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DoD issues new threat report on North Korea.

The passage of the U.S. destroyer Truxtun into the Black Sea was seen by official Russian news outlets as a challenge to the Russian fleet and evidence that the U.S. was "ramping up its military presence in the region."

The Afghan Taliban said today next month's presidential election was being manipulated by the United States, which had already chosen the winner, and threatened to use "full force" in attacking anyone taking part.

DoD budget: Expect big changes in five-year spending priorities.

How big will the U.S. Army be in 2019? Not even the Army knows.

U.S. Air Force left with little flexibility in budget.

A Fort Hood sergeant who was a coordinator of the post's sexual assault and harassment prevention program faces multiple charges after he was accused of setting up a prostitution ring involving cash-strapped female soldiers.

Defense lawyers for an Army general facing sexual assault charges say they plan to press his primary accuser on inconsistencies in her story.

Turkey's state-owned missile specialist Roketsan has successfully tested a long-range anti-tank missile it has been developing.

The U.S. military services - including the Air Force, which flies the Global Hawk UAV - are increasing their dependence on commercial firms to supply satellite bandwidth for ISR requirements.

The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans jumped in February, nearly erasing the gains of a few months ago, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show.

Some scientists are speculating that "dark matter" may have played a role in the great dinosaur die-off.

Popcorn 411: Here's a nerdy look at one of our favorite movie snacks.

True Detective Season 1 finale recap: "Form and Void."

True Detective Season 2 pairings inspired by pop culture detectives.

Look for Morrissey's new album in June or July.

Stanley Kubrick's daughter is on Twitter, and she's sharing photos from the sets of his films.

Finally: someone tracks down the actors who played the kid version of Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah in Splash.

Seventeen of the oldest man-made structures on earth still in use.

Twenty-two incredible images show what the future looked like 100 years ago.

Guess again, dawg

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A massive veterans legislative package that would have expanded a host of post-military benefits was sidelined after Senate Democratic backers failed to find enough support among their Republican colleagues.

A senior defense official says the U.S. Army and Defense Department are being unfairly vilified in the media over military budget cuts when Congress is really to blame.

The Pentagon's fiscal 2015 defense budget proposal will cost the Army another six combat units, shrinking the active force to 28 brigade combat teams by 2019.

America's 25 most awkward allies.

In April, the U.S. Army plans to unveil a new camouflage strategy that could result in soldiers wearing Marine Corps desert and woodland patterns into combat. 

President Barack Obama's mandate to reduce U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 is U.S. Transportation Command's top priority, Air Force Gen. William M. Fraser III told Congress yesterday.

Special operations forces will be prepared for any decision made on the post-2014 U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command told Congress yesterday.

The threat in cyberspace is changing so rapidly that law and policy lag behind, the nation's top cyber commander told congress yesterday.

The Pentagon's chief information officer discussed the vast opportunities mobile computing provides and its critical role in improving support for the Defense Department's 600,000 mobile device users.

Staffing at the Defense Health Agency has grown by roughly 80 percent since the organization began coming together, but the Defense Department still expects zero growth - or even a decline - in employees once duplicate services are eliminated.

Soldiers who have used the Distributed Common Ground System-Army say that it's an intelligence game changer.

The Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy have named Tobyhanna the Depot Source of Repair, or DSOR, for the Gray Eagle (MQ-1C) Unmanned Aircraft System Ground Control Stations.

Twenty-five years of Oscar hosts, ranked.

There are so many negative things that can be said about ABC's Mixology. It is tactless, boring, occasionally offensive and. ...

Fashion trends more dumb than the newest fashion trend "normcore."

The best restaurant in the U.S. is a tiny shack in Hawaii.

Herding reindeers looks a lot like trying to control alien locust swarms.

Found in translation

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Armed men seized the regional government headquarters and parliament in Ukraine's Crimea and raised the Russian flag.

A Democratic bill enhancing health care, education and job-training benefits for veterans faces an uphill climb as the Senate approaches a showdown vote on the $21 billion legislation.

The Pentagon has named acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michael Lumpkin as the point person for efforts to bring home prisoner of war Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

People in the United States remain divided on how to handle military spending, according to a new poll. 

The U.S. Air Force intends to issue a request for proposal on its new long-range strike bomber this fall.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed cloture on legislation that would expand veterans healthcare programs and provide them with tuition assistance, a move that signals he will not allow any GOP amendments to be considered.

The Marine Corps' senior enlisted adviser told lawmakers he believes focusing on the commissary benefit as a potential source of defense budget savings is a mistake.

The U.S. Army will request money to buy 100 new UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopters in the fiscal 2015 budget.

