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The senior enlisted soldier for 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment has died from wounds suffered in Afghanistan.

The results of a much-anticipated government investigation into charges of scheduling fraud at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System will not be out until August.

The House will consider legislation next week to give the Veterans Affairs secretary expanded authority to fire senior executives.

USA Today: VA chief Shinseki has a lot to explain.

There are clear indications that the United States and China are grappling with how to craft a more stable and more intimate set of military to military relationships.

The Pentagon released a report that showed there were nearly 1,400 reported incidents of sexual harassment in 2013.

How the military could kill Godzilla.

Amazing military infographics.

Gen. Keith Alexander: We're at greater risk.

Officials declared that freeing schoolgirls abducted by the radical Islamist group has become a top administration priority.

Recent satellite images show two new North Korean frigates, the largest surface combat ships the nation's navy has constructed in a quarter-century.

The Air Force is a step closer to bedding down its anticipated fleet of KC-46A Pegasus aerial tankers.

Despite a year of workforce furloughs and dwindling budgets, the Defense Department's science and technology enterprise reports advances ranging from a full hypersonic weapon system and high-energy lasers to light-based brain treatments and new core capabilities in cyber warfare.

This footage of the wildfire in San Diego county is absolutely terrifying.

Today's freakout: Fearless daredevils from Eastern Europe.

A new HBO series will showcase the making of the Foo Fighters' next album.

Chad Smith and Will Ferrell talk about their upcoming drum battle.

Morrissey has joined Twitter.

The 16 most badass monsters from the Godzilla movies.

The Flaming Lips' latest project: a cover of the complete Sgt. Pepper album.

Did you catch Blondie on The Daily Show?

Finally: Mad Men/X-Men parody.

Trippy cool ...

LINK: Original photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Chandler

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More than 20 people were killed in Vietnam and a huge foreign steel project set ablaze as anti-China riots spread to the centre of the country.

China-Russia alliance shrouded in mystery.

Meaningful military compensation reform is likely years away.

American, Lithuanian forces begin combines tactical field exercise.

Inside East Ukraine's make-believe republics.

Why hasn't the GOP treated Fort Hood like Benghazi?

Nearly a quarter of the Corps' Spain-based crisis response force has been prepositioned in southern Italy at the request of the State Department to respond more quickly to diplomatic crises that might break out in northern Africa.

An Air Force MC-12 has taken the lead in the hunt for the kidnapped girls in Nigeria.

The U.S., Russia, and China - despite all their other differences - can agree on a basic approach to how to deal with North Korea's nuclear arsenal. The bad news? That approach can't work.

Report: VA not following guidelines on pain drugs.

Sikorsky plans to launch an autonomous version of its Black Hawk helicopter.

Joint IED Defeat Organization launches redesigned IED knowledge portal.

Army Reserve crowns first-ever Best Sapper Team.

Army researchers consider miniature robots to enhance capabilities.

Russia is turning Elon Musk into Tony Stark.

136 years of visual effects evolution in a one-sensory-overload video.

New: Steve Buscemi web series

Bob Dylan has released a new cover of Frank Sinatra's Full Moon & Empty Arms.

Here's the first teaser for The CW's The Flash.

Watch a trailer for Good People, in which James Franco and Kate Hudson find a bunch of cash.

TBS has renewed Conan through 2018.

When rich people install a replica of the Star Trek bridge in their house.

This cat is awesome. ...

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. Benjamin Tuck

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A nightmare group in Syria could target the U.S.

The escalating sanctions war between the U.S. and Russia has claimed its latest victim, with potentially devastating long-term implications for the sole provider of military launch for the US Air Force.

Rockets are raining down on bases in Afghanistan as the Taliban's fighting season begins, and one military officer is taking extra precautions while he dodges the incoming fire.

Urban warfare 2035: The U.S. Army prepares for combat - physical and cyber - in the megacity of the future.

The Pentagon has cleared a nearly $1 billion package of aircraft trainers, surveillance aerostats and up-armored Humvees for the Iraqi military.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee will reject a plan approved by its House counterpart to use emergency funding to keep alive the A-10 attack plane.

U.S. Air Force is looking to cut the number of UAV combat air patrols from 65, a number required under Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to 55.

Report: U.S. military needs more drones, not better ones.

A federal judge has tossed out most of the lawsuits filed against the Defense Department over the theft of personal data belonging to 4.9 million Tricare beneficiaries.

Former Sgt. Kyle White became the nation's newest Medal of Honor recipient.

Medal of Honor recipient's former commander recalls his heroism.

A Fort Campbell active duty officer entered a guilty plea to stealing the identity of other soldiers, applying for loans and using the money for his personal benefit.

