NewzIntel.com

Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carbajal-Backed Bipartisan Bill to Expand Aerial Firefighting Fleet Passes House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

    U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) released the statement below following House passage of the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act. Earlier this year, Carbajal joined Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Jake Ellzey (R-TX-06), and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02) in introducing this legislation to improve our nation’s aerial firefighting capabilities through expanded use of excess military aircrafts and parts. The legislation will now go to the President’s desk to be signed into law. 

    “As wildfires continue to threaten communities across the Western U.S., we must expand the resources available to fire departments,” said Rep. Carbajal. “This bipartisan legislation will boost our firefighting aircraft fleet and ensure first responders have the air support they need to combat severe fires.”

    “This legislation is a huge step in mitigating the impacts of wildfires and gives our firefighters the tools they need to keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Utilizing the Department of Defense’s excess aircraft gives aerial firefighters an upper hand while leveraging the assets we already have at our disposal. I thank Senator Sheehy from Montana for his leadership as we send this legislation to the president’s desk.”

    “This year is the most dangerous and expensive wildfire year in history, and the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act will give wildland firefighters the tools they need to protect communities and save lives. Eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to fight wildfires more quickly and aggressively is America First common sense, and I appreciate my colleagues in the House and Senate for their support. I look forward to seeing this bipartisan bill cross the finish line so we can better support the brave first responders on the front lines fighting wildfires across the country,” said Sen. Sheehy (R-MT).

    “10 Tanker Air Carrier supports and thanks the bipartisan efforts of Congress to help the many operators involved with aerial firefighting to purchase at fair market value excess, retired military spare parts, particularly desperately needed engines and brakes. This commonsense approach will ensure that our aging fleet will remain available to the United States to battle the devastating wildland fires of today and well into the future.  We are pleased that the Department of Defense and the Air Force also support the national security mission of companies like ours,” said Joel Kerley, President and CEO of 10 Tanker Air Carrier.

    “Billings Flying Service is grateful to Rep. Carbajal and Rep. Newhouse for their leadership in introducing the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025. As an operator providing aerial wildfire suppression services across the United States, maintaining BFS fleet readiness is ever so critical to our mission. This Act opens up direct access to U.S. Armed Forces surplus parts, allowing operators to keep their aircraft in the air and deployed on life-saving missions. We are proud of the advancements Congress has made in protecting the sustainment of aerial wildfire resources, and we look forward to the Aerial Firefighter Enhancement Act becoming law,” said Bridger Blain, President of Billings Flying Service.

    “Firehawk Helicopters is encouraged by the passing of the Aerial Firefighting and Enhancement Act and would like to thank Rep. Newhouse, Rep. Carbajal, Sen. Tim Sheehy and Sen. Martin Heinrich for leading the efforts in seeing this bill passed. Since 20017 the aerial firefighting community has lost access to a critical aircraft and parts supply source. Taxpayers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars as valuable aircraft and aircraft parts were no longer made available for commercial sale.  The law will save these critical aircraft and parts from being scrapped. By making these aircraft and parts available for commercial sale again, the taxpayers will reap the maximum return on their original investment, but more importantly, see these aircraft and parts utilized in a second life that prioritizes the protection of the public from the growing threat of devastating wildfires,” said Bart Brainerd, CEO Firehawk Helicopters.

    This bipartisan bill aims to improve our country’s ability to combat wildfires year-round by enabling the use of military surplus aircrafts, sold at fair market value, for the aerial firefighting fleet. Additionally, the sale of aircraft parts will help maintain the current fleet of firefighting aircrafts.

    The bill reauthorizes the Secretary of Defense to sell excess Department of Defense aircrafts and parts, which are deemed suitable for commercial sale, to individuals or entities contracted by the government for the aerial delivery of fire retardants or water to fight wildfires, provided the aircraft and parts are used solely for wildfire suppression. The original authority expired in 2005, was reauthorized from 2012 to 2017, and has since lapsed again.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi Statement on the Reported Navy Decision to Rename USNS Harvey Milk

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the reported decision by the Trump Administration to rename the USNS Harvey Milk and other Navy ships in the John Lewis-class:
     
    “Harvey Milk proudly served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy and was a formidable force for change – not just in California, but in our Country. While he is remembered for his LGBTQ+ advocacy, Harvey fought for the dignity and worth of every person. In San Francisco, we take great pride that our Harvey’s name adorns a mighty ship among a new class of Navy vessels – named for the conscience of the Congress, John Lewis – which honor titans in the fight for freedom. The names of those who fought for civil rights and human rights bring luster to these ships – as their leadership brought luster to America.
     
    “The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream. Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the “warrior” ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.
     
    “As the rest of us are celebrating the joy of Pride Month, it is my hope that the Navy will reconsider this egregious decision and continue to recognize the extraordinary contributions of Harvey Milk, a Veteran himself, and all Americans who forged historic progress for our nation.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VETERANS, EXPERTS SHARE HOW HARMFUL REPUBLICAN POLICIES ARE TO VETERANS CARE

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

    “As Ranking Member on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I hear heartbreaking stories of our veterans being fired or denied and delayed from receiving their hard-earned benefits and services,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). “Trump and Republicans are breaking our promise to America’s veterans, letting Elon Musk’s DOGE cut benefits and healthcare our veterans earned while carrying out the largest firing of veterans in American history.”

    Norfolk, VA – Today, the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee held a hearing on the impacts of the Trump Administration proposed policies and DOGE cuts for veterans, led by Co-Chairs Congresswomen Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Nanette Díaz Barragán (D-CA). The committee heard from policy experts, healthcare providers, and veterans on how Republican schemes makes it more difficult to plan, access care, and utilize the programs across the federal government. 

    “Today, I heard a clear message from veterans, healthcare leaders and VA workers: President Trump’s agenda is making it harder for veterans and their families to receive the care they need,” said Rep. Kelly. “The Trump administration has fired over 6,000 veterans who are federal workers, implemented hiring freezes in the VA hospital system and cut mental healthcare for veterans. These attacks against the brave men and women who served our country in uniform are undignified and disrespectful.”

    “Our veterans served our country and have earned the care and benefits they were promised,” said Rep. Barragán. “Yet, Donald Trump and House Republicans have fired thousands of veterans, canceled contracts for programs to end veteran homelessness and prevent veteran suicide, frozen hiring new staff at the VA, and cut programs that provide health care and education — all so that they can line the pockets of their billionaire donors. House Democrats will continue to put our veterans over billionaires, fight back against Trump and House Republicans, and work to keep America’s commitment to our veterans.” 

    Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), who hosted the field hearing in his district said, “Today’s hearing highlighted the ways President Trump, Secretary Collins and Congressional Republicans have harmed our nation’s veterans by firing veterans, weakening the VA, and slashing Medicaid. I was proud to host my colleagues in Hampton Roads, home to one of the largest veterans’ populations in the country. I look forward to continuing to work together to protect America’s veterans from these attacks and ensure they receive the quality health care they earned.” 

    “Since his first day back in office, the President has gone after our nation’s veterans. The President has fired thousands of veterans and VA staff, taken a sledgehammer to the PACT Act serving veterans exposed to toxic substances, and canceled hundreds of contracts for programs supporting veterans’ mental health and addressing veteran homelessness. Make no mistake: This administration is making our veterans, their families, and the American people worse off,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, a veteran. 

    “As Ranking Member on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I hear heartbreaking stories of our veterans being fired or denied and delayed from receiving their hard-earned benefits and services,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). “Trump and Republicans are breaking our promise to America’s veterans, letting Elon Musk’s DOGE cut benefits and healthcare our veterans earned while carrying out the largest firing of veterans in American history.” 

    This year, the Steering & Policy Committee has held hearings on Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security Small Business, and Veterans. Each one shared personal stories of how everyday Americans are being harmed by this administration. The Steering & Policy Committee will continue to hear, collect, and share more stories from across the nation in the months ahead. 

    The full video of today’s hearing can be found here.  

