Providing up-to-date information, news and original content on American Military issues.
Aug. 26, 2021
We can confirm that a number of U.S. service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport. A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and injured.
An Air Force airman guides in a K-loader transporting KC-10 Extender seat packs at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Aug. 21, 2021. The aircraft transported personnel and equipment in support of the Afghanistan evacuation effort.
Air Force Airman Ethan Bowser directs an MH-60S Seahawk aboard the USS Miguel Keith during operations in the Pacific Ocean, Aug. 11, 2021.
A Naval Special Warfare operator demonstrates patrol formations during interoperability training with Marines in Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 16, 2021.
U.S. and Thai service members work to offload a joint light tactical vehicle from the MV Cape Henry in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 21, at Toong Pronge Port, Thailand, July 31, 2021.
Army Spc. Vincent Martinez competes in the obstacle course event during a Best Warrior competition at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., July 19, 2021.
A Marine fast ropes out of an MV-22 Osprey aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America during operations in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 15, 2021.
Aug. 25, 2021 | BY David Vergun , DOD News
The secretary has determined — after careful consultation with medical experts and military leaders and with the support of the president — that mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for service members are necessary to protect the health and readiness of the force, Kirby said.
On Aug. 23, the FDA gave full approval to the Comirnaty vaccine — previously known as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine — for individuals 16 years of age and older. Before Aug. 23, the vaccine was available for use through an FDA emergency use authorization.
Kirby said vaccines other than Comirnaty will not be made mandatory, but that could change if the FDA issues full approval for others.
The memo directs the secretaries of the military departments to immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the department on active duty or in the Guard or Reserve, who aren't yet fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Service members who are actively participating in COVID-19 clinical trials are exempt from mandatory vaccination until the trial is complete to avoid invalidating clinical trial results, the memo states.
The secretaries are also directed to "impose ambitious timelines for implementation and to report regularly on vaccination completion using established systems for other mandatory vaccine reporting," the memo states.
"The secretary has communicated to the military departments to execute this mandatory vaccination program with, obviously, skill and professionalism, which we always do, but also with a measure of compassion," Kirby said.
Service members with preexisting conditions who are advised against being vaccinated by their doctors would be exempt from mandatory vaccinations, Kirby said, adding there may also be possible exemptions on religious grounds.
Service members outside those two categories who still object will be
offered a chance to sit down with a physician and have that physician
communicate to them the risks that they're taking by being unvaccinated,
Kirby said.
They'll also be offered a chance to sit down with those in their chains
of command to talk about the risks that their objection will impose on
the unit and on the force and on their teammates, he added.
"Commanders have a wide range of tools available to them to help their
teammates make the right decision for themselves, for their families,
and for their units, and the secretary expects that the commanders will
use those tools, short of having to use the UCMJ," he said, referring to
the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Marines observe a live-fire event during training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 7, 2021.
Marines saw through a simulated aircraft during a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel mission at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 12, 2021.
Soldiers conduct dismounted operations with sniper support during training at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, Aug. 17, 2021.
Army Cpl. Zakary Likkel, left, and Spc. Bryceton Bird fire a 60 mm mortar during a live-fire exercise at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, Aug. 17, 2021.
Navy recruits participate in a pass-in-review graduation ceremony at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., Aug. 20, 2021.
Sgt. Amberlynn Hinckley assists members of a disaster assistance response team while performing first aid on a resident of the La Flandre community in Haiti, Aug. 22, 2021. Puerto Rico Army National Guardsmen have been assisting in the aid relief efforts in Haiti since Aug. 17.
Aug. 25, 2021 | BY David Vergun , DOD News
Joint Task Force Haiti has conducted some 364 full-spectrum missions, as of yesterday, using DOD and U.S. Coast Guard assets, which have assisted in saving about 436 lives and delivering vital aid, according to the Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations.
Army Maj. Gen. William D. "Hank" Taylor updated the media at a briefing at the Pentagon on the Defense Department’s humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.
DOD and the U.S. Southern Command, in particular, are continuing to support the U.S. Agency for International Development's efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Haiti, he said. USAID is the lead government agency.
The department has unique capabilities that are suited to humanitarian operations, including airlift and a range of logistical and medical assets, Taylor said.
Taylor mentioned that allies and partners have also been involved in the humanitarian assistance efforts in Haiti, working together with the U.S. to identify and respond to points of need in the nation.
The humanitarian assistance operation comes in the wake of two natural disasters that have hit the Caribbean island.
First, on Aug. 14, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the southwest portion of Haiti, causing widespread damage, killing over 2,000, and injuring many times that number.
Haiti also took a direct hit from Tropical Storm Grace on Aug. 16, causing flooding and issues for people displaced from their homes and other structures that had been damaged by the earthquake.
A Puerto Rico Army National Guardsman continues to assist in aid relief efforts in Haiti, Aug. 22, 2021. The guardsmen have been in the country since Aug. 17 and had completed 11 missions as of Aug. 22.
A Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet aircraft uses flares during a tactical air control party exercise over Farallon De Medinilla, Northern Mariana Islands, Aug. 18, 2021.
Certified nursing assistant Cheri Knott teaches room cleaning protocols to Army Pvt. Aaron Marton and Army Spc. Jeremy Roe with the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, Oregon National Guard, at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Ore., Aug. 21, 2021. The soldiers are part of a statewide effort to help Oregon hospitals with support functions due to reported increases in COVID-19 cases and staff shortages.
Aug. 25, 2021
On August 24, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded a $14.7 million contract to SteriPack to develop domestic production capability of ExpressCollect (Swab-in-Tube) that is compatible with nasal swab tests.
SteriPack’s ExpressCollect is a unique collection vial with integrated polyester spun swab for anterior nares sample collection. This industrial base expansion effort will allow SteriPack to establish new domestic production of approximately 22 million vials per month. The automated production line will be operational within SteriPack’s Lakeland, Florida, facility, which is scheduled to be at full capacity by February 2022. This effort is in support of domestic COVID-19 testing and clinical trials.
The DOD’s Defense Assisted Acquisition Cell (DA2) led this effort in coordination with the Department of the Air Force’s Acquisition COVID-19 Task Force (DAF ACT). This effort was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to enable and support domestic industrial base expansion for critical medical resources.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sikinia Kemp, a medic with JTF-South, administers the first Pfizer vaccine to Zack Soss of Roslyn, N.Y., at the vaccine point of distribution site located at State University of New York at Old Westbury, N.Y., Aug 5, 2021. New York State military forces continue to support several vaccination sites across the state as part of the state's ongoing efforts to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible.
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