DoD Reporter's Notebook

Federal News NetworkSpace Force, Space National Guard, soldier

Space National Guard still up in the air but lawmakers want to move forward

Senators seek to establish National Guard for space missions, correcting what they see as a “mistake” in Space Force’s initial establishment.

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(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lake Fultz) SAN DIEGO (Dec. 28, 2021) Machinist’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class Kayla Matos, from Brooklyn, N.Y., receives a COVID-19 booster shot in the hangar bay aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Though not mandatory, the Navy recommends all Navy personnel receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lake Fultz) 211228-N-DN347-1008

Navy appeals court decision barring punishment for SEALs who refused vaccine

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(Photo courtesy 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade)Ready at a moment's notice. Marines from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade conducted a rapid deployment drill at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 18. The drill is designed to ensure Alert Contingency Marine Air Ground Task Force personnel are able to respond to a crisis swiftly, even in the midst of the COVID pandemic. 

Punishments, and first religious exemptions, for military vaccine refusers

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Amelia Brust/Federal News Networkdefense contract-Section 809-purchasing-military

JAIC thinks AI might solve DoD’s struggles with contract writing systems

The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center wants to see if AI algorithms can navigate the Federal Acquisition Regulation and build an RFP themselves.

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(Getty Images/iStockphoto/MivPiv)Troops in formation.

Appropriators worried about DoD’s ability to fill key technical vacancies

House appropriators want DoD to deliver new information on how it plans to deliver career technical education and recruit and retain personnel into STEM…

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(Photo courtesy of the Air Force)Mountain Home Air Force Base, Air Force, pilot, jet, plane, aircraft, military base

Service members in remote areas missing out on transition benefits

DoD’s Transition Assistance Program aims to prepare service members for life outside the military. But for members whose final duty station is small or rural, the benefits of TAP are fairly limited.

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