthew Chlosta/U.S. Army

US ends Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands military adviser program

A military program closed after more than a decade of training service members in languages such as Dari, Pashto or Urdu.

See more Middle East news
Tunisian Defense Minister Brahim Bartagi, left, welcomes U.S Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in Tunis Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. <br>Hassene Dridi/AP

US defense chief visits North Africa, World War II cemetery

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper met with Tunisia's president Wednesday, kicking off a North African tour amid growing concern about lawlessness in Libya.

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<br>U.S. Army
<br>U.S. Army

Dozens of military families have had to repay VA for GI Bill benefits

Nearly 200 dependents of veterans in the last three years have had to repay GI Bill benefits after the service members failed to complete contract requirements, sometimes unknowingly, leaving them tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

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Sailors of the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force prepare for a new training scenario on their Little Creek simulator.<br>Dave Ress, Daily Press/TNS
Sailors of the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force prepare for a new training scenario on their Little Creek simulator.<br>Dave Ress, Daily Press/TNS

At Little Creek, a new name, an evolving mission for former brown water Navy

Expeditionary force sailors now take their sharp eyes and constantly trained judgment of close-in dangers to the task of protecting Navy ships in tight quarters.

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The Hong Dai, , a Panamanian-flagged ship, sits aground a quarter mile Northwest of Sewell's Point near Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. <br>U.S. Coast Guard
The Hong Dai, , a Panamanian-flagged ship, sits aground a quarter mile Northwest of Sewell's Point near Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. <br>U.S. Coast Guard

738-foot coal ship runs aground near Naval Station Norfolk

There are 22 crew members on the ship. No one was injured and there were no reports of pollution or flooding aboard the ship, according to the Coast Guard.

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Soldiers of the 3643d Brigade Support Battalion and congressional delegates stand for the anticipated arrival of Gov. Chris Sununu and New Hampshire Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities at their deployment ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at the Edward Cross Training Center in Pembroke, N.H. Forty-five soldiers from the unit are deploying in support of the Southwest Border Mission.<br>Charles Johnston/New Hampshire National Guard
Soldiers of the 3643d Brigade Support Battalion and congressional delegates stand for the anticipated arrival of Gov. Chris Sununu and New Hampshire Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities at their deployment ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at the Edward Cross Training Center in Pembroke, N.H. Forty-five soldiers from the unit are deploying in support of the Southwest Border Mission.<br>Charles Johnston/New Hampshire National Guard

New Hampshire Guardsmen deploy to be 'eyes and ears' along southwestern border

Forty-five soldiers from the 3643rd Brigade Support Battalion are deploying for a year in support of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mission along the Southwest border.

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Marine instructors with Drill Instructor School aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island instruct and mentor Drill Instructor School candidates during close-order drill practice on Parris Island, S.C., on April 17, 2019.<br>Dana Beesley/U.S. Marine Corps
Marine instructors with Drill Instructor School aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island instruct and mentor Drill Instructor School candidates during close-order drill practice on Parris Island, S.C., on April 17, 2019.<br>Dana Beesley/U.S. Marine Corps

Too early to predict Marine Corps' future at Parris Island, base leader says

Marine Corps Col. Riccardo Player told South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and other military leaders Thursday it’s “too early” to say whether it’ll shutter its boot camp on Parris Island — news that stunned state and local leaders after a report last month.

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Maintainers from the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and an operator from the 29th Attack Squadron work to recover a MQ-9 Reaper during Exercise Agile Reaper at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., Sept. 12, 2020.<br>Collette Brooks/U.S. Air Force
Maintainers from the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and an operator from the 29th Attack Squadron work to recover a MQ-9 Reaper during Exercise Agile Reaper at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., Sept. 12, 2020.<br>Collette Brooks/U.S. Air Force

Air Force sets up framework to continue purchases of Reaper drones

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the Poway-based maker of Predator/Reaper family of military drones, has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract potentially worth $7.4 billion that aims to speed up the delivery of the unmanned aircraft, if needed.

