U.S. Military

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Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon study has found high rates of cancer among military pilots and for the first time has shown that ground crews who fuel, maintain and launch those aircraft are also getting sick.

https://apnews.com/article/military-cancer-pilots-ground-crew-pentagon-study-298f70c4f7581fe5e08637fcb61abc71?

Air Force expands cancer review of nuclear missile personnel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force’s review of cancers among its nuclear missile corps will include all personnel who worked on, guarded, supported or operated the nation’s ground-based warheads, Air Force Global Strike Command announced Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-health-lymphoma-083f43ac696c313526487d4dc93c11db?

What Lies Beneath: Vets worry polluted base made them ill

FORT ORD NATIONAL MONUMENT, Calif. (AP) — For nearly 80 years, recruits reporting to central California’s Fort Ord considered themselves the lucky ones, privileged to live and work amid sparkling seas, sandy dunes and sage-covered hills.

https://apnews.com/article/us-army-fort-ord-chemical-exposure-cancer-c1078dd520322f2a4130e2f7077b7892?

9 killed in Army Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kentucky

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Army investigators are trying to determine what caused two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters to crash during a routine nightime training exercise in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers aboard. No one was hurt on the ground.

https://apnews.com/article/us-military-helicopters-crash-kentucky-89c9dbcd035b3cc7c637c2b1f0a037a2?

Helicopters in Kentucky crash are versatile Army workhorses

Two U.S. Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed during training Wednesday night in Kentucky, killing nine soldiers. Here are questions and answers about Black Hawks:

https://apnews.com/article/black-hawk-helicopters-crash-d8ebd81d05f0b917df61d7dbcdb1752f?

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9 Soldiers Killed as Pair of Helicopters Crash in One of the Army's Deadliest Training Accidents

Nine soldiers are dead after a crash involving two Black Hawk helicopters out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on Wednesday night, a training accident that is one of the deadliest in Army history.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/03/30/9-soldiers-killed-pair-of-helicopters-crash-one-of-armys-deadliest-training-accidents.html?

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At least 3 Marines killed, more injured in Osprey crash in Australia

Three Marines have been confirmed dead after a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey carrying 23 service members crashed in Australia on Sunday.

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/08/27/at-least-3-marines-killed-more-injured-in-osprey-crash-in-australia/

8 US Marines remain in a hospital after a fiery aircraft crash killed 3 during drills in Australia

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Eight U.S. Marines remained in a hospital in the Australian north coast city of Darwin on Monday after they were injured in a fiery crash of a tiltrotor aircraft that killed three of their colleagues on an island.

https://apnews.com/article/osprey-crash-australia-marines-89a89b2ba580249f8cd6960909ca0dcd?

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🪖 Artillery aftershocks hurt troops like football hits

U.S. soldiers and Marines fighting terrorism were damaged by their own weapons — and the military has denied it, covered it up and blamed the troops for their own trauma, the N.Y. Times' Dave Philipps writes in a 5,000-word investigation.

• Why it matters: Research now shows that, like hits in football, blast exposure from firing heavy weapons can cause irreparable brain injury.

The backstory: For the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2016 and 2017, the U.S. strategy was to put fewer soldiers on the ground — and have them fire artillery relentlessly instead of upping the number of troops.

• The result: Far more rounds were fired per crew member than by any American artillery battery since at least Vietnam, The Times found.

What happened: "Once-reliable Marines turned unpredictable and strange. Some are now homeless. A striking number eventually died by suicide, or tried to," Philipps writes.

• "n case after case, the military treated the crews' combat injuries as routine psychiatric disorders, if they treated them at all."
• "Others who started acting strangely after the deployments were ... punished for misconduct and forced out of the military in punitive ways that cut them off from the veterans' health care benefits."

Case in point: Lance Cpl. Javier Ortiz of Kissimmee, Fla., started seeing a ghost of a dead girl a few days after his return from Syria in 2017.

• "He tried to purify himself by lighting a fire on the beach near Camp Pendleton and burning his old combat gloves and journal from the deployment. But after the ashes cooled, the ghost was still there," The Times reports.
• After Ortiz sought relief with marijuana, "he was forced out for willful misconduct and given an other-than-honorable discharge that cut him off from access to therapy, medication, disability payments and other support intended for wounded veterans."

Worthy of your time: Gi1ft link to the full story (No paywall).

• Go deeper: A 2019 report by the Marines found the Syria tempo "could result in the artillery community suffering injuries faster than combat replacements can be trained to replace them."

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Study: U.S. military members' personal data being sold by online brokers

Sensitive, highly detailed personal data for thousands of active-duty and veteran U.S. military members can be purchased for as little as one cent per name through data broker websites, according to a new study published on Monday by Duke University researchers.

https://www.axios.com/2023/11/06/military-data-sold-for-cents-cheap-privacy?

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Trump hints at expanded role for the military within the US. A legacy law gives him few guardrails

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning in Iowa this year, Donald Trump said he was prevented during his presidency from using the military to quell violence in primarily Democratic cities and states.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-insurrection-act-2024-election-03858b6291e4721991b5a18c2dfb3c36?