The country's largest student loan providers will pay out $60 million to U.S. troops and veterans for unfair lending practices under a proposed settlement announced by the Justice and Education departments.

Pentagon is trying to transfer convicted national security leaker Pvt. Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison so she can get treatment for her gender disorder.

Now the military is going to build robots that have morals.

Life after email at DoD.

The world's heaviest-drinking nations, ranked.

Find some comfort and inspiration in these gorgeous personal libraries.

The Harry Potter spinoff trilogy, Fantastic Beasts, arrives in theaters in 2016.

Wedge Antilles has retired to some ranch across the galaxy border.

Wedding anniversary gift exchange ends with the wife giving the best present any man can get: A fully functional Millennium Falcon.

This cute little kid is better at doing yo-yo tricks than you are at doing anything.

Finally: All the most important Batmobiles in one handy chart.

Finally: It's the Game of Thrones characters as cats.

SPOILERS: It doesn't end well. ...

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. Nicolas A. Cloward

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U.S., China spar again on South China Sea dispute.

The VA health care system has so many perverse incentives that it may have actually given rewards to those who treated veterans the worst.

Iran's purported reverse-engineered copies of the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aircraft are nothing but cheap mockups, industry sources told USNI News.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wants to rebalance the use of military power.

A small group of U.S. Special Forces troops will arrive in Nigeria later this month to advise on combating Boko Haram.

Former Sgt. Kyle White will receive the Medal of Honor for valor today at the White House.

The Navy's cost-saving plan to lay up 11 cruisers is being met with skepticism on Capitol Hill.

Combat veterans of the 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, will mark the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Army's historic first operational deployment from South Korea, this August.

Legislation introduced by Reps. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) would extend maternity leave for women serving in the military.

The Defense Department has reinstated two-week rest and recuperation leave in nine countries for troops who deploy before June 1.

Reda Hicks, an Army wife and attorney who works to improve the lives of military families, was recognized Friday as Army Spouse of the Year.

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command recently developed a "We Care" app that can be used by victims of sexual assault, someone who witnesses sexual harassment or assault, and those in need of suicide prevention help.

The Cold War is over, but the risk of atomic miscalculation is not.

600-day trip around the world makes us dizzy.

A home in Brentwood, New Hampshire, exploded live on TV as an ABC News helicopter was flying over the area, filming as it was burning.

West Antarctic Ice Sheet had begun its inevitable, unstoppable collapse.

Twitter quietly debuted a handy "mute" feature to silence users without having to unfollow them.

Strange: Casey Kasem's whereabouts are unknown.

Strange:  A Kenny G song is hugely popular in China.

Morrissey has released the first single off his new album, due July 15.

A is for the A-Team, B is for the Brady Bunch and so on.

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. Benjamin Tuck

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.12.14 >>>

Ukraine rebels claim victory.

Militants carried out a deadly attack on a government building in eastern Afghanistan and fired rockets near Kabul's main airport today as the Taliban began their annual spring offensive.

The Defense Department is calling on Congress to authorize another round of base realignments and closures because of excess capacity that is cutting into funding for troop readiness and other higher priority needs.

U.S. Air Force faces more tough choices in 2016.

Japan to take major step toward collective self-defense.

Cold War 2.0 at Sea.

Brad R. Carson is the Army's new undersecretary.

Slowing the growth of military pay and housing allowances, reducing commissary subsidies and adjusting TRICARE costs will save $31 billion over the next five years and enable readiness to be maintained, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.

House lawmakers shot down most of the Pentagon's proposals to cut costs.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says Fort Bragg will need to make adjustments as the military prepares for downsizing.

Hagel: Military should review transgender ban.

Debate grows over proposal for CIA to turn over drones to Pentagon.

Tomorrow's submarines could sink America's Navy.

Sailors drive potent new riverine boat in Persian Gulf.

Army designing next-generation protective mask.

"Arlington at 150" is the theme for sesquicentennial celebrations at Arlington National Cemetery, slated to run from tomorrow to June 16.

Service academy nominations often withheld from public.

The Navy has an e-reader for submarines: The NeRD.

A high-speed robot arm that snatches objects out of mid-air.

Why settle for snake skin boots when you can have the entire snake?

Cool: Jack White and Neil Young are appearing together on The Tonight Show tonight.

Yep: NBC canceled Community.

Parks and Recreation will end next year.

Larry Wilmore will take Stephen Colbert's slot on Comedy Central.

Finally: Eleven Comic-Book Superpowers the World Could Do Without.

Awesome: Mother's Day Game Show.

How Star Wars would be if it were a Tarantino film.

