Stripes

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass discussed her concern for the hardships airmen and others are facing from double taxation efforts on the part of local German tax offices on Dec. 1, 2021, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Bass visited Ramstein this week to thank airmen for their role in helping Afghan refugees who transited through the base en route to the United States and to observe the bases mission firsthand.

Air Force’s enlisted leader says she’ll speak out for US airmen facing tax devastation in Germany

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, after getting bombarded with pleas for help from military community members fighting the German government’s attempts to tax their pay, said Wednesday she will advocate for the affected airmen and their families.

RELATED German tax collectors continue to target US airman after he returns to America
RELATED US Air Force employee handed over couple’s purchase records, leading to $300,000 tax bill from Germans

Starting Dec. 5, 2021, the 2G rule — proof of vaccination or recent recovery — will not be enough to get in restaurants, hotels, bars and indoor athletic facilities in Rheinland-Pfalz. The German state is switching to 2G+, which means you must also provide a negative test result.

Kaiserslautern closing Christmas market as Rheinland-Pfalz tightens COVID restrictions

Spc. Isaiah Nicholas Oneal, 22, left, was discovered dead in Fairbanks on Friday. The body of Sgt. Miles Jordan Tarron, 30, right, was found in Anchorage on Sunday.

Two Alaska-based soldiers found dead in their vehicles over holiday weekend

Blinken: US, allies to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank if Russia moves on Ukraine

Booster shots urgent for US personnel in Italy as new law invalidates earliest vaccinations on health passes

Japan wants US to ground F-16s after pilot dropped fuel tank during emergency

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Souda Bay navy base enacts curfew, booze restrictions for younger sailors

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Thanks, omicron: Japan cancels popular Tokyo-Okinawa flights for returning US military travelers

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Booster shot availability at some US bases in Europe limited despite heavy demand

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Fast Take: Great power competition and readiness

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Army

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Austin says National Guard who refuse vaccine cannot train

Kentucky National Guard members deploying to eastern Africa

Army CID offers $1,000 reward to help identify remains found on Fort Bliss in March

Air Force

Air Force’s enlisted leader says she’ll speak out for US airmen facing tax devastation in Germany

Top adviser to Ellsworth AFB commander removed from post

New Earth observing-satellite beams back first images

Navy

Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on Crete recently announced it would no longer follow local laws allowing people at least 18 years old to drink and buy alcohol, raising the minimum drinking age for all military personnel on the island to 21.

Souda Bay navy base enacts curfew, booze restrictions for younger sailors

Pacific Fleet commander launches probe into Red Hill spills

Five-nation Pacific naval drills send precautionary message to adversaries, admiral says

Space Force

In an interview at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County, Lt. Col. Adam Howland describes his work with the 11,100 Afghan evacuees who are living on the base at "Liberty Village." He served in Afghanistan and speaks Dari, one of the two national languages. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)

At Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, help for Afghan evacuees starting new lives

AFRL selects deputy technology executive officer for Space Science and Technology

Colorado lawmakers push to hold Space Command move until investigations into Alabama choice are complete

Coast Guard

Fifth Coast Guard District focused on navigating wind farms, commercial space flight

Pilot of small plane rescued after crashing into Tampa Bay

Coast Guard searches for man who disappeared after leaving Florida Keys

Marine Corps

Seaman Denisse Estrada-Suarez administers the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to a Marine at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in June. A new medical study found that 23 male service members experienced cases of heart inflammation, a higher rate than expected among the hundreds of thousands who received the coronavirus vaccination. The benefits of the vaccine greatly outweigh the risks, the study concluded.

Majority of vaccine exemption requests denied by Marine Corps as mandate deadline passes

Guard fatally shoots person wielding knife at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego

100th anniversary of San Diego Marine base marks milestone in city history

theaters

U.S.

Adjutant general: ‘No culture of sexual harassment in Wyoming Guard’

Biden HIV/AIDS strategy calls racism 'public health threat'

Outside the Supreme Court and in Mississippi, advocates on both sides of abortion issue listen to arguments

Europe

A new Italian law taking effect Dec. 6, 2021, makes vaccinations older than nine months ineligible for the nation's "green pass." The new rules require U.S. service personnel fully vaccinated in February and March to receive a booster to remain in compliance.

