Retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, one of America’s most decorated war veterans who died last week at his home in Columbus, Ga., will lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on April 29.

On the 40th anniversary of the Army’s Best Ranger Competition, the team sporting No. 40 took home the top prize Sunday, grabbing the fourth straight victory for the service’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment in the grueling three-day military skills contest.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told House lawmakers on Wednesday that her service is “feeling a lot better” about recruiting this year after missing its goal for new soldiers for two consecutive years.

The Army on Wednesday directed all its aviation units to conduct new training to curb a sharp uptick in aircraft crashes in recent months, service officials said.

As American politicians have repeatedly haggled over federal budgets, the Chinese have built larger, more capable forces with an eye on challenging U.S. power, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall warned senators.

Retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, an Army Ranger who received the Medal of Honor for lifesaving heroics in the Korean War and the Distinguished Service Cross fighting in Vietnam, died Monday. He was 97.

A Texas National Guard soldier, deployed in support of the state’s mission at the border with Mexico, faces human smuggling charges after leading police on a high-speed car chase, state law enforcement officials said.

Col. R.J. Garcia, a West Point alum who has flown Apache helicopters in combat, will be the next commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy.

Lt. Col. Christopher O’Melia was removed from command of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on March 26, said a spokesman for the 1st Marine Division.

The Army has officially fielded its Next Generation Squad Weapon, sending the long-anticipated replacements for the M4 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon to a 101st Airborne Division brigade, the service announced.