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Sailors of the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force prepare for a new training scenario on their Little Creek simulator.<br>Dave Ress, Daily Press/TNS
Sailors of the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force prepare for a new training scenario on their Little Creek simulator.<br>Dave Ress, Daily Press/TNS

At Little Creek, a new name, an evolving mission for former brown water Navy

Expeditionary force sailors now take their sharp eyes and constantly trained judgment of close-in dangers to the task of protecting Navy ships in tight quarters.

See more Navy news
The Hong Dai, , a Panamanian-flagged ship, sits aground a quarter mile Northwest of Sewell's Point near Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. <br>U.S. Coast Guard
The Hong Dai, , a Panamanian-flagged ship, sits aground a quarter mile Northwest of Sewell's Point near Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. <br>U.S. Coast Guard

738-foot coal ship runs aground near Naval Station Norfolk

There are 22 crew members on the ship. No one was injured and there were no reports of pollution or flooding aboard the ship, according to the Coast Guard.

See more Coast Guard news
Soldiers of the 3643d Brigade Support Battalion and congressional delegates stand for the anticipated arrival of Gov. Chris Sununu and New Hampshire Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities at their deployment ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at the Edward Cross Training Center in Pembroke, N.H. Forty-five soldiers from the unit are deploying in support of the Southwest Border Mission.<br>Charles Johnston/New Hampshire National Guard
Soldiers of the 3643d Brigade Support Battalion and congressional delegates stand for the anticipated arrival of Gov. Chris Sununu and New Hampshire Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities at their deployment ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at the Edward Cross Training Center in Pembroke, N.H. Forty-five soldiers from the unit are deploying in support of the Southwest Border Mission.<br>Charles Johnston/New Hampshire National Guard

New Hampshire Guardsmen deploy to be 'eyes and ears' along southwestern border

Forty-five soldiers from the 3643rd Brigade Support Battalion are deploying for a year in support of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mission along the Southwest border.

See more Army news
Marine instructors with Drill Instructor School aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island instruct and mentor Drill Instructor School candidates during close-order drill practice on Parris Island, S.C., on April 17, 2019.<br>Dana Beesley/U.S. Marine Corps
Marine instructors with Drill Instructor School aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island instruct and mentor Drill Instructor School candidates during close-order drill practice on Parris Island, S.C., on April 17, 2019.<br>Dana Beesley/U.S. Marine Corps

Too early to predict Marine Corps' future at Parris Island, base leader says

Marine Corps Col. Riccardo Player told South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and other military leaders Thursday it’s “too early” to say whether it’ll shutter its boot camp on Parris Island — news that stunned state and local leaders after a report last month.

See more Marine Corps news
Maintainers from the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and an operator from the 29th Attack Squadron work to recover a MQ-9 Reaper during Exercise Agile Reaper at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., Sept. 12, 2020.<br>Collette Brooks/U.S. Air Force
Maintainers from the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and an operator from the 29th Attack Squadron work to recover a MQ-9 Reaper during Exercise Agile Reaper at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., Sept. 12, 2020.<br>Collette Brooks/U.S. Air Force

Air Force sets up framework to continue purchases of Reaper drones

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the Poway-based maker of Predator/Reaper family of military drones, has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract potentially worth $7.4 billion that aims to speed up the delivery of the unmanned aircraft, if needed.

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Fans will not be allowed to attend Navy's Oct. 10 game against Temple at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Md.<br>Stars and Stripes

Navy football won't allow fans for game against Temple Oct. 10

Athletic director Chet Gladchuk remained hopeful state and county government officials will relax restrictions in time to welcome fans for subsequent home games against Houston (Oct. 24), Tulsa (Nov. 7) and Memphis (Nov. 14).

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Fans will not be allowed to attend Navy's Oct. 10 game against Temple at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Md.<br>Stars and Stripes

Navy football won't allow fans for game against Temple Oct. 10

Athletic director Chet Gladchuk remained hopeful state and county government officials will relax restrictions in time to welcome fans for subsequent home games against Houston (Oct. 24), Tulsa (Nov. 7) and Memphis (Nov. 14).