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The House approved a $570 billion defense spending proposal on Friday that would save the A-10 aircraft fleet, prohibit another base closure round and reject most of the Pentagon's planned pay and benefits trims.

Sunni fighters seized a border post on the Iraq-Syria frontier, smashing a line drawn by colonial powers almost a century ago and potentially creating an Islamic Caliphate from the Mediterranean Sea to Iran.

Jihadists in Iraq captured a key Hussein-era factory for chemical weapons, but Washington downplayed the site's significance.

Behind the image of savagery that the extremists of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria present lies a sophisticated organization that deftly employs social media and financial strategies.

How Iran and America can beat ISIS together.

Czech Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky has announced the Czech Republic is in talks to sell Russian-built Mil Mi-24 helicopters to the Iraqi Defense Ministry.

The Iraqi security forces were always America'sticket out of Iraq, so after many early disappointments, U.S. military leaders built the forces in their own image.

Pro-Russian separatists attacked Ukrainian posts on the border with Russia and a military base, and tried to storm an air force base overnight, putting a Ukrainian unilateral ceasefire under pressure.

Troops, vets campaign to award the Medal of Honor to fallen Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe.

More than 400 large U.S. military drones have crashed in major accidents around the world since 2001, a record of calamity that exposes the potential dangers of throwing open American skies to drone traffic, according to a year-long Washington Post investigation.

Obama: Post-9/11 GI Bill keeps promise to newest vets.

A forcewide review of tobacco that could result in new restrictions on the sale and use of cigarettes is drawing some skepticism from the Defense Department's top officer.

27 high-tension photos of NATO jets intercepting Russian warplanes.

Facebook Pokes: Creepy or funny?

How the hell did Lady Gaga think her "Do Want U Want" video was OK?

America's Euro boyfriend, Benedict Cumberbatch, will teach us foolish colonists all about soccer.

LucasFilm is in talks with Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick, Breaking Bad) to write and direct Star Wars" Episode VIII and IX.

Can you survive the Lego firewalk?

It's Saturday!

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy

When it comes to street skateboarding, Torey Pudwill and Joey Brezinski are some of the best on the board with four wheels.

Both young men visited Joint Base Lewis-McChord yesterday to autograph posters at the Base Exchange before heading over to the Skate Plaza to work and interact with about 150 youngsters.

Red Bull and JBLM's Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Directorate sponsored the visit.

"We've worked on making this event happen for quite a while," commented Carly Michael, sponsorship director for MWR.

"Tonight should be a lot of fun for everyone here."

>>> Joey Brezinski talks with a skateboarder while Torey Pudwill autographs a poster.  Sponsored by Red Bull and brought to JBLM by the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate, the two are world-class skateboarders. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

>>> Young skateboarders at JBLM's Skate Plaza cheer a move by Joey Brezinski. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

As skateboarding gained popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, skateboarders began to perform tricks in urban areas by using existing urban features to perform acrobatic stunts.

Pudwill and Brezinski continue to promote the sport.

Named the Best Street Skater at the 2011 Trans World Skateboarding Awards and a third place finisher at the 2013 X Games in Street League Skateboarding, Pudwill is passionate about the sport.

"I work hard and skate every day because it's something that I do for fun," he said during a break in signing autographs.

"I'm just trying to get kids to be as stoked for skateboarding as I was as a kid."

>>> Joey Brezinski gets ready to skateboard with JBLM boarders. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Often referred to as the "Manual King" for his ability to balance his board on two wheels, Brezinski created the first ever "manual based contest" and has since become a force to be reckoned with winning four of the last six contests since 2007.

"It's just great to be here, meet these kids and have a great time," he said as he watched the action. 

"There is definitely some talent here at JBLM."

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The US House of Representatives on Thursday evening, during deliberation on the fiscal 2015 defense spending bill, voted to block the US Air Force's plan to cut the entire A-10 fleet.

The House late Thursday defeated an amendment from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) that would prohibit the use of federal dollars toward combat operations in Iraq amid the country's growing unrest.

The House late Thursday gave voice vote approval to a proposal that would prevent a round of military base closures.

House voted 293-123 to block intel agencies from conducting warrantless searches.

The House adopted a proposal to ban transfers of detainees at the Guantánamo Bay prison to Yemen.

The Army is opening about 33,000 more jobs to women, according to a newly released memo signed by Army Secretary John McHugh.

Retired Marine Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter receives the Medal of Honor from President Obama on Thursday at the White House.