    #### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Ricketts Lead Bipartisan Senate Delegation to Shangri-La Dialogue to Reaffirm U.S. Iron-Clad Commitment to Indo-Pacific Partners & Allies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    May 29, 2025
    [SINGAPORE] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—and U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) are leading a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Singapore to this year’s International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue, which is one of Asia’s premier global international security and defense summits, to reaffirm the United States’ strong bipartisan commitment to our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific region. Their arrival in Singapore comes immediately after Senator Duckworth completed a successful visit to Taiwan where she voiced her support for the Taiwanese people and our partnership with them. While in Singapore, the Delegation plans to meet with a number of defense and foreign affairs officials representing several of our partners in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss her efforts to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including strengthening our cultural, economic and military partnerships across the region.
    “I’ve always believed that if America wants to remain a global leader, we have to show up and support our partners and allies—and that means our leadership in the Indo-Pacific must continue for the long term,” said Senator Duckworth. “The United States has long been a major Pacific power but, if we abandon our Indo-Pacific partners, we’d be leaving a vacuum that the PRC both can—and likely will—take advantage of, making it harder for America to compete with China and weakening our standing on the global stage all while giving our adversaries and competitors an easy path to overtaking us. So I’m proud to be back for this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, where Senator Ricketts and I will be working to strengthen our relationships with several of our Indo-Pacific partners and send a strong, bipartisan message to our allies—and our competitors—that the United States is here for the long haul.”
    “Increasing aggression from Communist China continues to threaten peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific. In the Senate, I am working with my colleagues to make sure all aspects of our government are ready to respond to Beijing’s malign influence and hostilities in the region,” said Senator Ricketts. “What we’re seeing from America’s friends in the Indo-Pacific is a renewed emphasis on strengthening their defense capabilities. I’m looking forward to participating in this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue with Senator Duckworth. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies and partners to deter Communist China’s aggression and counter its threats to our collective interests.”
    While in Singapore, the Duckworth-Ricketts Delegation intends to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Singapore Minister of Defence Chan Chun Sing, Republic of Korea Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, German Deputy Defense Minister Dr. Nils Schmid, Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phuntham Wechayachai, Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, UK Ministry of Defense Minister of State Lord Coaker, Commander of United Nations Command (UNC) Xavier Brunson and more.
    This trip comes after Duckworth successfully led a bipartisan delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue alongside U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) last year. Duckworth is a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations and improving security in the region—which she has done while successfully securing significant international investments in Illinois. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed into law, Duckworth successfully secured a modified version of her Access to Care for Overseas Military Act to improve medical readiness in the Indo-Pacific. This provision established a program to accredit foreign medical facilities to help ensure our nation’s servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region—where they often must travel long distances to receive care—both during peacetime and in the event of a conflict abroad.
    In 2023, Duckworth led an official visit to Japan and Indonesia as part of her continuing efforts to strengthen ties and reinforce support between allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States. And last summer, Duckworth led another official visit to the Indo-Pacific region again, visiting Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to meet with government and business leaders and discuss opportunities that would increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as economic investments, regional stability and national security.
    In 2022, Duckworth traveled to South Korea and Taiwan where she met with business, government and trade leaders, which helped lead to a joint venture between Illinois’s ADM and South Korea’s LG Chem, as well as a commitment from Taiwan to purchase an estimated $2.6 billion of our Illinois’s corn and soybeans. In 2021, Duckworth, Sullivan and Coons also travelled to Taiwan to announce that the United States’ would donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan as part of President Biden’s plan to provide vaccines to our global partners in need. Duckworth also successfully included a modified version of her Strengthen Taiwan’s Security Act in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help Taiwan strengthen its military defenses. In 2019, Duckworth led a bipartisan delegation to Japan and Singapore. In 2018, Duckworth visited South Korea and Japan.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Even if Putin and Zelenskyy do go face-to-face, don’t expect wonders − their one meeting in 2019 ended in failure

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Anna Batta, Associate Professor of International Security Studies, Air University

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrive at the Elysee Palace in Paris in 2019. Ian Langsdon/Pool Photo via AP

    Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met for a second time in Istanbul in a month on June 2, 2025. Missing, again, were the country’s two leaders.

    For a fleeting moment ahead of the first meeting in mid-May 2025, there existed the faintest prospect that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine would join, sitting down in the same room for face-to-face talks.

    But it didn’t happen; few expected it would. On that occasion, Putin refused Zelenskyy’s offer of face-to-face talks in Istanbul.

    Even though neither leader met in the Istanbul summits, they have met before.

    In Paris in 2019, the two men sat down together as part of what was known as the Normandy Format talks. As a scholar of international relations, I have interviewed people involved in the talks. Some five years on, the way the talks floundered and then failed can offer lessons about the challenges today’s would-be mediators now face.

    Initial hopes

    The Normandy Format talks started on the sidelines of events in June 2014 commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The aim was to try to resolve the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatist groups in the country’s Donbas region in the east. That conflict had recently escalated, with pro-Russian separatists seizing key towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia illegally annexed the peninsula of Crimea in February 2014.

    The talks continued periodically until 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Until that point, most of the discussion was framed by two deals, the Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015, which set out the terms for a ceasefire between Kyiv and the Moscow-armed rebel groups and the conditions for elections in Donetsk and Luhansk.

    By the time of the sixth meeting in December 2019, the only time Zelenkyy and Putin have met in person, some still hoped that the Minsk accords could form a framework for peace.

    Under discussion

    Zelenskyy was only a few months into his presidency. He arrived in Paris with fresh energy and a desire to find peace.

    His electoral campaign had centered on the promise of putting an end to the unrest in Donbas, which had been rumbling on for years. The increasing role of Russia in the conflict, through supporting rebels financially and with volunteer Russian soldiers, had complicated and escalated fighting, and many Ukrainians were weary of the impact of internally displaced people that it caused.

    By all accounts, Zelenskyy went into Paris believing that he could make a deal with Putin.

    “I want to return with concrete results,” Zelenskyy said just days before meeting Putin. By then, the Ukrainian president’s only contact with Putin had been over the phone. “I want to see the person and I want to bring from Normandy understanding and feeling that everybody really wants gradually to finish this tragic war,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “I can feel it for sure only at the table.”

    One of Putin’s main concerns going into the talks was the lifting of Western sanctions imposed in response to the annexation of Crimea.

    But the Russian president also wanted to keep Russia’s smaller neighbor under its influence. Ukraine gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the early years of the new century, Russia began to exert increasing influence over the politics of its neighbor. This ended in 2014, when a popular revolution ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and ushered in a pro-Western government.

    More than anything, Russia wanted to arrest this shift and keep Ukraine out of the European Union and NATO.

    Those desires – Ukraine’s to end the war in Donbas, and Russia’s to curb the West’s involvement in Ukraine – formed the parameters for the Normandy talks.

    And for some time, there appeared to be momentum to find compromise. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the 2019 Paris talks had broken years of stalemate and relaunched the peace process. Putin’s assessment was that the peace process was “developing in the right direction.” Zelenskyy’s view was a little less enthusisastic: “Let’s say for now it’s a draw.”

    Talking past each other

    Yet the Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in 2019 ultimately ended in failure. In retrospect, both sides were talking past each other and could not reach agreement on the sequencing of key parts of the peace plan.

    Zelenskyy wanted the security provisions of the Minsk accords, including a lasting ceasefire and the securing of Ukraine’s border with Russia, in place before proceeding with regional elections on devolving autonomy to the regions. Putin was adamant that the elections come first.

    The success of the Normandy talks were also hindered by Putin’s refusal to acknowledge that Russia was a party to the conflict. Rather, he framed the Donbas conflict as a civil war between the Ukrainian government and the rebels. Russia’s role was simply to push the rebels to the negotiating table in this take – a view that was greeted with skepticism by Ukraine and the West.

    As a result, the Normandy talks stalled. And then in February 2022, Russian launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    Way forward today?

    The nascent negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that began in Istanbul in May 2025 represent the first real attempt to bring high-level delegations of both sides together since 2019.

    Many of the same challenges remain. The talks still revolve around the issues of security, the status of Donetsk and Luhansk, and prisoner exchanges – that last point being the only one in which common ground appears to be found, both in 2019 and now.

    But there are major differences – not least, three years of actual direct war. Russia can no longer deny that it is a party of the conflict, even if Moscow frames the war as a special military operation to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine.

    And three years of war have changed how the questions of Crimea and the Donbas are framed.

    In the Normandy talks, there was no talk of recognizing Russian control over any Ukrainian territory. But recent U.S. efforts to negotiate peace have included a “de-jure” U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea, plus “de-facto recognition” of Russia’s occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

    Another major difference between the negotiation process then and now is who is mediating.

    The Normandy negotiations were led by European leaders – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Macron of France. Throughout the whole Normandy talks process, only Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia were involved as active participants.

    Today, it is the United States taking the lead.

    And this suits Putin. A constant issue for Putin of the Normandy talks was that Germany and France were never neutral mediators.

    In President Donald Trump, Putin has found a U.S. leader who, at least at first, appeared eager to take on the mantle from Europe.

    But like the Europeans involved in the Normandy talks, Trump too is encountering similar barriers to any meaningful progress.

    Members of Ukrainian and Russian delegations attend peace talks on June 2, 2025, in Istanbul.
    Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Getty Images

    The Istanbul negotiations on May 16, 2025, were less productive than many people hoped. A proposed 30-day ceasefire agreement didn’t come to fruition; instead the parties agreed on a prisoner-exchange deal. Follow-up talks on June 2 ended after barely an hour, according to Turkish officials. Again, one point agreed on was a prisoner swap.

    The Paris peace talks, too, led to a prisoner exchange – but little more. It appears that getting the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to agree on anything more ambitious is as elusive now as it was when Putin and Zelenskyy met in 2019.

    The views expressed in this article represent the personal views of the author and are not necessarily the views of the Department of Defense or of the Department of the Air Force.

    – ref. Even if Putin and Zelenskyy do go face-to-face, don’t expect wonders − their one meeting in 2019 ended in failure – https://theconversation.com/even-if-putin-and-zelenskyy-do-go-face-to-face-dont-expect-wonders-their-one-meeting-in-2019-ended-in-failure-257093

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: All American Week 2025 at Fort Bragg!

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    —————
    Check out paratroopers from across the 82nd Airborne Division as they showcase their strength and skills in an exciting combative tournament. This annual event pays tribute to our brave veterans and their remarkable legacy.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
    —————
    Keep up with the Department of Defense on social media!