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US Air Force Osprey crashes off Japan during training, killing at least one of the eight on board

TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed during a training mission Wednesday off of the country’s southern coast, killing at least one of the eight crew members, the Japanese coast guard said.

https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-helicopter-crash-7d704ec5925826593aebcf0e7d1312ca?

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Divers have found wreckage, 5 remains from Osprey aircraft that crashed off Japan, US Air Force says

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. and Japanese divers have discovered wreckage and the remains of five crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan, the Air Force announced Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-crash-search-a899abbe07447607813302ef06881424?

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Air Force identifies the 8 US crew lost in Osprey crash in Japan and recovers 6 bodies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Air Force Special Operations Command said Tuesday it has recovered the remains of six of the eight service members who were lost when their Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan last week, adding it is now focused on recovering the two bodies still missing and the aircraft debris.

https://apnews.com/article/osprey-crash-crew-air-force-japan-2198524cd99fab910e649b10c37fa6bd?

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Ospreys had safety issues long before they were grounded. A look at the aircraft’s history

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the U.S. military took the extraordinary step of grounding its entire fleet of V-22 Ospreys this week, it wasn’t reacting just to the recent deadly crash of the aircraft off the coast of Japan. The aircraft has had a long list of problems in its short history.

https://apnews.com/article/osprey-crash-clutch-grounded-accidents-explainer-5d81b361e3d1e43402f6727341515668?

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A military-themed brewery wants to open in a big Navy town. An ex-SEAL is getting in the way

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A former U.S. Navy SEAL who says he shot Osama bin Laden is at the center of a much different fight in Virginia, where plans for a military-themed brewery are drawing opposition over his alleged racist and homophobic remarks.

https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-virginia-armed-forces-brewing-oneill-permit-6e71e20b0989b8a5ff5c91c76b2bfc95?

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SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches X-37B plane, one of the US military’s most fascinating secrets

SpaceX’s hulking Falcon Heavy rocket returned to the skies Thursday evening, and this time it launched a mysterious spacecraft for the US military that will carry out cutting-edge research.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/28/world/spacex-x37b-space-plane-military-scn/index.html?

US military space plane blasts off on another secretive mission expected to last years

The U.S. military’s X-37B space plane blasted off Thursday on another secretive mission that’s expected to last at least a couple of years.

https://apnews.com/article/secret-space-plane-x-37b-4faa4c90a44b2cac111709af9106c6db?

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Military ends rescue search for Navy SEALs lost in maritime raid on ship with Iranian weapons

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 10-day search to rescue two Navy SEALs lost in the Arabian Sea during a mission to board a ship and confiscate Iranian-made weapons has been ended and the sailors are now considered deceased, the U.S. military said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/seals-navy-deceased-weapons-seizure-yemen-0502e297a90ecc28431fc5b2cb49d033?

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Two SEALS lost at sea

Navy SEALs Christopher Chambers (left) and Nathan Gage Ingram were killed during an operation off the coast of Somalia. Photos: Defense Department The Pentagon today identified two Navy SEALs who went missing at sea earlier this month and were pronounced dead over the weekend. Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher Chambers, 37 (above left), and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram, 27, were reported missing Jan. 11. The two vanished during a raid in which the U.S. military seized a cache of Iranian-supplied missile parts and other weaponry bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen. President Biden said in a statement: "Jill and I are mourning the tragic deaths of two of America's finest — Navy SEALs who were lost at sea while executing a mission off the coast of East Africa last week. ... These SEALs represented the very best of our country, pledging their lives to protect their fellow Americans." Get the latest.

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Military veteran charged in Capitol riot is ordered released from custody

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A military veteran charged with attacking police officers with a baton during a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was ordered released from custody on Tuesday, a day after his arrest.

https://apnews.com/article/edward-richmond-capitol-riot-iraq-f1b635dd5988efd58918fb59e7a7f861?

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US military revises account of what happened to 2 SEALs who died trying to board Yemen-bound ship

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials are revising their preliminary findings on what happened to two Navy SEALs who died during a mission to board an unflagged ship that was carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen.

https://apnews.com/article/seals-navy-deceased-weapons-raid-yemen-2e1ce5eb4fda2ca789fa88f25cf8e9ba?

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Rescue of Marine helicopter with 5 aboard is challenged by snowy California mountains

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rescuers were battling heavy snow Wednesday to reach a Marine Corps helicopter carrying five troops that went down in the mountains outside San Diego.

https://apnews.com/article/marine-helicopter-san-diego-a1498c3de5cc4d3bd6f59a97f10a4c74?

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Crews work to recover remains of 5 Marines killed when helicopter crashed in California mountains

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Efforts were underway Thursday to recover the remains of five U.S. Marines who were killed when their helicopter went down during stormy weather in the mountains outside of San Diego, the military said.

https://apnews.com/article/marine-helicopter-found-san-diego-mountains-a66c3e8565204c43a189301015ef41a6?

