A longtime West Point professor is suing the academy, alleging that officials fired him after ordering instructors to stop teaching cadets that humans contribute to climate change. Adam Kalkstein, who taught climate science at the U.S. Military Academy for more than 17 years, filed a lawsuit this week accusing the school’s officials of retaliating when he pushed back on the directive, violating his First Amendment rights and academic freedom. “The U.S. Military Academy is aware of the lawsuit and take all such matters seriously. Because this involves active, pending litigation, we will not comment further on the allegations contained in…
Author: Tommy Grant
The Air Force has awarded Boeing a sole-source contract with a $131.23 billion ceiling to produce, modernize and sustain F-15 fighters for U.S. and foreign customers through 2037.Designated F-15 Eagle Crest, the Aug. 24 award lets the Air Force place orders over time rather than buying a fixed number of aircraft at signing. Orders may run through Aug. 24, 2031, with an option to extend to 2036. The framework rolls new production, upgrades, retrofits, sustainment and depot support into a single contract for the Air Force, the Air National Guard and foreign buyers.The contract also covers work to stand up…
We take a quick look at 7.63 Mauser, a very early automatic pistol cartridge.The 7.63 Mauser cartridge (aka .30 Mauser or 7.63x25mm) was developed by German gun designer Hugo Borchardt for the first successful commercial, automatic pistol of the same name. The Borchardt pistol was made by Ludwig Loewe & Co. (later DWM) of Berlin, Germany. Both the pistol and cartridge were introduced in 1893.The Borchardt automatic pistol was later redesigned, emerging as the well-known Luger pistol. This cartridge was adopted by Paul Mauser for his famous Model 1896 pistol, though with increased power for his more rugged design. It…
A sailor assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln expected to reenlist before the ship’s current deployment began. Now, after more than nine months of continuous operations, training and drills, the service member is questioning whether the U.S. Navy could be a long-term career.“I planned to reenlist before this deployment, but now I’m reconsidering,” the sailor told Military Times on the condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal.Aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which was extended to support operations in the Middle East, uncertainty about the mission has taken a toll, the sailor said.“Not knowing what’s happening wears me down,” they said. “If we’re…
For the first time in 60 years, Joint Base Andrews stood up a new helicopter squadron in preparation for the base to receive HH-60Ws.The activation of the 5th Helicopter Squadron on Aug. 28 takes the base a step closer to receiving 26 HH-60W Jolly Green IIs, advanced combat search-and-rescue helicopters that will eventually replace the base’s aging medium-utility UH-1N HueyRecently, the Air Force selected the Maryland base to receive the new aircraft, with the 5th slated to be the first unit to receive the Jolly Green IIs as the 1st Helicopter Squadron continues to fly the Hueys before converting to…
8:46 a.m. The first moment of impact. For most Americans alive at the time of the 9/11 attacks, the sights and sounds of that morning play on a horrific loop in their minds. The logistical aftermath, however, less so.Now, on the 25th anniversary of the attack, the National Museum of the United States Army is providing key insight into the logistical hurdles of rescue and cleanup that began mere moments after the first hijacked plane struck the Twin Towers. In its latest exhibit, “Steel and Stone,” the museum highlights the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its role in the…
The Department of the Air Force is mandating that all airmen and guardians complete gas mask seal tests in an effort to align with new grooming standards.By the end of the year, every airman and guardian, including Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members, must complete two new Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear, or CBRN, defense requirements, a Department of the Air Force official told Military Times on Friday.Earlier guidance circulated on the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page directed that all service members complete protective mask training and validation. The guidance was intended to ensure that every airman…
For military families, a permanent change of station can mean more than adjusting to a new school. Government Accountability Office officials told Military Times that parents have repeatedly reported problems transferring educational records and individualized education programs when military families move, sometimes delaying services or leaving educators to reconstruct a child’s needs.A new GAO review found gaps at multiple stages of the Department of Defense Education Activity’s process for identifying and supporting students with specific learning disabilities, including screening, referrals, evaluations and instruction. GAO officials said those gaps can compound, affecting when students receive help and the quality of the…
With more than a half-dozen commissaries on military bases in the continental U.S. reporting refrigeration outages this week, the Pentagon is acknowledging the problem but not making any guesses as to its source.The outages affected at least Fort Irwin, California; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island; Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas; F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and Fort Huachuca, Arizona, according to official announcements and social media reports.Officials at the Defense Department would not say how many commissaries were affected in all or if the outages are being…
A group of 50 Republican veterans serving in Congress on Wednesday attacked Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz for “egregious misrepresentations” regarding his time in the National Guard and for what they see as a decision to abandon his troops ahead of a deployment to Iraq.But Walz supporters countered that the GOP lawmakers are mischaracterizing both the Minnesota governor’s 24 years of honorable service and their own time in the ranks.In a letter distributed by former President Donald Trump’s election campaign, the 50 lawmakers wrote to Walz that “there is no way you can be trusted to serve as vice…