WASHINGTON (NNS) February 12, 2013-- Calling it "a matter of fundamental equity," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today signed a memorandum to the service secretaries and the Pentagon's top personnel official extending benefits to same-sex partners of service members. Here is the secretary's announcement of the policy change: "Seventeen months ago, the United States … [Read more...]

2/11/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Sequestration would leave the Air Force with untrained people, a lack of equipment and be "devastating" to the service, officials said Feb. 7. The warning echoes what Department of Defense officials have stated for months about across-the-board defense cuts, in addition to an ongoing continuing resolution. "Now that we're staring at that … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 7, 2013) -- The Army realized in the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that in addition to conventional warfare, Soldiers were being asked to perform a lot of nontraditional functions, some of which they were often ill-equipped to do. These included negotiating with tribal leaders and helping develop infrastructure and services … [Read more...]

2/5/2013 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force renewed its NASCAR partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 43 car with driver Aric Almirola for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. "RPM's strong legacy in NASCAR and Almirola's values and character are a great fit for the Air Force and the type of recruits that we look to attract … [Read more...]

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. (Feb. 5, 2013) -- Gamers fire virtual bullets with hand-held controls from the safety of their homes for entertainment. At Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., service members engage targets with real weapons using similar virtual bullet technology but with a very different purpose in mind. As part of their mobilization training for … [Read more...]