The proposed drone replacement for the U-2 spy plane is still years away from being as effective despite retirement proposal.

The Pentagon has a detailed five-year spending plan that adheres to federal defense spending caps should sequestration return in 2016. Just don't expect to see it anytime soon.

U.S. Sen. John McCain says he wants to block two nominees for high-level Pentagon jobs - but the Senate's "maverick" is about to find out a hold isn't what it used to be.

The Army has disqualified 588 soldiers as sexual assault counselors, recruiters and drill sergeants for infractions ranging from sexual assault to child abuse to drunken driving.

Despite "daunting fiscal challenges and strategic uncertainty," the Army will continue to be the best in the world, says Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III.

The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, is still relevant and is needed for future conflicts, but its size is expected to shrink significantly.

President Barack Obama announced that retired Army Master Sgt. Jose Rodela will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military valor, during a March 18 ceremony at the White House.

Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts are the key for Airmen involved with the multilateral exercise Cope North.

Army introduces four new mountaineering, climbing kits.

Lobbying isn't decreasing at all, and instead it's simply going underground.

How wolves change rivers.

A new app will prevent your distracted ass for getting hit by a car.

Every state's favorite music.

Oscars primer so that you don't have to spend every day until the ceremony airs at the movie theater.

Oscar snubs get particularly brutal when you start tallying how many phenomenal directors never won a Best Director prize.

Let's watch a prank.

Are you ready for a "V"-led acronym bonanza?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced the phased roll out of newly designed, more secure Veteran Health Identification Cards. The new cards are distinguished by additional security features and will have a different look and feel.

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Military can close bases without Congress's OK.

The Department of Homeland Security is warning airlines to be on the lookout for terrorists potentially targeting U.S. flights with shoe bombs.

The United States might have killed a dozen civilians in a wedding procession during a drone strike in Yemen last December, a human rights group claimed. 

Two American security officers have been found dead on a ship made famous when it was hijacked by Somali pirates.

After deadly clashes between protesters and police in Ukraine, the Pentagon urged the Ukrainian Armed Forces to "stay on the sidelines." 

Veterans with a 100 percent disability rating will get their Social Security claims processed faster, thanks to a change announced by the agency.

U.S. Army Europe and Installation Management Command-Europe announced force structure changes Thursday that will reduce the service's local national workforce by 579 positions. The changes also will result in a net increase of 44 U.S. civilian positions, while 89 military positions will be shed.

The U.S. Army is planning to buy new transport ships to replace dozens of its decades-old fleet of watercraft.

The Army ground force that rolled over Iraqi forces in 1991 and 2003 was actually designed and built in the similarly cash-strapped 1970s and 1980s.

General Dynamics has lined up the U.S. arm of Canadian simulation giant CAE to provide training solutions for its offering for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation trainer.

Let's read about soldiers training for the coveted Army Air Assault badge.

Air Force leaders announced a change to the officer reduction in force board, or RIF, originally scheduled to convene June 16 at the Air Force Personnel Center. 

Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell, 7th Infantry Division commanding general, spoke to more than 150 Soldiers during a division newcomer's brief at The French Theater on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Beekeepers in Mexico are fearful that GMO crops are killing the honeybee.

Are we moving towards a post clown society, or have the clowns morphed into trolls?

A map that shows which states have the longest and shortest sex.

Fox looks to have assembled the team for its Fantastic Four reboot.

Preview some numbers from the Heathers musical.

Good news: Killer Karaoke returns to TV tonight.

Looks like Rep. Graham Hunt (R-Orting) made the list with his list, if the list is about freshman legislators who sponsor bills that creat certified lists of veteran-owned businesses.

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Rep. Drew MacEwen (R-Union) - one of 12 state lawmakers who sponsored House Bill 2130 - sent us a Valentine stating HB2130's measure to streamline programs that assist current military members and veterans transition into civilian life received unanimous support in the state House of Representatives today.

Below is MacEwen's news release, which seemed to pop 3-D hearts at us as we read it online.

Building upon 2006 legislation establishing the Veterans' Innovations Program (VIP), House Bill 2130 would combine the Defenders' Fund and Competitive Grant Program simplifying internal processes for the Washington Department of Veterans' Affairs. Funds appropriated to VIP would still be used to increase awareness of the program to veterans and active duty service members. Funds from this program would also be used to develop partnerships to assist members in completing the application process, along with education, training and employment assistance. Additionally, the bill expands these services to members of the National Guard.