    Like the DoD on Facebook: http://facebook.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/DeptofDefense

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTqE4Jce76Y

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Forged in Service. United with Community.

    Source: US Marines (video statements)

    During #MarineWeekNashville, Marines are working alongside the local community — volunteering, engaging with residents, and taking part in events across Nashville, Tenn. #Marines are building trust, sharing our values, and strengthening the bond between the Marine Corps and the people we serve.

    Since 1775, the United States Marine Corps has served our nation honorably in every clime and place for 250 years. Throughout 2025, Marines across the globe will celebrate the 250th birthday of the Corps, commemorating, service, sacrifice, and honoring the legacy of “Semper Fidelis” to each other and the Nation we defend.

    #USMC250

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZl1TNHRE5U

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Newhouse Applauds Passage of Aerial Firefighter Legislation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)

    Headline: Newhouse Applauds Passage of Aerial Firefighter Legislation

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement upon unanimous passage of S.160, the Aerial Firefighter Enhancement Act of 2025 that strengthens aerial wildfire suppression efforts by utilizing excess military aircraft and parts.  

    “This legislation is a huge step in mitigating the impacts of wildfires and gives our firefighters the tools they need to keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Utilizing the Department of Defense’s excess aircraft gives aerial firefighters an upper hand while leveraging the assets we already have at our disposal. I thank Senator Sheehy from Montana for his leadership as we send this legislation to the president’s desk.” 

    Rep. Newhouse introduced the bipartisan companion legislation in the House of Representatives alongside Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) in February. The version passed today was sponsored by Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and was passed by the Senate in April under Unanimous Consent. The legislation now heads to the White House to be signed by President Trump. 

    “This year is the most dangerous and expensive wildfire year in history, and the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act will give wildland firefighters the tools they need to protect communities and save lives. Eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to fight wildfires more quickly and aggressively is America First common sense, and I appreciate my colleagues in the House and Senate for their support. I look forward to seeing this bipartisan bill cross the finish line so we can better support the brave first responders on the front lines fighting wildfires across the country,” said Senator Sheehy. 

    The legislation is supported by 10 Tanker Air Carrier, Billings Flying Service, and Firehawk Helicopters.  

    Joel Kerley, President and CEO, 10 Tanker Air Carrier said “10 Tanker Air Carrier supports and thanks the bipartisan efforts of Congress to help the many operators involved with aerial firefighting to purchase at fair market value excess, retired military spare parts, particularly desperately needed engines and brakes. This commonsense approach will ensure that our aging fleet will remain available to the United States to battle the devastating wildland fires of today and well into the future.  We are pleased that the Department of Defense and the Air Force also support the national security mission of companies like ours.” 

    Bridger Blain, President, Billings Flying Service said, “Billings Flying Service is grateful to Rep. Carbajal and Rep. Newhouse for their leadership in introducing the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025. As an operator providing aerial wildfire suppression services across the United States, maintaining BFS fleet readiness is ever so critical to our mission. This Act opens up direct access to U.S. Armed Forces surplus parts, allowing operators to keep their aircraft in the air and deployed on life-saving missions. We are proud of the advancements Congress has made in protecting the sustainment of aerial wildfire resources, and we look forward to the Aerial Firefighter Enhancement Act becoming law.” 

    Bart Brainerd, CEO, Firehawk Helicopters said, “Firehawk Helicopters is encouraged by the passing of the Aerial Firefighting and Enhancement Act and would like to thank Rep. Newhouse, Rep. Carbajal, Sen. Tim Sheehy and Sen. Martin Heinrich for leading the efforts in seeing this bill passed. Since 2017 the aerial firefighting community has lost access to a critical aircraft and parts supply source. Taxpayers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars as valuable aircraft and aircraft parts were no longer made available for commercial sale.  The law will save these critical aircraft and parts from being scrapped. By making these aircraft and parts available for commercial sale again, the taxpayers will reap the maximum return on their original investment, but more importantly, see these aircraft and parts utilized in a second life that prioritizes the protection of the public from the growing threat of devastating wildfires.” 

    Background 

    The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 amends the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale of aircraft and parts by the Department of Defense for wildfire suppression.

    This bipartisan bill will help the U.S. better suppress wildfires year-round by facilitating the acquisition of military excess aircraft, sold at fair market value, for the aerial wildfire suppression fleet. Additionally, the sale of parts will help the U.S. maintain its existing aerial firefighting aircraft fleet.

    The bill reauthorizes the Secretary of Defense to sell excess Department of Defense aircraft and aircraft parts, which are acceptable for commercial sale, to persons or entities that contract with the government for the delivery of fire retardants or water by air to suppress wildfires, as long as the aircraft and parts are used only for wildfire suppression. The initial authority expired in 2005 and was reauthorized from 2012 to 2017 before lapsing again. 

    See full bill text here. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Western Territory Marches for Veterans on Memorial Day

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The IAM Western Territory, including General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez, the IAM Veterans Services Department, IAM District W24, Local 1005, Local 203, Local 2006, Local 63, and Local W130 participated in a “ruck march” to support local veterans on Memorial Day.

    The march was organized by Do Good Multnomah, a Portland, Ore., veterans services group that provides vital support to veterans impacted by life’s struggles.

    See photos from the march here.

    “The funds we are raising here today help veterans here – in Portland,” said Frank Wilson, an IAM shop steward for Portland city government workers and vice chairman of the IAM Veterans Services Steering Committee. “I can go see it for myself and check on the veterans who may be in tough spots, and just need help today – not when a bunch of paperwork is all approved.”

    Wilson, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been a strong advocate for veterans issues in the Portland area. His work and training with the IAM Veterans Services team has allowed him to grow his reach and impact for all U.S. military veterans.

    Do Good Multnomah has run this Memorial Day ruck march for the past four years as an annual fundraiser. The IAM sponsored two teams with Wilson’s help, and he also spearheaded a team sponsorship from the City of Portland Veterans committee, which includes various workers and unions. Wilson was awarded a certificate for his efforts by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council before the event stepped off.

    “We are extremely proud of Frank and the entire group of members who came out to support our veterans,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “Veterans are a vital part of the fabric of the IAM Union. The sacrifices they’ve made help us live in a beautiful country like this, help preserve our liberties, and most of all – protect our right to form a union in the workplace.”

    Do Good Multnomah touches the lives of 70% of the houseless veterans in Portland. In addition to shelter, the organization runs weather response teams to seek out veterans during inclement weather, and the charity also works with the American Red Cross to give victims of house fires that are veterans immediate cash assistance.  

    The organization raised over $37,000 from this Memorial Day event, well over the initial goal of thirty-thousand dollars, but the non-profit organization could always accept more donations for their goal of opening a new veteran clean and sober shelter. Do Good Multnomah has provided over two hundred and twenty thousand meals in their facilities for veterans, and nearly four thousand self care and personal hygiene kits to veterans in need. 

    “It’s a worse issue than a lot of people really understand,” said Bryan Stymacks, Assistant Coordinator of IAM Veterans Services, who walked with General Vice President Martinez as a team on the six-mile ruck march for Portland’s veteran community. “They have a lot of unique struggles that can cause them to fall into tough times and it’s important to be there for them when they do.”

    Veterans are 2.5 to 3 times more likely to experience homelessness in the northwestern U.S. housing market based on data from the Veterans Administration, where it takes an hourly wage of over $35 an hour to afford a two bedroom apartment. Do Good Multnomah believes there are roughly 1,500 houseless veterans on any given night in Oregon. They are using grants and donations to try groundbreaking solutions for this population. One solution is the “low barrier” shelter, which simply cuts the barrier requirements for shelter for a veteran that may be employed, but recently evicted, with  a stop gap shelter until other housing becomes a solution.

    Wilson believes that his work to raise funds and check on progress of veteran services in his community is an extension to his duty to our country. The world could use a lot more people like Frank.

    The post IAM Western Territory Marches for Veterans on Memorial Day appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dutch Harbor Remembrance Day

    Source: US State of Alaska Governor

    WHEREAS, on June 3, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, World War II arrived in Alaska when Dutch Harbor on Amaknak Island was bombed by Japanese aircraft – the first aerial attack by an enemy on the continental United States; and

    WHEREAS, the Japanese pilots expected little resistance; however, due to an intercepted message three weeks earlier, the installation was on high alert, and Navy and Marine personnel were prepared with anti-aircraft weapons; and

    WHEREAS, faced with resistance at the Dutch Harbor installation, Japanese forces shifted their focus to the Margaret Bay Naval Barracks, where the attack claimed the lives of 25 servicemen; and

    WHEREAS, following the initial attack on Dutch Harbor, the Japanese carried out a series of assaults on Dutch Harbor, Adak, Kiska, and Attu, resulting in the Aleut people being evacuated and held in internment camps in Southeast Alaska for three years, through which many did not survive; and

    WHEREAS, the brave soldiers of the United States Armed Forces and allied Canadian Forces valiantly fought the invading Japanese for over a year in order to retake the remaining Aleutian Islands. The battle for Attu ranks as one of the United States’ most costly American assaults in the Pacific during the war, with hundreds of servicemen making the ultimate sacrifice to liberate Alaska; and

    WHEREAS, this year marks the 83rd anniversary of the bombing of Dutch Harbor and we remember and honor all those who were affected by the attack, commemorating both the military personnel who served and died to defend our Nation and the Aleuts who died while imprisoned.

    NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim June 3, 2025 as:

    Dutch Harbor Remembrance Day

    in Alaska and encourage Alaskans to join with the people of Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, and the Aleutian Islands to honor all who were lost in Alaska during World War II, and I order the Alaska State Flag to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of those who perished.

    Dated: June 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Military Times: Warren presses Hegseth about fluoridation’s impact on readiness

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 23, 2025
    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has sent a letter pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers about how potentially ending fluoride use in drinking water, as recently championed by the Trump administration’s health care chief, could undermine military readiness.
    Warren’s Thursday letter comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoride be added to drinking water in communities nationwide. Kennedy said he’s assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations. Kennedy, who has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin,” has blamed the fluoridation of drinking water on health issues, including arthritis, bone breaks and thyroid disease, according to The Associated Press.
    “These attacks on the use of fluoride for dental health present a serious readiness problem,” Warren wrote in her letter, adding that Sean O’Keefe, the administration’s nominee to be deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, has said “dental health issues are often the largest cause of non-deployability within a military unit.”
    The potential reversal of the CDC’s recommendations on fluoridated water “will exacerbate these readiness concerns,” Warren wrote.
    State and local governments have the authority to add fluoride to water sources, but the CDC’s recommendation to fluoridate water is widely followed.
    …
    Read the full article here.
    By:  Karen JowersSource: Military Times
    Previous Article

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: VA NEWS JUNE 3, 2025

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    Join US Army Veteran Jennifer Hunt and Purple Heart recipient on VA News as we bring DC memorials to Veterans around the country with the Honor Everywhere Virtual Reality Program, honor Vietnam Veterans 50 years later, and showcase Navy Veteran Donald Johnson, a 109-year-old golfer, getting back on the links with support from VA’s recreational therapy program.

    For more information, visit HonorEverywhere.com and VeteransGolfClinic.org. Thanks for watching, and thank you for your service! #VANews #Veterans #VirtualReality #VietnamVeterans #Golf

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4V1n_CStC4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Exemption of defence spending from EU fiscal rules – E-000034/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    EU integration was built on a shared aspiration for lasting peace in Europe. Given the deterioration of the security situation, the determination to maintain peace has prompted the Commission, together with the High Representative/Vice-President, to elaborate the White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030[1], which aims to deter any temptation of military aggression and to ensure that Europeans are ready to withstand all threats, including the most extreme military contingencies.

    It means that Europeans shall take care of their own security, build their strategic autonomy and a fairer burden-sharing within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which remains the cornerstone of EU’s defence.

    The Commission supports Member States’ efforts to achieve defence readiness in a more cooperative and more cost-efficient manner with its policy, financial, and regulatory powers.

    The White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030 sets out a vision according to which they should tap the full potential of EU collaboration to deliver peace through strength and unity.

    The ReArm Europe Plan provides ambitious and sound financial foundations to support Member States in sustaining this huge effort and in closing the accumulated capability gap. Finally, the Defence Omnibus will be proposed in June to simplify the regulatory environment of the defence sector.

    Member States are in the driving seat for defence matters and remain the sole decision-makers to identify, prioritise and realise their capability needs.

    The Commission supports them with its policies and instruments, promoting a more cooperative approach towards defence investment and industrial ramp up, to increase value for money, better interoperability and resilience in the EU’s achievements of defence readiness.

    • [1] https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/30b50d2c-49aa-4250-9ca6-27a0347cf009_en?filename=White%20Paper.pdf.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman David Scott Files Legislation Transforming Abandoned Sites into U.S. Space-Industry Manufacturing Hubs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

    WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), a senior member of the House Financial Services and House Agriculture Committees, filed legislation to stimulate the creation of jobs in the domestic U.S. space manufacturing sector. The Rural American Vitalization in Extraterrestrial Space (RAVES) Reporting Act, would promote the redevelopment of shuttered factories, abandoned plants, and decommissioned military installations into advanced manufacturing hubs supporting U.S. space exploration and commercialization across rural communities.

    “As global competition in space continues to intensify, we must ensure that America’s next-generation space infrastructure is built here at home—by American workers, in American communities,” said Congressman David Scott. “The RAVES Reporting Act will turn economic stagnation into innovation by revitalizing long-abandoned industrial and defense sites and transforming them into vital hubs of extraterrestrial manufacturing and research. China’s latest investment focus to “militarize space” partly through their Made in China 2025 initiative, shows just why the United States must remain the global leader in space investment. My bill will ensure the future of space is built by the same communities that once powered American steel, shipbuilding, and defense. All while strengthening U.S. national security interests.”

    The RAVES Reporting Act will instruct the Department of Defense to determine the ability, capacity, and recommendation for transforming abandoned sites into U.S. space-industry manufacturing hubs. Specifically, the bill:

    ·       Taps into the $1.8 trillion space industry for rural communities by identifying and certifying eligible abandoned or underutilized sites.

    ·       Examines best possible solutions for current space supply chain issues through commercial input from agencies like NASA.

    ·       Includes expanded pathways for increased streams in manufacturing jobs and revenue, STEM education, and infrastructure improvements like widespread broadband in rural communities.

    ·       Strengthens U.S. national security by countering Chinese space expansion.

    “The Rural Technology Fund appreciates the intent of the RAVES Reporting Act of 2025 and its focus on exploring opportunities for rural revitalization through space-related industries. The bill’s emphasis on workforce development, education, and collaboration with local institutions aligns with our mission to expand access to technology and technical careers in rural communities. We look forward to the insights this study may provide into how existing infrastructure can be part of that future.” Dr. Chris Sanders, Executive Director, Rural Technology Fund

    “Innovation focused industries are critical for economic renewal in rural America and aerospace has tremendous potential in these regions, as we have seen through the startups across the Rural Innovation Network. The recycling of existing infrastructure is also important to ensure we can create these companies and jobs without destroying what provides rural places an exceptional quality of life. We wholeheartedly endorse Congressman’s Scott’s Rural American Vitalization in Extraterrestrial Space Reporting Act.” Matt Dunne, Executive Director of the Center on Rural Innovation

    “Space is overhead of every American, and every American is vital to the productive utilization of space; not just the traditional centers or large cities, but in revitalizing, innovative rural areas as well. As we’ve been lucky enough to build our company on a rural coastline and now operate hardware on the space station, KMI supports the continued reinvestment to be identified by the RAVES Reporting Act of 2025. For more space solutions to more space challenges, this country needs to not only invest in major space efforts, but rebuild the bedrock that launched humanity from Earth to footsteps on the Moon by encouraging innovation once again across all America.” Troy M. Morris, Co-Founder & CEO, Kall Morris Inc (KMI)

    The text of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: LIS Technologies Inc. Bolsters its Technical Team with the addition of Prominent Researcher and Engineer Lukasz Urbanski, Ph.D., to Lead its Stable Isotope Laser Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Oak Ridge, Tennessee, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LIS Technologies Inc. (“LIST” or “the Company”), a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology and the only USA-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment company, today announced that it has engaged Lukasz Urbanski as the Director of its Stable Isotope Laser Program.

    Dr. Lukasz Urbanski is a seasoned technologist, bringing 12 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, specializing in high-power CO2 laser systems for Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. As a High-Power Laser Systems Architect at ASML Research, he led the development of next-generation drive lasers, critical components for laser-produced plasma in high-volume manufacturing EUV lithography systems. His work focused on scaling laser power and efficiency while reducing technology costs, resulting in multiple world records in power output, stability, repetition rate, and system architecture.

    “It is a joy to take on this role with LIS Technologies and spearhead the creation of its Stable Isotope Laser Program,” said Lukasz Urbanski, Ph.D., Stable Isotope Laser Program Director of LIS Technologies Inc. “There is a major opportunity in pursuing the development of stable isotopes, and later medical isotopes, that the Company has seen fit to explore and I am delighted to lend my expertise and help to expand the possibilities of what CRISLA can achieve.”

    Figure 1 – LIS Technologies Inc. Engages Dr. Lukasz Urbanski as the Director of its Stable Isotope Laser Program.

    Prior to the architect role at ASML, Dr. Urbanski served as a Staff Systems Engineer, where he acted as a key interface between Research, Engineering, and Product Development teams. He coordinated cross-disciplinary efforts to translate early-stage innovations into manufacturable solutions, with a strong emphasis on system throughput and optical performance. His contributions spanned the entire product lifecycle, from concept and design through implementation, ensuring technical alignment and performance optimization across teams.

    Dr. Urbanski began his career in EUV research as a graduate student at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for EUV Science and Technology, where he advanced to a postdoctoral researcher role. During this time, he also contributed to research at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Before transitioning to academia and industry, he served as a Platoon Commander in the Polish Armed Forces after graduating from the Military University of Technology with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University with a focus on EUV Lasers, Nanopatterning, Nanofabrication, EUV Lithography.

