Military & Veterans News

Military & Veterans News DoD Announces Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Program for Contractors Today, the Department of Defense publishes for a 60-day comment period a proposed rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.

Military & Veterans News DOD Awards $161 Million to Universities to Purchase Equipment Supporting Defense-Relevant Research The Department of Defense today announced awards totaling $161 million to 281 university researchers under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program. The grants will support the purchase of major equipment to augment current and develop new research capabilities relevant to the Department at 120 institutions across 39 states in fiscal year 2024.  

Military & Veterans News Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Announces Publication of Data, Analytics, and AI Adoption Strategy Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the release of the 2023 DOD Data, Analytics, and AI Adoption Strategy. The document was developed by the Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO) and unifies previous strategic guidance to scale advanced capabilities across the enterprise. The announcement was made today during a press event hosted by Deputy Secretary Hicks on 'The State of AI in the Department of Defense.'

Military & Veterans News 2023 NFL Season, College Football, and More on AFN The Defense Media Activity (DMA) and the American Forces Network (AFN) invites its overseas audiences to enjoy the National Football League's 2023 football season.  AFN will provide live game coverage through the playoffs and Super Bowl LVIII. 

Military & Veterans News New Benefit Gives Military Families More Flexibility in Paying for Dependent Care In coordination with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has expanded eligibility for a benefit that will provide military families with another financial option for reducing the burden of the cost of dependent care, ultimately bolstering military readiness. The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) initiative provides accounts that allow eligible service members to set aside up to $5,000 per household in pre-tax earnings for qualified dependent care expenses.

Military & Veterans News New Defense Department Policy Standardizes Exceptional Family Member Program Across the Services The Defense Department has enacted changes to ensure consistency across the service branches for military families with special needs. Previously each service set its own processes and guidelines because there wasn't standard policy guidance from the department.

Military & Veterans News DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office Hosts Sixth Global Information Dominance Experiment The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), in partnership with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, launched its second Global Information Dominance Experiment, known as GIDE. The sixth iteration of GIDE began Jun. 5 and will conclude Jul. 26. The experimentation team is comprised of U.S. military and civilian personnel from all service branches and multiple combatant commands.

Military & Veterans News Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on President Biden's Nomination of a New Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff I enthusiastically support President Biden’s decision to nominate Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., as the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Brown is an outstanding joint warfighter and a thoughtful, strategic leader who will bring his trademark skill, talent and judgment to this critical role, if confirmed. 

Military & Veterans News DOD Updates Overseas Cost-of-Living Allowance Adjustment Process The Overseas Cost-of-Living Allowance (OCOLA) is an allowance that ensures our Service members who are assigned to a permanent duty station outside the contiguous U.S. (OCONUS) (i.e., foreign countries, U.S. territories, Alaska, and Hawaii) maintain the same level of purchasing power as Service members stationed in CONUS locations — not less purchasing power, but not more either. 

Military & Veterans News DOD Produces Climate Assessment Tool, Strengthens Climate Cooperation With Six Allies Two years ago at the Climate Leaders Summit led by President Joseph R Biden Jr., Honorable Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III committed to produce tailored versions of the DOD Climate Assessment Tool (DCAT) for six allies: Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom. 

Military & Veterans News Month of the Military Child 2023 – Taking Care of Our Military Children The Defense Department is observing April as Month of the Military Child and will highlight programs, resources and services available to support the overall well-being of military children, youth and teens.

Military & Veterans News DOD Announces Six New Measures to Enhance Well-Being of Military Force and Their Families Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III unveiled a comprehensive plan aimed at improving the lives of our dedicated military force and their families. The new plan consists of six additional actions that address essential needs in education, childcare, parental leave, and career advancement. The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to working with Congress and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of these measures.

Military & Veterans News Marine Corps Announces Moves to Modernize Logistics The Marine Corps released Installations and Logistics 2030 on February 23, 2023.

Military & Veterans News DoD Releases Policies to Ensure Access to Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care On October 20, 2022, the Secretary of Defense released a memorandum, “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care,” directing the Department to take a series of actions to ensure Service members and their families are able to access non-covered reproductive health care.

Military & Veterans News DoD Announces 61st Annual United States Senate Youth Program Military Mentors The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced the 17 U.S. military officers selected to serve as Armed Forces ambassadors in support of the 61st Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Washington Week, which returns to in person in Washington, D.C., March 4-11.

Military & Veterans News Senate Calls on Defense Department to Swiftly Restore TRICARE Benefits to 25,000 Beneficiaries Senators: “We urge the Department to conduct immediate, targeted outreach to affected individuals to provide them with the information they need to re-enroll and submit reimbursement claims for any care or prescriptions they received while disenrolled from TRICARE.”

Military & Veterans News VA Offers $30M in Grant Funding to Assist Formerly Homeless Veterans WASHINGTON — As a part of ongoing efforts to prevent and end Veteran homelessness, the Department of Veterans Affairs is announcing $30 million in grant funding for organizations to help formerly homeless Veterans maintain their independence and housing stability.

Military & Veterans News DoD Releases Small Business Strategy The Department of Defense (DoD) released its Small Business Strategy today. The strategy promotes a strong, dynamic, and robust small business industrial base by focusing on reducing barriers to entry, increasing set-aside competitions, and leveraging programs to grow the industrial base. 

Military & Veterans News DOD Now Accepting Applications for New Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot The Defense Department launched a 12-week paid fellowship program to expand employment opportunities for eligible military spouses.

Military & Veterans News Department of Defense Releases Annual Demographics Report — Upward Trend in Number of Women Serving Continues While the overall size of our military remained steady, the percentage of women serving on active duty and in the Reserve component continues to grow in both the enlisted and commissioned ranks, according to the newly released 2021 Demographics Profile of the Military Community.

Military & Veterans News Women Sailors Get Measured Now for Better Fitting Uniforms in the Future NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, Calif.

Military & Veterans News DOD Launches Survey to Enhance the Exceptional Family Member Program The Defense Department launched its 2022 Exceptional Family Member Program survey today. The results will help the DOD prioritize solutions that help meet the needs of military families with special needs.

Military & Veterans News Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the Passing of Former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter I was deeply saddened to learn of the untimely passing of former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Today, the entire Department of Defense mourns the loss of a towering intellect, a steadfast leader, a devoted mentor to countless public servants, and a great patriot who devoted his life to strengthening the security of the country that he loved.

Military & Veterans News DoD Schools Ranked Best in the United States on Nation's Report Card Fourth and eighth-grade students attending Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools led the nation in scoring on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading and Mathematics Assessments.