"I was happy to sponsor the Veterans Innovations Program legislation," said MacEwen, a veteran of the United States Navy. "This program began to assist veterans facing hardship in employment, training and transitioning to civilian life. It has proven to be a crucial tool to assist our veterans who have returned home after facing long and arduous combat tours in a post 9/11 world. My bill would streamline the various programs and make them more efficient and accessible by our military community."

House Bill 2130 will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration. The 2014 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn March 13.

There is great power in numbers - especially when it comes to getting needed funds to programs, businesses and individuals. Enter crowdsourcing, a fairly new phenomenon that harnesses the power of many to accomplish tasks and fundraising large and small. Popular crowdsourcing sites range from fundraising site Kickstarter to mini-job site TaskRabbit.

And now there's a new kid on the block called Endless Crowds, launched just this week, designed specifically for active duty military, veterans and first responders. The site allows participants to pool resources, ideas and raise funds, but strives to go beyond what many think of as a crowdsourcing site.

Founded by Roger Mensah, Endless Crowds is designed to serve a variety of projects, including community service programs, entrepreneurial and personal projects. Mensah began working on the site soon after President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address. Obama told the nation that 34,000 troops would be coming home and Mensah realized this meant many of these returning troops would face employment challenges.

To help vets who want to forge ahead on their own paths to self-employment or starting a business, for first-responder companies who cannot meet their needs through available funding, for military community programs who need a boost - Endless Crowds is there to help. Mensah believes that the discipline, leadership and teamwork qualities taught and engrained into military and first responders are inherently intertwined with a site such as Endless Crowds, which amplifies and empowers such qualities.

 "I believe those that protect us deserve the very best from the community at large, and their challenges are better solved together, rather than alone. Endless Crowds aims to harness the instilled qualities of teamwork, discipline and leadership found in our military and first responders to find a new way to get things done," said Mensah via a recent press release.

While fundraising is one aspect of the platform, Endless Crowds serves a higher purpose as well. Where other sourcing sites usually gather funds and nothing more, Endless Crowds will offer support and guidance to participants beyond the fundraising push. The site brings together resources and tools available to participants and aims to offer a personalized experience, which most other crowdsourcing platforms do not.

Beyond military members, Endless Crowds will also serve first responders, who often end up on the short end of the stick with public funding and can't afford needed equipment or programs from D.A.R.E to National Fire Prevention Week.

Some of the projects already listed on the site include Our Home Transitional, a program that hopes to help single homeless female veterans by raising funds to help for job training, education, health care and home placement assistance. Another project, Police Unity Tour, which is a four-day bicycle ride from New Jersey to D.C. to raise awareness of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and to raise funds for the The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

To start a project or fundraiser, or find one to support, go to endlesscrowds.com. To see which programs are already listed on the site, go to Explore and you can peruse by Community, Entrepreneurial and Personal/Creative projects.

Sen. Mike Hewitt (R-Walla Walla) is a happy man. A veterans' home is one step closer to being built in his backyard, and by backyard we mean Walla Walla.Today the Senate unanimously approved a measure supporting the proposed Walla Walla Veterans' Home, which would serve more than 50,000 veterans and their families in southeast Washington. Hewiit has been pushing Senate Bill 5691 since early last year and, according to a new release, he says "it's been an honor to work on a measure that supports the state's military men and women, and creates about 93 permanent jobs."

Senate Bill 5691 authorizes the state Department of Veterans Affairs to operate the veterans' home, which would serve as a skilled-nursing facility providing long-term care for honorably discharged veterans, families, and Gold Star Parents - those whose children died while serving in the armed forces.

The measure now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

This week the nation's lawmakers are weighing a plan to reverse a recently passed cut to military pensions as the price for increasing the government's borrowing cap. The cuts to cost-of-living pension increases for military retirees under the age of 62 were part of December's budget agreement. Obviously, it sparked an uproar among advocates for veterans.

Speaking of this week and veterans, it's National Salute to Veteran Patients Week as VA facilities across America salute the men and women in our care with Valentines and free concerts and an invitation to you to volunteer. The purpose of the program is to:

• pay tribute and express appreciation to Veterans;
• increase community awareness of the role of the VA medical center;
• encourage citizens to visit hospitalized Veterans and to become involved as volunteers.

During the National Salute, VA invites individuals, Veterans groups, military personnel, civic organizations, businesses, schools, local media, celebrities and sports stars to participate in a variety of activities at the VA medical centers.

The Salute to Veteran Patients is an annual event started in 1974 by No Greater Love, Inc., a humanitarian organization. In 1978, VA took over events, and gave it the now-familiar name. Its connection to Valentine's Day inspired the late columnist Ann Landers to start the "Valentines for Vets" program in 1989.

For more information, click here.