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Marine Corps confirms the worst: All 5 troops killed in helicopter crash in California mountains

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The helicopter carrying five Marines that crashed during stormy weather in the mountains outside San Diego was a CH-53E Super Stallion designed to fly through bad weather, even at night.

https://apnews.com/article/marine-helicopter-found-san-diego-mountains-a66c3e8565204c43a189301015ef41a6?

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5 Marines killed in helicopter crash identified as troops in their 20s

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Marine Corps released the names Friday of the five Marines killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during a historic storm. All of them were in their 20s.

https://apnews.com/article/marine-helicopter-crash-san-diego-miramar-california-storm-1fe8095eba1c61010a64b27e105d2b0c?

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"Every service family's worst fear"

Photo: Marine Corps via AP The Marine Corps released the names of the five Marines killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during a historic storm last week. All of them were in their 20s, AP reports. The photos above show, from left, Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, N.H., Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kan., Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Ariz., Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Mich. "We have been confronted with a tragedy that is every service family's worst fear," said Lt. Col. Nicholas J. Harvey, commanding officer of the squadron. "The Flying Tigers family stands strong and includes the friends and community who have supported our squadron during this challenging time. We will get through this together." The Marine Corps is working to recover their remains, which will take weeks because of the rough terrain and weather, said Col. James C. Ford, operations officer with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. In the meantime, Marines are staying with the remains round-the-clock to adhere to their ethos of never leaving any Marine behind.

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The US Military Already Has a Decades-Old Countermeasure for Russian Space Nukes

The national security of the United States is currently imperiled by a new threat from Russia, according to the White House: a "troubling" emerging, anti-satellite weapon that, while ostensibly incapable of "physical destruction" on the ground, could severely disrupt U.S. military and civilian operations in outer space. Some U.S. government officials suspect the system may be nuclear, a prospect that raises concerns that the Russian government could not only disable strategic satellites in orbit, but, in turn, deal a major blow to the U.S. economy by degrading both government and civilian space-based operations. The threat is apparently so dire that lawmakers in Congress are sounding alarm bells to the public.

https://www.military.com/off-duty/us-military-already-has-decades-old-countermeasure-russian-space-nukes.html?

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The US Army is slashing thousands of posts in a major revamp to prepare for future wars The U.S. Army is slashing the size of its force by about 24,000, almost 5%, and restructuring to be better able to fight the next major war as the service struggles with recruiting shortfalls. Read more.

Why this matters: The plan will add about 7,500 troops in other critical missions, including air-defense and counter-drone units, and five new task forces around the world with enhanced cyber, intelligence and long-range strike capabilities. The cuts will mainly be to posts that are already empty, rather than actual soldiers.   The changes represent a significant shift for the Army to prepare for large-scale combat operations against more sophisticated enemies. But they also underscore the steep recruiting challenges that all military services are facing.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ South Korean and US troops will begin major exercises next week in response to North Korean threats   US and British strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen answer militants’ surge in attacks on ships in the Red Sea   The US will build 5 new military bases for Somalia’s army, which faces a rebellion by an extremist group

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New Army video aims to lure recruits for psychological operations A haunting new video released in the early morning hours on Thursday is the latest effort by the Army to lure soldiers to some of its more secretive units. Hints of its origin are tucked into the frames as they flash by touting the power of words, ideas and “invisible hands.” The Army Special Operations Command hopes that those drawn to the video may be interested in joining as one of its psychological warfare soldiers. Read more.

Why this matters: Army Special Operations Command leaders and special forces recruiters hope that a new stream of chatter inspired by the video will help bring in recruits to an often unseen and little known job. Psyop units are used for an array of missions that can range from simple leaflet drops to sophisticated propaganda aimed at deceiving the enemy or shaping opinion on foreign soil. It’s illegal for the U.S. military to conduct psychological operations on Americans.   Across the military, the armed services have been struggling to meet enlistment goals, with most falling far short of their targets in recent years. The Army, which is the largest service, has had the most trouble, missing its goal by about 15,000 soldiers for the past two years.   These days, psyop activities are often classified. A recent example of psychological operations would be its assistance to Ukraine. U.S. psyop soldiers have advised and assisted Ukrainian troops in their efforts to counter Russian disinformation campaigns since 2014, and after the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukrainian forces used a range of tactics to entice Russian troops to surrender and tell them how and where to give themselves up.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ NATO members ‘deeply concerned’ by activities such as sabotage on alliance soil. They blame Russia   Book Review: ‘Means of Control’ charts the disturbing rise of a secretive US surveillance regime   New recruiting programs put the Army and the Air Force on track to meet enlistment goals. The Navy will fall short

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An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — With the midday sun blazing, an experimental orange and white F-16 fighter jet launched with a familiar roar that is a hallmark of U.S. airpower. But the aerial combat that followed was unlike any other: This F-16 was controlled by artificial intelligence, not a human pilot. And riding in the front seat was Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-fighter-jets-air-force-6a1100c96a73ca9b7f41cbd6a2753fda?