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Joey Mendez

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.10.2014 >>>

A large-scale military operation is underway as Iraqi government forces attempt to reclaim the embattled city of Fallujah.

U.S. Special Operations Forces leaders are shifting their strategic posture to the Pacific and regions where Al Qaeda affiliates are seeking safe haven.

The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is not pleased with a budget bill in the House.

U.S. Army's Africa is preparing to send soldiers and special operations forces to Nigeria to train that nation's forces for combat operations.

Camp Leatherneck/Camp Bastion complex has undergone a security renovation that officials with the base's force protection unit compare to a Las Vegas casino.

After ordering audits of clinics, the VA said it was investigating a worker's claim that he had manipulated waiting list data.

The price of storing the A-10 in Type-1000 storage.

Apache helicopters, teamed with Gray Eagle and Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles, are a winning combo.

Finally: A handy pocket guide for soldiers is now available to explain the specifics of their annual Clothing Replacement Allowance.

DoD to launch massive MWR survey Monday.

Seinfeld Computer Game: "The Junior Mint."

Sunday's Simpsons couch gag because it's really dark comedy - like life itself.

Musician John Doe has a film, Pleased to Meet Me, and upcoming record, The Best of John Doe, out May 20. Get tour dates and more at theejohndoe.com.

Watch this guy ride his bike completely parallel to the ground.

Finally: Andre the Giant graphic biography.

How to repair a monument. ...

>

LINK: Original photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

What's better than a Armed Forces Day at Joint Base Lewis-McChord? JBLM hosting a Military Retiree Appreciation Day the day before. ...

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash - Joint Base Lewis-McChord will host its annual Military Retiree Appreciation Day event Friday, May 16, from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at American Lake Conference Center, on JBLM Lewis-North. Event officials are expecting approximately 2,500 military beneficiaries to attend.

Military Retiree Appreciation Day events include:

• Madigan Healthcare System Health Fair - opens at 7:30 a.m. for blood sugar and cholesterol testing (requires blood draw, 12-hours fasting before test), blood pressure checks (no caffeine or tobacco for 3 hours prior). Participants should bring vaccination records for review. The fair will also feature informational exhibits and information about Tri-Care medical and dental benefits and other social support services.

• ID Card issuance and replacement - Retirees and family members enrolled or eligible for enrollment in DEERS can update information and replace military ID cards at the event (bring DD214, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Decree or Death Certificate and two forms of identification if needed to verify eligibility).

• Legal Assistance Station - information and no-fee preparation of wills; general, special, or medical powers of attorney, and answers to legal questions provided by I Corps and JBLM Staff Judge Advocate's Office.

• Vehicle Registration - Retirees may register vehicles for use on base at the on-site registration table (bring valid proof of insurance card, state registration, state driver's license, and military ID card). Information about firearms registration will also be available at this station.

• VA Benefits Review - Washington Dept. of Veterans Affairs will host a Compensation Review Station for veterans who wish to initiate or seek an increased disability rating, Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), or determine eligibility for new or expanded benefits created by recent changes in federal law for retirees with service-connected disabilities (bring DD214 and information about any other VA benefits received).

• Veterans Information Expo - Booths representing state and federal, and non-profit agencies will be staffed by employees and other individuals knowledgeable about benefits and services their organization has available for military retirees.

• Services- Retirees seeking more information about the JBLM Retirement Services Office or this year's Retiree Appreciation Day event can contact the Retirement Services Office, by calling (253) 966-5881, or 966-5884, or by email at usarmy.jblm.imcom.list.dhr-mpd-retirement-services@mail.mil, visit the RSO web site at http://www.lewis-mcchord.army.mil/rso/.

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The Taliban have announced their 2014 "spring offensive" will begin imminently.

Putin marks victory in Crimea, more bloodshed in Ukraine.

CIA, U.S. military at odds over Afghanistan pullback plan.

House Republicans rammed through a measure opening a new investigation of the deadly assault in Benghazi, Libya.

U.S. commandos head to Baltics, Europe for training.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki ordered a nationwide health care access review as frustration continued to mount over VA's response to allegations of care delays leading to patient deaths.

New manual to shift Army aviation focus to air-guard.

The Future Vertical Lift will be Army aviation's golden egg.

Army's testing of foreign mine boots yields valuable data.

Female British soldiers could soon be allowed to fight on the frontline.

Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Ty Carter's digs karaoke.

Dick Move: North Korea unleashes racist slurs against Obama.

Army National Guard kept sponsoring NASCAR for a decade without looking into why active branches found it ineffective.

No matter how fast you're driving, no matter the weather conditions, if someone fires a Brimstone missile from a MQ-9 Reaper drone and you're the target, you're dead.