    “Lukasz is a top scientist and engineer with the knowledge and expertise required to spearhead this whole new program for the Company,” said Christo Liebenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of LIS Technologies Inc. “The Stable Isotope Laser Program will open new market opportunities for LIST and deliver critical products, such as the isotopes required to enhance the performance of next-generation chips for AI and quantum computing, or potential medical isotopes that can drive healthcare breakthroughs. Lukasz’s track record of guiding projects from inception will be invaluable, and I’m pleased to welcome him to the Company.”

    “Dr. Urbanski sees our company’s potential and market growth, having come from a company with a market worth of about $300 billion. Following his addition, we are now preparing to enter the rapidly expanding stable‑isotope market, alongside further developing the only U.S.‑origin, patented laser‑uranium‑enrichment technology, which is uniquely positioned to support the growing fuel demands of large civil reactors as well as advanced SMRs and microreactors,” said Jay Yu, Executive Chairman and President of LIS Technologies Inc. “I feel humbled to have such a seasoned professional and technical expert to assist us in developing a potentially significant new revenue stream for the Company.”

    About LIS Technologies Inc.

    LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) is a USA based, proprietary developer of a patented advanced laser technology, making use of infrared lasers to selectively excite the molecules of desired isotopes to separate them from other isotopes. The Laser Isotope Separation Technology (L.I.S.T) has a huge range of applications, including being the only USA-origin (and patented) laser uranium enrichment company, and several major advantages over traditional methods such as gas diffusion, centrifuges, and prior art laser enrichment. The LIST proprietary laser-based process is more energy-efficient and has the potential to be deployed with highly competitive capital and operational costs. L.I.S.T is optimized for LEU (Low Enriched Uranium) for existing civilian nuclear power plants, High-Assay LEU (HALEU) for the next generation of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Microreactors, the production of stable isotopes for medical and scientific research, and applications in quantum computing manufacturing for semiconductor technologies. The Company employs a world class nuclear technical team working alongside leading nuclear entrepreneurs, former U.S. national leaders, and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with government and private nuclear industries.

    In Dec 2024, LIS Technologies Inc. was selected as one of six domestic companies to participate in the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program. This initiative allocates up to $3.4 billion overall, with contracts lasting for up to 10 years. Each awardee is slated to receive a minimum contract of $2 million.

    For more information please visit: LaserIsTech.com

    For further information, please contact:
    Email: info@laseristech.com
    Telephone: 800-388-5492
    Follow us on X Platform
    Follow us on LinkedIn

    Forward Looking Statements

    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For LIS Technologies Inc., particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following which are, and will be, exacerbated by any worsening of global business and economic environment: (i) risks related to the development of new or advanced technology, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, development of competitive technology, loss of key individuals and uncertainty of success of patent filing, (ii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations and (iii) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy a competitive laser enrichment technology, (iv) risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in this and our other filings with the SEC. Only after successful completion of our Phase 2 Pilot Plant demonstration will LIS Technologies be able to make realistic economic predictions for a Commercial Facility. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The strategic defence review means three new approaches for the UK

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David J. Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology, University of Bath

    The UK government’s new strategic defence review has laid out a blueprint aimed at making Britain “secure at home, strong abroad”.

    The review represents a change in how the government thinks about the UK’s defence amid a rapidly changing geopolitical picture. The Labour government launched the review in July 2024 shortly after taking office, as a first step in reassessing UK armed forces in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged at the time: “We live in a more dangerous and volatile world.”

    The government has accepted the review’s 62 recommendations. The most eye-catching parts are investment and development of new weapons: expanding the UK’s nuclear capabilities, drone swarms and long-range missile systems, new F-35 and updated Typhoon fighter jets and autonomous weapon systems.

    Unlike past reviews, this one was conducted by experts outside of the government: former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson, former US National Security Council member and former White House adviser Fiona Hill, and retired British Army officer General Sir Richard Barrons.

    In addition to practical measures of investment and expansion, the review lays out the more difficult changes that are needed to respond to security challenges, namely Russian threats to Europe. Here are three key aspects to understand.

    1. War-fighting ready

    The review says the UK must be “ready to fight and win” a full-scale war. Importantly, it suggests that the UK is no longer in an era of going to war when it chooses – but instead is facing the possibility of being forced into war.

    Academic Mary Kaldor made the distinction between the two types of wars in her book New Wars and Old Wars, stating that old wars are “wars of necessity”, and new wars are “wars of the willing”. Published a few years after the end of the cold war, it’s easy to see why Kaldor made this distinction.

    But the strategic review paints a different picture – that wars of necessity are once again the UK’s primary security concern. This means the UK must be on a different war footing than it has been since 1991.

    As such, the government and the UK armed forces will have to change and become more innovative to meet this challenge. To do this, the review lays out plans for an “integrated force” model (rather than joint forces). It describes this approach as leading to “a more agile and lethal combat force”.

    The review also calls for a “whole society approach”, including expanding the voluntary under-18 cadet forces, protecting national infrastructure and public outreach.

    2. Pace of innovation

    The review includes a host of recommendations for digital innovation and munitions production, and suggests that the defence industry could be an even bigger contributor to growing the economy. But, it notes, the UK’s defence industry is currently “stuck in cold war-era procurement cycles” and processes.

    It points to a need to speed up planning and procurement and improve partnerships with the commercial sector.

    Many digital innovations are being driven by industry in the US and China, such as the work on AI, nanotechnologies, robotics and automation. The challenge for the UK will be how to build good relationships with those countries on innovation which does not have a strong presence in UK digital industries.

    Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey visit the warship HMS Glasgow.
    Lauren Hurley/Number 10/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    3. Nato first

    The reelection of Donald Trump in 2024 shocked many into thinking that the trans-Atlantic relationship was fast dissolving, though the change has been going on for some time . This review acknowledges that in setting out a “Nato first” approach:

    There is an unequivocal need for the UK to redouble its efforts within the Alliance and to step up its contribution to Euro-Atlantic security more broadly – particularly as Russian aggression across Europe grows and as the United States of America adapts its regional priorities.

    It states that Europe and the transatlantic area will be the UK’s primary reference for security. This marks a shift from the previous “Indo-pacific tilt” defence focus laid out in the 2021 integrated review.

    The Nato-first approach seems to be at odds with the direction of Nato’s largest and most powerful member, the US. Since the end of the 1990s, US presidents have repeatedly sought to realign US grand strategy towards China and away from Europe. Had the Russian Federation not invaded Crimea in 2014, the Obama administration may have been able to carry out this pivot.

    As it stands, with the second Trump presidency and its repeated calls for increasing defence spending from European states (in addition to what has often been seen as less than resolute intentions towards Russia), one might think Nato should be counting its days, rather than being placed at the centre of a new strategic review.

    However, regardless of Trump’s actions, the UK will still matter for Washington for the foreseeable future, because it remains an ally and it does defence well. Nato still remains the way to do coalition-building because it has been around for so long and has built up the institutions to do high-level defence cooperation and coordination.

    The review recognises the direction of travel for Washington, and how much it requires the UK and other European governments to invest in their own defence.

    David J. Galbreath has received funding from the UKRI.

    – ref. The strategic defence review means three new approaches for the UK – https://theconversation.com/the-strategic-defence-review-means-three-new-approaches-for-the-uk-258002

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bloomberg: Senators Revive Bill to Break Big Tech’s Grip on Pentagon Deals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    May 15, 2025

    A bipartisan pair of senators is reviving a bill to break the grip that tech giants like Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have on the Pentagon’s cloud computing and artificial intelligence contracts.

    The Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act is set to be reintroduced on Thursday by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Republican Eric Schmitt of Missouri, according to people familiar with the matter. A version of the bill is also being introduced for the first time in the House, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information is not public.

    The goal of the legislation is to increase competition for billions of dollars worth of AI and cloud contracts currently dominated by Big Tech firms. If passed, the Department of Defense would be required to hold a competitive bidding process for deals worth $50 million or more. The bill would also direct the agency to “mitigate barriers” that make it harder for startups and nontraditional contractors to compete.

    The planned legislation reflects a new balancing act for lawmakers. While many in Washington have expressed greater urgency to bolster US technological competitiveness and deploy more AI across the federal government, there are also longstanding concerns on both sides of the aisle about further entrenching the dominance of Silicon Valley’s largest companies.

    “It’s a mistake to let Silicon Valley monopolize our AI and cloud computing tools because it doesn’t just stifle innovation, it increases costs and threatens our national security,” Warren said in statement.

    …

    Read the full article here.

    By:  Jackie Davalos
    Source: Bloomberg

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Lethal humanitarianism: why violence at Gaza aid centres should not come as a surprise

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Irit Katz, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies, University of Cambridge

    At least 27 Palestinians were reported to have been killed on the morning of June 3 amid chaotic scenes at an aid distribution centre in the southern Gaza Strip. This follows a similar incident on June 1 when around 30 civilians were reportedly killed as people scrambled to get food supplies at an aid centre near Rafah in southern Gaza.

    The Israeli and US governments and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – the private contractor backed by Israel and the US to take over aid distribution in Gaza – previously denied reports that Israeli troops had fired on civilians queuing for aid. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, criticised what he called “reckless and irresponsible reporting by major US news outlets”.