Iraqi forces are massing north of Baghdad today, aiming to strike back at Sunni Islamists whose drive toward the capital prompted the United States to send military advisers to stiffen government resistance.

President Obama's order to rush 300 Special Forces to Iraq is unlikely to heal the deep wounds festering inside most Iraqi units.

The Middle East is no longer stable and, barring a miracle of probably divine origin, it will not be for a long time to come

Today's Iraq Situation Report: Institute for the Study of War

President Obama announced he plans to send about 300 U.S. military advisers to Iraq to assist the government in its fight against extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Obama outlined a careful commitment of U.S. forces to Iraq, pledging to watch any "mission creep."

Most people in the United States oppose intervening in Iraq.

Fighting raged for a second successive day in the east of Ukraine today, a day after clashes in which Ukrainian government forces said about 300 separatists were killed.

Russia is again building up forces on the border with Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, calling it a "very regrettable step backward."

In Africa counterterror pivot, a focus on ISR.

New research by Army scientists appears to confirm what has been long-recognized as an unfortunate consequence of combat deployment: that troops drink more after going to war.

The U.S. Navy is ordering more "Don't Tread on Me" flag patches eight months after it was reported that Navy Seals had stopped wearing them because the Tea Party used a similar flag.

Finally: Photos of L.A.'s most famous streets when they were dirt roads.

Guy wearing Mentos suit drops into Diet Coke tank and explodes.

10 beach-ready book and music pairings.

No one drinks wine like Cersei Lannister.

Wil Wheaton gets how hard it is to keep track of all of Westeros. Luckily, he gets by with a little help from the Bradys.

World leaders interacting awkwardly with soccer balls.

Meet Smudge

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Erika Montano

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The Iraqi government has requested U.S. military airstrikes to help combat widespread violence in Iraq, led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

While fighters for the extremist Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have taken on the most prominent role in the new insurgency, they have done so in alliance with a deep network of Saddam Hussein's former loyalists.

Today's Iraq Situation Report - Institute for the Study of War

As Americans debate assisting Iraq, including the possibility of military intervention, here are 10 things to keep in mind.

The situation in Iraq is giving Congress pause about President Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Wednesday: A day of budgets and Baghdad for lawmakers.

President Obama believes he does not need authorization from Congress for any steps he might take to quell the al-Qaida-inspired insurgency sweeping through Iraq.

Obama's confusing Al Qaeda strategy.

Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists were locked in fierce fighting in the east of Ukraine on Thursday after rebels rejected a call to lay down their arms in line with a peace plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is backing a government watchdog's refusal to hand over documents from potential VA whistleblowers.

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James outlined new incentives and measures designed to change the culture of the service's nuclear force.

Obama will present the Medal of Honor today to a veteran who took the blow from a grenade to protect a fellow Marine in Afghanistan, sustaining major wounds, including the loss of his right eye.

A one-star general who led Marines in Fallujah and recently wrote a book about his experiences there said the U.S. military set Iraq up for success, but political leaders there have squandered those opportunities.

U.S. aims trial of Benghazi suspect held on Navy ship.

The House and Senate established conference committees to reconcile differences in legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Being Bad Guy: Pentagon's cyber unit wants to get inside the bad guy's head.

Thanks to researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, soldiers can now bust through urban walls easier.

The Air Force really, really doesn't want to offer any new details about its Long Range Strike bomber.

Two senators urged Defense Secretary Hagel to end the 5 percent discount on tobacco product sales at military facilities.

The US Army is working on a real-life Iron Man suit, and the first prototypes are coming later this week.

China is building fake islands to bolster its claim to disputed waters.

Harley-Davidson is making an electric motorcycle.

Paramount lays out its next two years of sequels and remakes.

Louie: It's been the Best Thing Ever and The Worst.

Destiny's Child said "yes" to a reunion.

The very funny and adorable Garfunkle and Oates have a new show destined to debut on August 7 on IFC. Here is the opening credits ...

