CMC Javier Hernandez
Command Master Chief Javier Hernandez entered the U.S. Navy in January 2001 from Corpus Christi, TX.
US troops need to stay in Syria to counter ISIS, Pentagon chief says
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — The U.S. needs to keep troops deployed in Syria to prevent the Islamic State group from reconstituting as a major threat following the ouster of Bashar Assad’s government, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press. American forces are still needed there, particularly to ensure the security of detention camps holding tens of thousands of former IS fighter...[Read More]
Sailor charged in fentanyl overdose death aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
A U.S. Navy sailor has been charged in federal court with distributing fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a fellow sailor stationed aboard the carrier Abraham Lincoln in 2023, according to court documents. Bailey Szramowski is accused of knowingly distributing Percocet pills tainted with fentanyl to sailors, resulting in at least two overdoses in 2023, according to a complaint filed Tuesda...[Read More]
Navy shipbuilding plan would cost $1 trillion over the next 30 years
For the U.S. Navy to achieve a proposed plan to expand its fleet of battle force ships, the service would need to spend $40.1 billion on shipbuilding every year through 2054, for a total of more than $1 trillion, according to new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Over the next 30 years, the Navy wants to grow its fleet of battle force ships to 381 to face swelling global threats, acco...[Read More]
College students charged in ‘Catch a Predator’ style ambush on soldier
Six Massachusetts college students are accused of assaulting an active-duty soldier who they falsely described as a sexual predator after luring the man to campus via a dating app as part of a TikTok trend inspired by the TV show “To Catch a Predator.” The 22-year-old — an active-duty military service member — told police that he was in town for his grandmother’s funeral in October and began commu...[Read More]
Army doctor pleads guilty to sexually abusing dozens of soldiers
An Army anesthesiologist pleaded guilty Tuesday to 41 charges of sexual misconduct involving dozens of patients at a Washington military medical facility in one of the largest sexual abuse investigations in the service’s history. Maj. Michael Stockin faces a potential sentence of nearly 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to abusive sexual contact and indecent viewing of patients he treated a...[Read More]
Army doctor pleads guilty to sexually abusing dozens of soldiers
An Army anesthesiologist pleaded guilty Tuesday to 41 charges of sexual misconduct involving dozens of patients at a Washington military medical facility in one of the largest sexual abuse investigations in the service’s history. Maj. Michael Stockin faces a potential sentence of nearly 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to abusive sexual contact and indecent viewing of patients he treated a...[Read More]
Slain Marine’s family ‘let down’ by killer’s 8-year sentence
“He was born at the same hospital he was pronounced dead.” Robert Schwenk Jr., remembering his son, reflected on his birth and death, both of which occurred at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Lance Cpl. Austin Brian Schwenk was brought into the world at the North Carolina base when his father served there during the early 2000s. Nineteen years later, his life ended there, too — at the hands of a f...[Read More]
Lawyers for Navy Veteran Say CNN Report on Afghan Evacuations Destroyed His Career
The security consultant, whose background includes a stint with the private military contractor Blackwater, says a four-minute video package falsely portrayed him as acting illegally.
VA eases benefits rules for cancers from Post-9/11 service, K2 tours
Veterans who served in the first Gulf War or Post-9/11 conflicts suffering from leukemia, bladder cancer and other related illnesses will be granted presumptive benefits status under plans announced by Veterans Affairs leaders Wednesday. That includes troops formerly stationed at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan, a group that has long lobbied for better recognition of the damaging long-term ...[Read More]
Discrimination led to Air Force contractor’s death, lawsuit alleges
On the night Stephanie Cosme died, her sister and brother said they received a curt explanation from a U.S. Air Force official who met them at the hospital: The civilian contractor was failing to follow protocol when she was hit by an aircraft’s rotating propeller and killed. The family would wait eight agonizing months to find out more about how the accident unfolded during relatively low-risk gr...[Read More]
Asia-Pacific nations boost amphibious naval fleets to repel China
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Navies across the Asia-Pacific region are boosting amphibious capabilities in an effort to protect their complex coastlines, as China continues its flex its military muscle in the region. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), for example, is set to receive 10 new landing craft by the end of Fiscal Year 2027. This includes two 3,500-ton Logistics Support Vessels (...[Read More]