    After the June 3 incident, however, the Israeli military admitted it had fired shots near a food distribution complex after noticing “a number of suspects moving towards them”. A GHF spokesperson said it was believed that the people had been fired upon “after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone”.

    The violence at these privately run aid distribution points should come as no surprise, given the situation. For weeks since the Israeli government imposed its aid blockade in early March, the humanitarian crisis in the Strip has become more acute. By April the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification), a collaboration between numerous intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, was already reporting that Gaza’s whole population was experiencing critical levels of hunger.

    The aid distribution system put in place by GHF, meanwhile has been widely criticised. On May 25, the day before GHF began operations in Gaza its American director, Jake Wood, resigned. He said he believed the organisation would not be able to fulfil the basic humanitarian principles of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence”.

    Divide and control

    The GHF’s aid distribution plan is similar in character to a plan published in December 2024 by an organisation of many former high-ranking Israeli military officers, Israel’s Defense and Security Forum (IDSF). The group proposed to take control of aid distribution from the UN agency Unrwa, which was the main organisation overseeing aid distribution until it was banned by Israel earlier this year.

    The IDSF plan proposes that: “Israel will oversee the aid distributed by international organizations, effectively dismantling the distribution networks of UNRWA and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, guided by the principle: ‘The hand that distributes the aid is the hand that controls it’.”

    This would be achieved with the creation of tent cities for internally displaced people (IDP), described as “humanitarian zones”. About 90% of the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza are IDPs. The IDSF plan, acknowledging that “extensive built-up areas have been left destroyed, or are no longer inhabitable”, says that “it is currently neither feasible nor recommended that the IDPs return at the conclusion of the war”.

    Under the plan, parts of the Gaza Strip still inhabited by Palestinian civilians, will be divided by a “system of longitudinal and transverse axes”. Each “IDP city” created within these divisions will be managed as a “separate temporary administrative territory” following the principle of “divide and rule”.

    The plan calls for responsibility for humanitarian aid in Gaza to pass “to a Humanitarian Directorate based on IDP cities and biometric certificates”. This is called the “Day After Plan” by the IDSF, designed as a way to control Gaza’s population, while driving a wedge between civilians and Hamas in order to destroy it. This despite the fact that a senior Israeli military commander has said it is impossible to eliminate Hamas.

    The reality on the ground

    The way GHF is currently organising aid distribution fulfils some of the principles of the IDSF plan. It replaces UN aid distribution with a private outfit, backed by both Israel and the US, yet it provides aid through only four sites.

    These are located unevenly in the Gaza Strip, three in a small area southwest of Rafah, and the fourth south of Gaza City, in an area dominated by the Netzarim corridor, which is controlled by the Israeli military.

    People queuing for access to aid reportedly have to walk along a narrow fenced corridor into a larger aid compound. Once inside they are subject to ID checks and eye scans to further control the distribution for aid.

    This has reportedly resulted in long hours of waiting in the heat and led to chaotic scenes were people have broken down fences in a bid to get supplies. Among the people reported to have been killed on June 3 were three children and two women.

    The GHF scheme had already been criticised before the violent incidents by both Palestinians and international aid organisations. The placement of the distribution sites means that people sometimes have to travel considerable distances to receive aid.

    The UN children’s fund spokesperson Jonathan Crick asked: “How is a mother of four children, who has lost her husband, going to carry 20kg back to her makeshift tent, sometimes several kilometres away?”

    As someone who researches urban design, conflict, and displacement, it is clear to me that designing the entire aid distribution system around only four “mega-sites” in limited areas in the Strip leads to the sort of overcrowding and chaos that have made violence all but inevitable.

    In my opinion, in concentrating these sites while extensively demolishing habitable areas in the Strip, Israel is effectively weaponising essential civilian mechanisms against Palestinians. The aid scheme appears to prioritise political and territorial issues over the humanitarian distribution of aid.

    The GHF system enables Israel to further concentrate civilians into makeshift encampments. Here they face inadequate and unhygienic conditions and shelter. These are particularly unsafe for women and children, while also being vulnerable to attacks by the Israeli military.

    Palestinians also fear that the biometric screening will be used by Israel as a weapon of coercive control, rather than as a means to provide humanitarian relief.

    Now people trying to access aid are dying. The international community must urgently put pressure on both sides to agree a ceasefire and on Israel to open Gaza up for a rapid large-scale humanitarian operation. To maintain the current GHF system is to invite further tragedy.

    Irit Katz receives funding from the AHRC.

    – ref. Lethal humanitarianism: why violence at Gaza aid centres should not come as a surprise – https://theconversation.com/lethal-humanitarianism-why-violence-at-gaza-aid-centres-should-not-come-as-a-surprise-257908

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian airfields could derail Russia’s war efforts

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By James Horncastle, Assistant Professor and Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations, Simon Fraser University

    The drone attacks by Ukrainian Operation Spider’s Web forces on Russian airfields have called into question Russia’s supposed military strength.

    Russian authorities have acknowledged damage from the June 1 attacks — an unusual admission that suggests the strikes were probably effective, given Russia’s usual pattern of downplaying or denying the success of Ukrainian operations.

    The operation’s most significant target was the Belaya air base, north of Mongolia. Belaya, like the other bases targeted, is a critical component in the Russian Air Force’s strategic strike capabilities because it houses planes capable of long-range nuclear and conventional strikes.

    It’s also in Irkutsk, approximately 4,500 kilometres from the front lines in Ukraine.



    Read more:
    Ukraine drone strikes on Russian airbase reveal any country is vulnerable to the same kind of attack

    Ukraine’s ability to successfully strike Belaya — an attempted strike at the even more distant Ukrainka air base failed — probably won’t have much of a military impact on the war. But along with successful attacks on other Russian airfields and the strike at the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, Operation Spider Web’s successes could play a strategic role in the conflict.

    These attacks could shift what has become increasingly negative media coverage and public perception about Ukraine’s chances in the war over the last year. In a war of attrition, which the conflict in Ukraine has become, establishing a belief in victory is a pre-condition for success.

    Explosions hit the Kerch Bridge in Russia on June 3, 2025. (The Independent)

    Increased pessimism

    Policymakers and pundits, instead of recognizing their expectations of a Ukrainian victory in 2023 were unrealistic, have often declared that the war is unwinnable for Ukraine.

    This perspective was even more prevalent following United States President Donald Trump’s resumption of power in January 2025. In the Oval Office spat Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late February, he declared Ukraine did not “have the cards” to defeat Russia.

    This turned out to be false. Ukraine’s army may possess significantly less military hardware and fewer soldiers than Russia’s, but war is often a continuation of politics. Politically, Russia faces several issues that could derail its war efforts.

    Russian vulnerabilities

    Russia’s military capabilities are important to Russian nationalists, who make up Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s core constituency. Russian military forces have advanced along nearly all fronts in Ukraine over the last year.

    These advances, however, have largely been insignificant. Furthermore, they have emphasized Russia’s military weakness, which is an ongoing affront to Russian nationalists.

    Not only have Russian military advances over the last year not changed the war in a strictly military sense, but the pace of advance has been incredibly slow. Over the last year, Russian forces have captured 5,107 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory. This territory represents less than one per cent of Ukraine’s pre-war territory.

    In exchange for what amounts to negligible gains, Russian armed forces have suffered significant casualties.

    Both Russia and Ukraine carefully guard the number of casualties their forces have suffered in the war. The British Ministry of Defence, however, estimates that Russia will have suffered more than a million casualties in the war by the end of this month. The Russian casualty rate is also accelerating, with an estimated 160,000 casualties in the first four months of 2025.

    Russia attempts to compensate for this battlefield devastation in two ways.

    First, it’s isolated Ukraine by manipulating Trump’s desire for political wins and business deals. Russia, in appearing to seek an end to the conflict while offering no concessions, has stoked tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump, where there was little love lost between the two to begin with.

    Second, Russia has increased its attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Large-scale bombing does little to help Russia on the battlefield. The attacks, in fact, put its forces at a disadvantage by redirecting munitions from military targets.

    Attacks on civilians

    The attacks on civilian infrastructure, however, are more about instilling fear in the Ukrainian population and demonstrating American impotence to a Russian audience.

    Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities also highlight Russia’s trump card: nuclear weapons. Russia, and specifically former Russian president Dimitry Medvedev, has repeatedly threatened nuclear war in an attempt to dissuade Ukraine’s supporters.

    By bombing Ukrainian cities, albeit with conventional munitions, Russia seeks to demonstrate its ability to deploy even more destructive weapons should the situation call for it.

    These Russian military missteps, combined with a Russian economy that is structurally unsound, means that Russia’s war effort is increasingly fragile.

    Weakening Asian alliances

    Ukraine’s attack on Belaya also signals Russian weakness to its nominal allies in Asia.

    Since the start of hostilities, Russia has relied on the tacit consent of China. This support has taken the form of China purchasing Russian crude oil to maintain the Russian economy and Chinese citizens unofficially fighting for Russia.

    Belaya has been a vital element of Russia’s deterrence strategy in Asia, which has come to rely more heavily on the Russian strategic nuclear threat. The inability of Russia to protect one of its key strategic assets from a Ukrainian drone attack, combined with the weakness of Russian conventional forces in Ukraine, erodes its ability to position itself as a key ally to China.