Booster shots urgent for US personnel in Italy as new law invalidates earliest vaccinations on health passes

EU decides against emergency summit on omicron for now

Belarus targets journalists, activists with mass raids

Asia-Pacific

South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook, left, speaks during the 6th South Korea-U.S. Alliance Night as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin watches in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Austin arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for annual security talks expected to bolster the countries' decades-long military alliance in the face of North Korean nuclear threats and mounting challenges from China. (Lim Hwa-young/Yonhap via AP)

US, South Korea to bolster alliance at talks but questions remain

Abe warns China invading Taiwan would be ‘economic suicide’

US, S. Korea to bolster alliance at talks but questions remain

Middle East

Holocaust survivors dance during a Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Holocaust survivors marked the third night of Hanukkah on Tuesday with a menorah-lighting ceremony at Jerusalem's Western Wall that paid tribute to them and the 6 million other Jews who were killed by the Nazis. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Holocaust survivors mark Hanukkah at Jerusalem Western Wall

Iran strikes hard line as talks over nuclear deal resume

Truck rams into tent in Syria camp, killing 3 Iraqi women

Africa

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in front of national flags of China and Republic of Congo during a meeting with visting Congolese dignitaries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 5, 2016. China on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, urged its citizens to leave three provinces in eastern Congo as violence intensifies in the mineral-rich region. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool, File)

China calls on citizens to leave eastern Congo after attacks

Ethiopia says it’s making headway in war against Tigray rebels

Tens of thousands protest in anti-military marches in Sudan

Americas

FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech on U.S. Africa Policy at the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja, Nigeria, Nov. 19, 2021. The Biden administration formally revoked the terrorist designation of Colombia's former FARC guerrilla army on Tuesday, Nov. 30, but newly imposed the designation on commanders and offshoots of the group who have refused to lay down their arms. Blinken said in a statement that FARC, the commonly used Spanish acronym of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, “no longer exists as a unified organization that engages in terrorism or terrorist activity or has the capability or intent to do so.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool, File)

US lifts terror designation for Colombia’s ex-guerrilla army

Canada weighs vehicle origin rules as next US trade flashpoint

Honduran election could oust long-ruling National party

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Japan

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Korea

Starlight Village Photo Land: The lights of Ansan that never go out

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Okinawa

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Guam

Taste of Guam: 6 traditional holiday recipes you’ve got to try

Exploring Guam: Great places to visit on island by car

Exploring Guam: Marbo Cave a picture-perfect place

veterans

Tandova “Tandy” Ecenia, 69, of Tampa holds her farther’s dance trophy Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021 in Tampa. Tandy was recently contacted by a stranger who said they had a trophy that belonged to her father Martin Ecenia. The trophy was for winning a dancing contest held in October of 1941 in Pearl Harbor.

WWII veteran’s lost dance trophy, won in Pearl Harbor 80 years ago, is found

Paul Ecenia survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and earned two Purple Hearts during World War II. But one of his favorite war stories had nothing to do with the war. “He won the World Armed Forces Jitterbug Championship held in Pearl Harbor,” said daughter Tandova Ecenia, 69. “He was so proud.”

10% of VA employees seek exception to the coronavirus vaccine mandate

sports

DODEA-Europe cancels basketball and wrestling in December due to COVID-19 concerns

Marksmanship is only sport that will be held in Europe before 2022 as competitions can be held remotely.

West Point unveiled the special uniforms Army will wear during the 2021 Army-Navy Game, which will be held December 11, 2021.

West Point unveils specialty football uniforms for showdown with archrival Navy

Lee Elder, Army veteran and barrier-breaking golfer, dies at 87

history

Conference tables and microphones are set up in a former Army briefing room in one of 14 buildings Fort Monroe leaders hope to redevelop.

Fort Monroe leaders prepare next stage of redevelopment, including 13 historic buildings

The Fort Monroe Authority, which oversees the state’s property at the fort, is looking to redevelop around 300,000 square feet of building space at four sites. Fort leaders issued a request for development proposals on Nov. 17.