National & World Headlines
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President Joe Biden’s decision to allow allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate F-16 fighter jets — and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves — seemed like an abrupt change in position but was in fact one that came after months of internal debate and quiet talks with allies. Biden announced during last week’s Group of Seven summit in Japan that the U.S. would join the F-16 coalition. But over the past three months, administration officials shifted toward the view that it was time to provide Ukraine’s pilots with the training and aircraft needed for the country’s long-term security needs. This is according to two officials familiar with the deliberations.
August 25, 2023 -
The U.S. is joining NATO allies in hosting training for Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, beginning at an Arizona Air National Guard base in October. The Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, announced the move Thursday. The training will be part of a U.S. and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its defense against invading Russian forces. Americans caution it's a long-term process to bring pilots up to speed on the complex technology. Ryder tells reporters the F-16 training is about long-term support for Ukraine, and not about the current counteroffensive.
August 24, 2023 -
A CIA officer trainee has been convicted in Virginia of attacking a female colleague with a scarf and kissing her inside a stairwell at the agency’s headquarters in Langley. The unusual case has sparked a legal reckoning within CIA in which two dozen women have come forward in recent months to report sexual misconduct to Congress.
August 24, 2023 The Biden administration has approved a new $500 million arms sale to Taiwan as it ramps up military assistance to the island despite fervent objections from China. The State Department said Wednesday it had signed off on the sale of infrared search tracking systems along with related equipment for advanced F-16 fighter jets. Although the deal is modest in comparison to previous weapons sales, the move is likely to draw fierce criticism from Beijing, which regards self-governing Taiwan as a renegade province and refuses to rule out the use of force to reunify it with the mainland. The announcement came just hours after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen renewed a pledge to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense as she visited a war memorial from the last time Taiwan and China battled.
August 23, 2023-
Bipartisan federal legislation is being introduced that would protect U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets who report a sexual assault from being disciplined for minor collateral misconduct, such as underage drinking. Such a change would put the Connecticut service academy in line with policies at Department of Defense military academies. House members from Connecticut, California, Mississippi and Washington are co-sponsoring the bill. It comes amid recent revelations that the service did not widely disclose a six-year internal investigation it had conducted, known as Operation Fouled Anchor, into dozens of cases of sexual assault and misconduct between 1988 and 2006.
August 22, 2023 -
A new report says female soldiers face rampant sexism, sexual harassment and other gender-related challenges in male dominated Army special operations units. The report on Monday comes eight years after the Pentagon opened all combat jobs to women. U.S. Army Special Operations Command reports a wide range of “overtly sexist” comments from male soldiers, including a broad aversion to females serving in commando units. It says the comments are “not outliers” but represent a common sentiment that females don’t belong on special operations teams. Several recommendations involving increased training to expand awareness of sexual harassment, mentorship, health care and other issues have been completed. Others are in progress.
August 21, 2023 -
Officials say the United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine. The defense ministers of those two NATO countries announced the decision Friday. It is a major gain for Kyiv even though the fighter jets won’t have an impact any time soon on the almost 18-month war. It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict. Denmark says it will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters, which are due to start arriving on Oct. 1. Officials have previously said that Ukrainian pilots will need six to eight months of training on the F-16s.
August 18, 2023 -
A new report says the U.S. military academies must improve their leadership, stop toxic practices such as hazing, and shift behavior training into the classrooms in order to address an alarming spike in sexual assaults and misconduct. The report says the academies must train student leaders better to help their classmates, and upend what has been a disconnect between what the cadets and midshipmen are learning in school and the often negative and unpunished behavior they see by those mentors. The review calls for additional senior officers to work with students and provide expanded training. The report was released Thursday.
August 17, 2023 -
In today's Federal Newscast: The FBI is getting a new leader to take on insider threats. The Defense Department mobilizes resources to help in Hawaii. And the saga of the CIO-SP4 contract continues.
August 16, 2023 -
Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the idea to House Republicans on a members-only call. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the two leaders had spoken about such a temporary measure. It's an acknowledgement the Republican-led House and Democratic Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels. The fiscal year starts Oct. 1, when funding will be needed. The stopgap measure would fund operations into December but McCarthy needs support from Republicans who are loathe to agree as they push for steeper cuts.
August 15, 2023 State Sen. John Scott, a longtime South Carolina lawmaker who served in state government for more than three decades, has died after a stint in the hospital. In a statement released by Senate President Thomas Alexander, Scott’s family says he “passed away peaceably while surrounded by family and close friends.” He was 69. Scott had been at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston since Friday when he was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, according to Senate officials. The Columbia Democrat operated a realty company and had been in the Legislature for more than 30 years. A special election will be held to fill his seat.
August 13, 2023-
Biden asks Congress for $40 billion to support Ukraine, replenish US disaster aid and bolster borderThe Biden administration is asking Congress to provide more than $13 billion in emergency defense aid to Ukraine and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian support through the end of the year.
August 11, 2023 -
President Joe Biden has praised leaders from both parties for unifying behind veterans a year ago, when they joined in passing the largest expansion of veterans benefits in decades. The PACT Act is intended to improve health care and disability compensation for exposure to toxic substances, such as burn pits used to dispose of trash on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 348,000 veterans have had their claims approved in the last year. An additional 111,000 who are believed to have toxic exposure have enrolled in health care. The president and Utah's Republic governor, Spencer Cox, joined in Salt Lake City on Thursday to speak about the act on its anniversary.
August 10, 2023 -
Hundreds of thousands of veterans have received additional benefits in the past year after President Joe Biden signed legislation expanding coverage for conditions connected to burn pits that were used to destroy trash and potentially toxic materials. The first anniversary of the law is Thursday, and Biden will mark the occasion at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Salt Lake City. Administration officials are trying to encourage as many people as possible to sign up by Wednesday, which would allow their benefits to be retroactive to when the law was signed. The agency is also trying to hire more people to handle the influx of claims, which is expected to cause larger backlogs over the coming months.
August 06, 2023 -
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is warning that troop readiness and retention is at risk as the Army’s chief recently stepped down, leaving the military’s two ground combat forces without Senate-confirmed leaders for the first time in history. Austin said Friday that the Senate’s failure to confirm the services’ new leaders is disruptive to the force and could impact relationships with allies and partners around the globe. The confirmation of the next Army chief and Marine commandant are among more than 300 nominations that are stalled by a Republican senator over the Pentagon’s policy to pay for travel when a service member has to go out of state to get reproductive care.
August 04, 2023