A pretty and rather unusual selfie of an F-16 pilot as he was diving and spinning perpendicular to the ground.

Prepare for the onslaught of tiny hamsters eating tiny everything.

How to fight a bear and win.

List: A good roundup of all the TV marathons and specials airing this weekend.

Rolling Stone rounds up 20 good comedy podcasts.

There's talk of a Morrissey biopic ...

David Lynch cooks quinoa in a weird, surrealist video...

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Peavy

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The House Armed Services Committee unanimously approved a measure that would authorize just over $600 billion in 2015 U.S. defense spending and block plans to retire the A-10 attack plane.

House panel pulls BRAC from budget.

Powerful factions in Congress are moving to set up an independent commission that would examine the sweeping force structure changes the active duty Army says are necessary.

The U.S. House Armed Services Committee called on U.S. national security officials to report back on the threat posed by Russian satellite monitoring stations.

A U.S. House panel approved provisions restricting the Air Force's ability to retire its E-3 warning aircraft, encouraging the Navy to build two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets each month, and ordering the Pentagon to hand over reams of information.

The House Armed Services Committee approved legislation that prevents the Defense Department from retiring a nuclear aircraft carrier.

The House Armed Services Committee added language to prohibit the department from enforcing the new hair rules.

The House Armed Services panel rejected the Army's plan to transfer the National Guard's Apache attack helicopters to the active side. 

Three crashed drones were launched from North Korea for spying purposes and had been programmed to fly over South Korea.

U.S. Army sends its best tanks to European war game.

Five Chinese weapons of war the U.S. should fear.

Recruiting fraud is "pervasive" across Army, Guard according to a vocal Guard advocacy group.

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said he would not resign amid charges that the department attempted to hide long wait times for appointments at VA health clinics.

Inside the Army's growing Artic Circle mission.

Researchers just published findings from the first ultra-realistic simulation of our universe's growth. And it covers 13 billion years.

Inside the Boeing capsule that could take you on a space vacation.

Climatologist, author, and former NASA scientist Dr. Roy Spencer offers ten good skeptical arguments against global warming.

Five crowdsourcing projects that defy all logic and reason.

Fox has canceled three comedies: Dads, Enlisted and Surviving Jack.

Big news, Sweathogs: Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete Series is coming to DVD.

WTF?: Tommy Lee will play drums on the next Smashing Pumpkins album.

Finally: A chart of the most overrated and underrated movies of all time.

It's finals week at the U.S. Naval Academy. ...

LINK: Original photo by 1st Lt. Alun Thomas, 1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. PAO

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.7.14 >>>

NATO turns to airlift following increased convoy attacks in Pakistan.

Vietnam and China face off in South China Sea.

The commander of U.S. air forces in the Pacific is reporting a significant increase in activities by Russian planes and ships in the region.

Every country will have armed drones in 10 years.

The military's top leaders tried to sell Congress on the pay and benefits changes they proposed in the 2015 defense budget.

A quartet of powerful U.S. senators are warning that anything less than keeping the A-10 fully active in the Air Force is unacceptable.

White House to give senators access to drone assassination memo.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno talks about the future of the Army and the threats posed by an unstable world.

Pentagon funding for space programs is projected to fall 37 percent over the next four years.

The House Armed Services Committee is opening the door ever so slightly to the possibility of another Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

Bomber-plane budget by U.S. Air Force projected to double.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III: After 23 years of high-tempo operations, the Air Force is in a precarious position.

Army's vice chief of staff Gen. John F. Campbell: Army aviation needs its innovators to stay, despite the fact that funding is down to bare bones.

The Federal Aviation Administration has determined a U-2 spy plane did not cause computers at Los Angles International Airport's control center to crash.

The Army is reclaiming the lost art of jungle warfare, and soldiers who make it through the new 21-day school can earn a tab and big bragging rights.

Picatinny engineers have devised improvements to the packaging of 60 mm smoke and illumination mortars.

Raytheon is making a bold move: it's dumping the proprietary operating system Solaris in favor of Linux for the control systems of its U.S. military drones.

Too Much Free Time: This guy collected 75,000 McDonald's items over 50 years.

Man foils attempted arrest by knowing his rights better than cops.

There's a new Tori Amos song.

Charles Grodin talks about his weirdo doctor role on Louie.

It wasn't all war, war, war in the Galactic Empire, as Malaysian photographer Zahir Batin reminds us with these curious images of Star Wars miniature figures going about their everyday lives.

Finally: Man makes giant 27.5-foot-long space station with 282,000 matchsticks.

Don't forget the tickets ...

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. John Crosby