    In fact, some Russian authorities continue to view China as a major threat.

    At the same time, Operation Spider’s Web gives hope to the Ukrainian people. It may also cause Trump — who prefers to back winners — to ponder whether it’s Putin, not Zelenskyy, who lacks the cards to win the war.

    James Horncastle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian airfields could derail Russia’s war efforts – https://theconversation.com/how-ukraines-drone-attacks-on-russian-airfields-could-derail-russias-war-efforts-258049

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Police Officers Plead Guilty to Federal Charges in Connection With Insurance Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Greenbelt, Maryland – Two Prince George’s County men have pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with an auto-insurance fraud scheme. Michael Anthony Owen, Jr., 36, of Accokeek, Maryland pled guilty to falsification of records, and Jaron Earl Taylor, 31, of Ft. Washington, Maryland, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty pleas with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Malik Aziz, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).

    According to the guilty pleas, between August 2018 and February 2020, Owen and Taylor, who were PGPD and Anne Arundel County Policy Department officers, respectively, at the time, conspired with fellow police officers to engage in mail and wire fraud. Owen and Taylor, along with officers Candace Tyler, Conrad D’Haiti, and Davion Percy, and others, devised a scheme for insurance companies to pay out the remaining financing costs of unwanted vehicles. 

    Members of the conspiracy reported fictitious losses to insurers to obtain money or avoid paying off vehicles that were now worth less than the amount owed on them. The co-conspirators used their statuses as police officers to assist each other’s claims by writing false police reports. Then co-conspirators submitted fictitious police reports to insurers to validate the claim. The false police reports were intended to impede, obstruct, or influence subsequent investigations of the false insurance claims.

    In August 2018, Owen and Taylor staged the theft of Taylor’s Chevrolet Tahoe. After Taylor filed a fraudulent police report, Owen and Taylor stripped the vehicle and drove it deep into the woods of a Maryland State Highway property near Largo, Maryland. Taylor then made a false claim to the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) for the loss, for which USAA paid out a total of $38,670.

    Then in January 2020, Owen assisted D’Haiti in avoiding payment on the loan balance of a Jaguar XKR. In cooperation with D’Haiti and Percy, Owen devised a scheme to fake the vehicle’s theft. On January 4, D’Haiti parked his Jaguar behind Marlow Heights Shopping Center where Percy worked as police chief.

    D’Haiti then paid Percy $350 to arrange for another co-conspirator to tow the vehicle and extensively vandalize it for the purpose of creating a total insurance loss. Tyler subsequently filed the fictitious police report which D’Haiti used to substantiate his claim against Liberty Mutual Insurance. In February 2020, Liberty Mutual paid the Jaguar’s lienholder, Navy Federal Credit Union, $17,585, on the false claim.

    Additionally, in January 2020, Owen and Taylor assisted with disposing of an Infiniti sedan to help a co-conspirator avoid making further payments on the vehicle while on extended overseas duty.  The co-conspirator gave Taylor $1,000 via CashApp to stage the theft. Taylor then forwarded the money to Owen who filed a false police report with PGPD, stating the vehicle was stolen.

    In reality, Owen, Taylor, and others moved the car to the top floor of a Camp Springs, Maryland apartment-complex parking garage.  The co-conspirators attempted to conceal the car’s identity by removing the vehicle’s license plates and replacing them with different ones registered to another vehicle. Then the owner and co-conspirator filed a claim with GEICO that was eventually denied on grounds of fraud.

    Owen faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.  Taylor faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison if the court fully accepts the plea deal. Both sentencings are scheduled for Tuesday, September 23. Taylor’s sentencing is at 10:30 a.m., and Owen’s sentencing is at 2:30 p.m.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and PGPD for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Baldwin and LaShanta Harris who are prosecuting the case.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md  and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deluzio Proposal to Boost Innovation in American Commercial Shipbuilding and Jobs Included in Larger ‘SHIPS Act’ Package

    Source: US Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that the core pieces of his 2024 “Shipbuilding Innovation Act” were included in section 501 and 521 of the SHIPS for America Act, the larger bipartisan and bicameral legislative package on shipbuilding that was introduced late last month. Section 501 creates a program for the United States Maritime Administration to invest in U.S shipyards and the construction of U.S. built ships, authorizing a yearly appropriation of $250M through 2035. Section 521 creates a maritime innovation program to advance and accelerate research and development for new technologies and manufacturing processes for the maritime industry. 

    “I’m a proud Navy guy who thinks we ought to make more stuff in America,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I believe we can build up our industrial might for the 21st century, and that means our government needs to do a better job at supporting and funding research and development of new technologies that will give us the competitive edge over countries like China. The shipbuilding Executive Order is a good first step, but we need to do more. I am glad the core components of my Shipbuilding Innovation Act are included in the SHIPS Act.” 

    Over the last 20 years, China’s aggressive shipbuilding subsidies and unfair trade practices—along with American inaction—have made it impossible for the United States to keep up. This has resulted in a massive difference in industrial capacity: China is now capable of producing over 1,000 ocean-going vessels a year, while the United States currently produces fewer than ten. Maritime power is critical to our prosperity and to global peace, which requires staying on the cutting edge of this sector—in both the defense and commercial maritime markets.   

    Congressman Deluzio testified before the U.S Trade Representative in March, where he expressed support of the Section 301 petition initiated by USW, IAM, and other unions seeking to hold China accountable for unlawful and anticompetitive domination of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding sectors.  

    President Donald Trump issued an executive order on April 9, 2025, titled “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.” Its goal is to lay down a foundation for a government-wide effort to revitalize America’s shipbuilding and maritime industries. This executive order aims to promote national security and economic prosperity through significant federal investment in the maritime industrial base and the recruitment, training, and retention of the maritime workforce  

    The bipartisan and bicameral SHIPS Act legislative package introduced last month takes a comprehensive approach to growing America’s shipbuilding industry and Merchant Marines. Along with including Congressman Deluzio’s Shipbuilding Innovation Act, it establishes national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy and will make U.S.-flagged vessels commercially competitive in international commerce, rebuild the U.S. shipyard industrial base, and expand and strengthen mariner and shipyard worker recruitment, training, and retention.  

    Congressman Deluzio is the co-author of the “Make Stuff Here” Agenda, which focuses on supercharging America’s domestic manufacturing, including ending lousy trade deals and boosting domestic manufacturing.  

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister McGuinty to travel to Brussels, Belgium to participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and NATO Defence Ministers’ Meetings

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 3, 2025 (TBC) – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

    The Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, will travel to Brussels, Belgium from June 4 to 5, 2025, to meet with Allies and partners.

    On June 4, Minister McGuinty will begin his day with a wreath laying at the Commonwealth War Graves Brussels Town Cemetery. Later that day he will participate in the 28th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, hosted by Germany and the United Kingdom at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. On June 5, Minister McGuinty will participate in a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

    On June 5, Minister McGuinty will hold a scrum/doorstep at NATO Headquarters.

    Details for the doorstep:

    • Date: June 5, 2025
    • Time: 8:20 a.m. Central European Time (CET) / 2:20 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
    • Location: NATO Headquarters

    Notes for media:

    Associated Links:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: Travis Credit Union Strengthens Leadership and Innovation in Payments and Information Security

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VACAVILLE, Calif., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In response to the rapidly evolving payments landscape and increasing importance of cybersecurity, Travis Credit Union (TCU) announces two strategic leadership appointments. These investments in talent underscore TCU’s ongoing commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and the protection of its members’ financial data.

    Leading the newly established Payment Services capability will be Chris Germann, who joins TCU as Managing Director of Payment Services. Payment Services strategically integrates payment product development, advanced fraud mitigation capabilities, card servicing and loan servicing.

    “Chris is a strategic and operational payments leader, enabling internal and external resources to deliver on TCU’s ongoing commitment to protecting our members’ financial data and reenforcing our commitment deliver a trusted and secure banking environment for our members,” said Kevin Miller, president and chief executive officer at Travis Credit Union. “This appointment will ensure that we remain at the forefront of industry standards and best practices, fostering a secure environment for our members’ trust and peace of mind in an evolving digital landscape.”

    Chris brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as Director of Payment Services at Huntington National Bank and TCF National Bank.

    Leading cybersecurity across TCU will be Kirsten Miller as Information Security Officer. Kirsten will oversee the credit union’s information security program, focusing on risk management and operational maturity initiatives to further strengthen member data protection.

    “Kirsten’s leadership is vital as we continue to enhance our cybersecurity efforts and protect our members’ financial data from emerging digital threats,” said Kevin. “Her vision and expertise will help us stay ahead of evolving risks and ensure our security practices remain strong, adaptive, and member focused.”

    Kirsten brings decades of technology and information security risk leadership experience from her previous roles held at Golden 1 Credit Union, VSP Global and Citigroup.

    With more than 50 years of combined experience in payments, cybersecurity, risk, operational efficiency and change leadership, these two new leaders mark a significant step forward in TCU’s mission to deliver innovative, secure, and member-focused financial services.