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Erika Montano

The Department of Defense announced today 17 servicemembers have been recovered from a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that was lost on Nov. 22, 1952.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Lawrence S. Singleton, Pvt. James Green, Jr., and Pvt. Leonard A. Kittle; U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Earl J. Stearns; U.S. Navy Cmdr. Albert J. Seeboth; U.S. Air Force Col. Noel E. Hoblit, Col. Eugene Smith, Capt. Robert W. Turnbull, 1st Lt. Donald Sheda, 1st Lt. William L. Turner, Tech. Sgt. Engolf W. Hagen, Staff Sgt. James H. Ray, Airman 1st Class Marion E. Hooton, Airman 2nd Class Carroll R. Dyer, Airman 2nd Class Thomas S. Lyons, Airman 2nd Class Thomas C. Thigpen, and Airman 3rd Class Howard E. Martin have been recovered and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

On Nov. 22, 1952, a C-124 Globemaster aircraft crashed while en route to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. There were 11 crewmen and 41 passengers on board. Adverse weather conditions precluded immediate recovery attempts. In late November and early December 1952, search parties were unable to locate and recover any of the service members.

On June 9, 2012, an Alaska National Guard (AKNG) UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew spotted aircraft wreckage and debris while conducting a training mission over the Colony Glacier, immediately west of Mount Gannett. Three days later another AKNG team landed at the site to photograph the area and they found artifacts at the site that related to the wreckage of the C-124 Globemaster. Later that month, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and Joint Task Force team conducted a recovery operation at the site and recommended it continued to be monitored for possible future recovery operations. In 2013, additional artifacts were visible and JPAC conducted further recovery operations.

DoD scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of 17 service members. The remaining personnel have yet to be recovered and the crash site will continued to be monitored for future possible recovery.

SEE ALSO

Today's military news in the Morning Joe

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The CIA and other spy agencies are scrambling to close intelligence gaps as they seek ways to support possible military or covert action against the leaders of the al-Qaida-inspired militant group that has seized parts of Iraq and threatens Baghdad's government.

ISIS hits Iraq's biggest oil refinery.

Iran's president vowed to defend Shi'ite holy sites in Iraq as Sunni fighters hold control of the main cities across the north. 

Why Delta Force waited so long to grab a Benghazi ringleader.

Former deputy CIA director Mike Morell suggested the sooner Benghazi suspect Ahmed Abu Khattala gets to the United States, the more likely he will have provided intelligence to U.S. officials. 

Iraq: Exhibit A for why Obama's new counterterrorism strategy won't work.

Iraqi premier Maliki gaining strength as Shiites rally behind him.

Opinion: US air power won't defeat ISIS.

Hillary Clinton: She warned the Obama administration against working with Iran to handle the unraveling situation in Iraq and attributes Banghazi statement to "fog of war."

The latest international crisis may be a terrorist land offensive in Iraq, but concerns about China's ambitions clearly dominate those thinking about strategies for the US Navy.

Issues await next U.S. Marine Corps commandant.

Lockheed F-35 bulkhead cracks solution proposed.

Defense giants score poorly on arms development.

Army senior leaders posit that communications technology is being developed and put into use inside the Army before its vulnerability to cyber-attacks has been fully evaluated.

Air Force C-130s land at Lielvarde Air Base for first time.

Incredible video of wild Alaskan brown bear chilling out with a camper.

Here's how to cut a cake perfectly, according to science.

Audiences are liars, and the media organizations who listen to them without measuring them are dupes.

YouTube will begin pulling indie musicians from the site blocking any artist on a label that refused the company's licensing terms for its forthcoming subscription music service.

Boardwalk Empire to jump ahead seven years for its final season.

In many ways, Season 4 of Louie felt like a call and response between Louis C.K. and the Internet.

So good ...

LINK: Original photo courtesy of 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

What started out as a night off from work quickly turned into a life-saving mission when three Army medical professionals prevented a female diner from choking at a restaurant in Radcliff, Ky. June 7.

"We went to Applebee's as a group and we were about to watch the last race of the Triple Crown ... but then during the race we overheard someone say ‘is that person choking' and so we all began to look around," explained 2nd Lt. Jordan Flynn, an Army nurse who recently graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with his commission. Knox is stationed at Fort Knox for the summer to provide medical support for the Leader Development and Assessment Course.

"We saw her husband giving her the Heimlich but he wasn't successful so we ran over to help," he continued.

2nd Lt. Kelby Tidey, another nurse, as well as Col. Brian McGlinch, an Army physician who was at the restaurant separately, joined Flynn.

Read more...

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Sectarian violence reached Iraq's capital of Baghdad late Monday while Sunni militant forces grew closer to the city, The New York Times reports.

Nearly 300 armed American forces are being positioned in and around Iraq to help secure U.S. assets as President Barack Obama nears a decision on an array of options for combating fast-moving Islamic insurgents, including airstrikes or a contingent of special forces.

The aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush and five other warships are in the Persian Gulf. Hundreds of Marines and dozens of copters are on standby for whatever President Obama orders.

As ISIS marches closer to Baghdad, the world's leading sponsor of terrorism, Iran, is offering the Iraqi government the use of its army and spies.

The Iraq Situation Report: Institute for the Study of War Iraq Update

Iraq refugees flee Mosul.

Capitol Hill calling for US military action in Iraq

U.S. and Iranian officials discussed Iraq briefly on the margins of talks in Geneva on Iran's nuclear program.

The case for doing nothing in Iraq.

Pakistan army in for the long haul in offensive against Taliban.

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford: U.S. hikes surveillance on Pakistan border.

A House panel would impose new restrictions on the transfer of enemy combatants from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a reflection of congressional anger over President Obama's swap of five Taliban leaders for an American soldier held captive for five years in Afghanistan.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for the federal government to use "incentive fee contracts" in military procurement programs rather than "award fee contracts," after reports that Lockheed Martin was still receiving bonuses despite not meeting contract goals.

China will strive to eventually push the United States out of Southeast and Northeast Asia.

America's growing list of frenemies.

This is what would happen if Earth stopped spinning right now.

Too Much Free Time: A map of Game of Thrones if it were set in the USA.

Comedian Tracy Morgan's condition upgraded to fair.

10 potentially great TV shows that never aired.

Why did NBC reportedly pay Chelsea Clinton $600,000 a year?

The FBI's official guide to Twitter slang.

Curious about the 1949 equivalent of a Kardashian? LIFE magazine had it covered.

Six TV casts who look the most different out of costume.

Poseidon is saying "would you stop being clowns and GET OFF MY LAWN!"

LINK: Original photo by Rick Rzepka

On the heels of the Washington State Department of Transportation's public presentation of ideas to fix the traffic hell outside the Joint Base Lewis-McChord gates comes a trifecta of public meetings centering on the JBLM Joint Land Use Study. The South Sound Military & Communities Partnership has released the dates. ...

Lakewood, WA - Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) is changing, and so are the communities in the south Puget Sound region.

Now, the organization that's working to ensure effective communication and collaboration between the base and its neighbors is looking to engage the community in planning for the areas surrounding the base. The project, called the JBLM Joint Land Use Study (JLUS), focuses on the region's long-term land use plans, with goals of supporting the military mission at JBLM, ensuring public health and safety throughout the region, and protecting the neighboring communities' abilities to plan for development.

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The Defense Department late Saturday officially announced the names of five soldiers killed in combat June 9 while deployed to Gaza Village, Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today ordered the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde into the Arabian Gulf.

Pakistani fighter jets pounded North Waziristan today, a day after the army announced the start of a full-scale military operation to flush Islamist insurgents out of the volatile region bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistani army says it has launched a "comprehensive operation" against foreign and local militants in a tribal region near the Afghan border.

Sunni militants captured a key northern Iraqi town along the highway to Syria early on Monday, compounding the woes of Iraq's Shiite-led government a week after it lost a vast swath of territory to the insurgents in the country's north.

The United States is contemplating talks with Iran to support the Iraqi government in its battle with Sunni Islamist insurgents.

Two Iraq war veterans now in Congress disagree on a possible solution on Iraq's collapse.

Militants from jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have executed dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members, according to photos posted online.

In Iraq Crisis, a tangle of Alliances and enmities.

Iran is the biggest loser in Iraq.

How the Kurds seizes Kirkuk.

WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning broke her silence on Sunday, writing the US military's control of the media gave the public a distorted view of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The US Navy welcomed four members of China's military aboard one of its aircraft carriers - and said it hoped to receive a return invite someday.

Exhibitors at France's Eurosatory show gave a first glimpse on Sunday of a new armored vehicle designed by General Dynamics and a new Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV being pitched to European governments by Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Alenia Aermacchi.

The global armored vehicles market is projected to reach $28.62 billion by 2019 with the primary drivers being in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

The US Navy's most important and shadowy submarine outposts is not located along the ocean, but rather in a lake in landlocked Idaho.

Ever wish you could pick a place on the planet and instantly have a drone's-eye view? Well, now you can.

Game of Thrones Season 4 Finale Recap: The Children

How Twitter killed the official move website.

Legendary radio personality Casey Kasem dead at 82.

NBC developing the Beatles series.

14 awesome Bill Murray moments.

Abraham Lincoln and painter Michelangelo as crime fighters ...

LINK: Original photo courtesy of U.S. Army