IN THE NEWS: Grandpa Doc; Biden Trips; Space Force growing Techs; SFJROTC; GAO gets in on Space Command HQ relo; UFO report coming due; Space Force NATSEC Nip Slip; National Guard D.C. extension; And we’re staying in Afghanistan; Generals acting badly; Where are the cars and buildings we bought in Afghanistan?; Iran satellite psyche-out; A new LGBTQ champion; Searching for the drunk airman who stole a plane; Air Force drone washes up on the beach; Affirmative action for pilots; Ukrainian jet Volkswagen add-on; Army discovers men and women are different; Jetpack soldiers; Navy drone swarms; Stress-o-Meter; Remembering the El Toro Jet joy ride; No benefits for jet fuel lungs.
Pictured in the cover art, from L to R: Sgt Maj Michael Grinston; Lt Gen Theodore Martin; MGySgt Scott Stalker; Maj Gen Patrick Donahoe; Maj Gen Paul Funk; and Sgt Maj Benjamin Lemon.
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NOTES:
Biden Trips Three Times While Boarding Air Force One
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/19/biden-trips-three-times-while-boarding-air-force-one.html
SPACE FORCE
Space Force May Add More Technical Sergeant Ranks, Top NCO Says
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/02/25/space-force-may-add-more-technical-sergeant-ranks-top-nco-says.html
Space Force JROTC to Get First Units Starting This Fall
https://www.airforcemag.com/space-force-jrotc-to-get-first-units-this-fall/
GAO to review Space Command headquarters decision
https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2021/03/22/gao-to-review-space-command-headquarters-decision/
UFO report details ‘difficult to explain’ sightings, says US ex-intelligence director
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/22/us-government-ufo-report-sightings
THE GREAT SPACE FORCE NATSEC NIP SLIP
https://sofrep.com/news/us-space-force-chief-space-is-the-wild-wild-west/
CONGRESS
Pentagon approves extending Guard deployment at Capitol
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/pentagon-approve-extend-national-guard-deployment-capitol/507-29c3fcec-a8d0-4e28-ad9d-b75788511324
Biden weighs keeping US troops in Afghanistan until November
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/biden-weighs-keeping-u-s-troops-afghanistan-until-november-n1261433
DOD
U.S. Military Twitter Accounts And Officials Attack Tucker Carlson For Questioning Woke Agenda
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/03/u-s-military-twitter-accounts-and-officials-attack-tucker-carlson-for-questioning-woke-agenda/
Backlash After Official Marine Corps Twitter Account Blasts Tucker Carlson
https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2021/03/14/backlash-after-official-marine-corps-twitter-account-blasts-tucker-carlson/
Marine Corps Slams Civilian Saying Military Should Focus on China
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/14/marine-corps-twitter-account-lashes-out-at-civilian-who-said-marines-should-focus-on-china-not-tucker/
Tucker Carlson Responds to Pentagon Hysteria over His Commentary https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/14/tucker-carlson-pentagon-hysteria-commentary-biden-military-moves/
U.S. Military Just Made A Political Attack On Joe Biden’s Opponents
https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/15/the-u-s-military-just-became-a-political-attack-machine-against-joe-bidens-opponents/
Report: US wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/03/01/report-us-wasted-billions-on-cars-buildings-in-afghanistan/
Report: Iran used commercial satellite images to monitor US forces before attack
https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoint/2021/03/01/report-iran-used-commercial-satellite-images-to-monitor-us-forces-before-attack/
SECDEF Directs Pentagon to Champion LGBTQI+ Rights – Air Force Magazine
https://www.airforcemag.com/secdef-directs-pentagon-to-champion-lgbtqi-rights/
AIR FORCE
What happened to the Air Force mechanic who stole a C-130 in a drunken, desperate bid to return home?
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/03/29/what-happened-to-the-air-force-mechanic-who-stole-a-c-130-in-a-drunken-desperate-bid-to-return-home/
Air Force target drone, shot down in Gulf of Mexico, washes ashore in southern Florida
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/03/19/air-force-target-drone-shot-down-in-gulf-of-mexico-washes-ashore-in-southern-florida/
Here’s the Air Force’s plan to diversify its pilot corps
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/03/19/heres-the-air-forces-plan-to-diversify-its-pilot-corps/
Drunken Ukrainian Air Force Officer Smashed His Volkswagen Into A MiG-29 Fighter
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39747/drunken-ukrainian-air-force-officer-smashed-his-volkswagen-into-a-mig-29-fighter
ARMY
U.S. Army Considers Reversing ‘Gender-Neutral Physical Test’ After Majority Of Women Fail To Keep Up With Men: Report
https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-army-considers-reversing-gender-neutral-physical-test-after-majority-of-women-fail-to-keep-up-with-men-report
The Pentagon finally wants to make jetpack soldiers a reality
https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/military-jetpack-research-drape/
NAVY
The Navy Plans To Launch Swarms Of Aerial Drones From Unmanned Submarines And Ships
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39535/navy-contract-exposes-plans-to-launch-swarms-of-drones-from-unmanned-boats-and-submarines
U.S. Navy rolls out aboard-ship stress management initiative
https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2021/03/01/navy-stress-management-initiatives-ussgettysburg/3461614627486/
MARINES
Marine Accused of Taking El Toro Jet on 2 a.m. Joy Ride
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-05-me-20219-story.html
VETS
Doctors Found Jet Fuel in Veteran’s Lungs. He Can’t Get Full Benefits
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/21/doctors-found-jet-fuel-veterans-lungs-he-cant-get-full-benefits.html
Hey…I want to be clear that the Army and Marine Corps enlisted rank names are damn near the same. Not my fault the Air Force wanted to be all educated and crap and come up with new names, like Tech and Chief. At least you’re not the Navy…they’re just weird.
Morale is supposed to go down before a deployment because the military treats you to a lobster dinner, pizza, or in my case, hot showers for a week. You know, just in case you don’t come back.
* Go up…man I need to check my own work once in a while.
I’ve been out of the Navy for a few years now, but I served on 5 different Essex-class carriers my first 10-years in the Navy. It’s a stressful environment! I can’t imagine going to my maintenance chief during flight ops and telling him my “stress meter” has pegged-out and I’m going below. He would have thrown that stress meter and me overboard!