    About Travis Credit Union
    Travis Credit Union, based in Vacaville, Calif., has been recognized at the federal, state and local levels for its longstanding financial education and financial advocacy efforts. In 2024, TCU was named as a Best Regional Credit Union by Newsweek. It has also selected as a Best-In-State Credit Union by Forbes and has also earned the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Credit Union of the Year award. Founded in 1951 on Travis Air Force Base, TCU today serves 12 Northern California counties. It is the twelfth largest credit union in California, with 250,000 members and $5 billion in assets. Learn more about our mission at traviscu.org.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Keith Self Proudly Hosts the Service Academy Sendoff Reception for Texas District 3 Graduates

    Source:

    Congressman Keith Self proudly hosted the Service Academy Sendoff Reception on Saturday. Thirty-one of the best and brightest students from Texas’ Third District will attend our nation’s service academies and preparatory schools.

    This year, Texas’ Third District is going to send eight cadets to United States Military Academy; six midshipmen to United States Naval Academy; eight cadets to United States Air Force Academy; one midshipman to United States Merchant Marine Academy; one candidate to United States Military Academy Civil Preparatory School; three candidates to Naval Academy Preparatory School; one candidate to United States Naval Academy Civil Preparatory School; and three candidates to United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School.

    “It’s an honor celebrating this incredible group of students from the Third District of Texas who will be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime,” said Congressman Keith Self. “It takes courage, character, and commitment to achieve success at the Service Academies, and I have every confidence they will rise to the challenge.”

    U.S. Military Academy

    Nathan Ooreoluwa Adejokun, from Melissa, graduate of Melissa High School 

    Caleb Wesley Caldwell, from Allen, graduate of Jesuit Dallas 

    Jordan Crandall Curtis, from Plano, graduate of Plano West Senior High School 

    Reed William Hisle, from McKinney, graduate of McKinney North High School 

    Blake Ryan McKenna, from Plano, graduate of John Paul II 

    Owen Younghoon Ryu, from McKinney, graduate of Texas Academy of Math and Science 

    Anna Faith Williams, from Prosper, graduate of Rock Hill High School 

    Matthew Sumin Wooton, from McKinney, graduate of Imagine International Academy

     

    U.S. Naval Academy 

    Brandon Preston De Vun, from McKinney, graduate of McKinney North High School 

    Aden Tye Lewis, from Greenville, graduate of Greenville High School 

    Sophie Ella Lopez, from McKinney, graduate of Liberty High School

     Matthew David McCoy, from Allen, graduate of Allen High School

     Nickole Sophia Rios, from Allen, graduate of Allen High School 

    Joaquin Cruz Vargas, from McKinney, graduate of McKinney North High School

     

    U.S. Air Force Academy 

    Sophie Belle Bridges, from Prosper, graduate of Prosper High School 

    Taylor Rae Carroll, from Allen, graduate of Allen High School

     Sara Elizabeth Compton, from Prosper, graduate of Rock Hill High School 

    Bryce Tanner Denton, from Anna, graduate of Anna High School 

    Corbin Benzi Glass, from Parker, graduate of Plano East Senior High School 

    Garrett Christopher Hutchins, from Lucas, graduate of Lovejoy High School 

    Luke Tyler Phillips, from McKinney, graduate of Princeton High School 

    Timothy Hunjae Seo, from McKinney, graduate of Emerson High School

     

    U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 

    Jack Quinlin Flannery, from McKinney, graduate of McKinney North High School

     

    U.S. Military Academy Civil Preparatory School 

    Ethan Hunter Hayward, from Allen, graduate of Lovejoy High School

     

    U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School 

    Trystan Rohan Hutchison, from Sachse, graduate of Wylie High School 

    Tyler Aiden Wall, from McKinney, graduate of McKinney Boyd High School 

    Benjamin L Yost, from Princeton, graduate of Olympic High School

     

    U.S. Naval Academy Civil Preparatory School 

    McKenzie Kendall Quigley, from McKinney, graduate of Lovejoy High School

     

    U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School 

    Howard Fisher IV, from Wylie, graduate of Wylie East High School 

    Christian Rome Jeffers, from Wylie, graduate of Wylie East High School 

    Aidan Marc Wylie, from Plano, graduate of Liberty High School

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Castro Leads San Antonio Delegation in Fight to Protect Joint Base San Antonio

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

    June 03, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), and Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) sent a letter to Secretary Hegseth demanding that Joint Base San Antonio is selected to house the proposed Western Hemisphere Command. This comes after Secretary Hegseth’s memorandum that would direct the consolidation and relocation of U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single Western Hemisphere Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

    “For over two decades, San Antonio has served as the nerve center for ARSOUTH’s operations. ARSOUTH’s mission across 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty benefits immensely from Texas’s proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean. Its geographic location enables rapid engagement with partner nations and is supported by co-located intelligence, communications, and logistics infrastructure at Joint Base San Antonio-Ft. Sam Houston,” the lawmakers wrote.

    “San Antonio is also a growing cybersecurity hub. The city is home to one of the largest concentrations of cybersecurity professionals outside of Washington, D.C. and hosts the Texas Cyber Command Center and multiple DOD cyber operations. This capacity strengthens both homeland defense and transnational threat responses, capabilities directly relevant to the missions of ARNORTH and ARSOUTH,” the lawmakers continued.

    “As the Department evaluates the future command structure at Joint Base San Antonio, we encourage a full assessment of how best to preserve continuity, mission readiness, and operational integration. Joint Base San Antonio already hosts the infrastructure, personnel, and community partnerships to support both ARNORTH and ARSOUTH effectively. Transitioning these missions to a new location could result in avoidable costs and disruptions to long-standing institutional knowledge and trusted partnerships,” the lawmakers concluded.

    The full letter can be read here.

    Congressman Castro is committed to protecting the future command structure at Joint Base San Antonio. San Antonio neighborhoods who are concerned about Secretary Hegseth’s actions are encouraged to get in touch with his district office by calling 210-348-8216.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: KAMANDAG 9 | 3d MLR Conducts Simulated Maritime Strikes with NMESIS

    Source: United States Navy

    BATANES ISLANDS, Philippines — Strategically positioned on an island in the Luzon Strait, U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, established a Fires Expeditionary Advanced Base (EAB) with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and conducted simulated maritime interdiction as a part of Exercise KAMANDAG 9, June 1, 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: U.S. Navy completes Integrated Battle Problem 25.5

    Source: United States Navy

    SASEBO, Japan – Navy units assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet concluded Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 25.5, May 23, after spending nearly a week off the coast of Sasebo conducting a tactical warfighting rehearsal event that tests and develops fleet-centric concepts and capabilities.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: BALTOPS 25 Begins in the Baltic Sea Region

    Source: United States Navy

    ROSTOCK, Germany – Sixteen NATO allies, more than 40 ships, 25 aircraft and approximately 9,000 personnel began the 54th iteration of Baltic Operations, or BALTOPS 25, with the start of the pre-sail conference, June 3, in the Baltic Sea region.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Housing will become more affordable – Putin orders expansion of preferential mortgages to families with children under 14

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Mainfin Bank –

    How might preferential mortgages for families with children change?

    The government will submit proposals to revise the terms of family leave by June 15, 2025. mortgages. It is expected that the parameters for issuing preferential loans for the purchase of housing will change:

    mortgages will become available to families with children under 14, i.e. the circle of potential borrowers will be significantly expanded; credit limits will be differentiated and will depend on the size of the family; other conditions may also change, which the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction previously insisted on in the hope of reviving the market.

    The terms of preferential mortgages are planned to be relaxed, which will ensure housing availability for a wide range of families. The proposals are being prepared by the government and the commission of the project “Infrastructure for Life”.

    What conditions are currently in effect under the Family Mortgage program?

    The preferential mortgage program was launched in Russia in 2020 and partially curtailed in the summer of 2024. However, families with children under 6 years of age (or a disabled child) can still take advantage of state support. Loans are provided on the following terms:

    interest rate – 6% per annum; the amount is limited to 12 million rubles in large cities and 6 million in other regions; you can get a loan to buy housing in new buildings or individual housing construction; the minimum down payment is 20%.

    “Currently, preferential mortgages are as targeted as possible – families who need to expand their living space can participate in the program,” the expert noted.

    The family mortgage, which was originally planned to be completed in 2024, was extended until 2030. Russian borrowers also have access to other preferential programs – Rural, Far Eastern, Arctic, Military, IT mortgage. A preferential mortgage program at 2% per annum for SVO participants is also being developed, but the launch dates have not yet been disclosed.

    15:00 03.06.2025

    Source:

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //Mainfin.ru/novosti/ Zhil-sustain-access, more accessible-Putin-Rasyutin-Rassit-Holot-Model-Na-seven-S-Stymi-Dom-Dos-14-Let

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Seven terrorists killed in military operations in southwest Pakistan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    ISLAMABAD, June 3 (Xinhua) — Pakistani security forces have killed seven terrorists in two separate intelligence-driven operations in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said five terrorists were killed in Makh area of Kachhi district of Balochistan province.

    Troops carried out a quick operation and opened fire on the militants’ hideout, killing all five in an intense firefight.

    In another operation carried out in Margand area of Qalat district, two more terrorists affiliated with the same group were killed when their hideout was discovered and destroyed by security forces.

    According to ISPR, arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the slain militants, who were actively involved in numerous terror attacks across the province. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –