News
‘Hidden Figure’ Gladys West, GPS pioneer and Navy civilian, dies at 95
Gladys Mae West, whose mathematical work became the integral foundation for modern GPS, has died. West, surrounded by family and friends, passed away peacefully on Jan. 17. She was 95. Born in rural Dinwiddie County, Virginia, in 1930, West sought to leave her family farm from the beginning. “I guess I found that a little bit contrary to what I had in my mind of where I wanted to go,” she told the...[Read More]
‘I did that until I ran out of gas’: An American advisor and his MoH actions in Vietnam
The Vietnam War involved all manner of fighters, the quality of which varied on both sides. The communists ranged from local Viet Cong guerrillas to professional People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) soldiers and between them, VC trained in the northerners’ light infantry tactics. Besides the well-trained service personnel from the United States, Australia, Philippines and Thailand, South Vietnam’s form...[Read More]
‘I see ‘em. We’ll fight ‘em’: Patton’s Black Panthers
“I would never have asked for you if you weren’t good,” George Patton addressed the U.S. Army’s first Black tankers in an impassioned speech in October 1944. “I have nothing but the best in my army. I don’t care what color you are as long as you go out and kill those Kraut sons of bitches. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things of you. Most of all your race is looking forward...[Read More]
‘Infrastructure is the weapon’: Inside the race to build portable interceptor factories
KYIV, Ukraine — While interceptor drones have become one of the most sought-after commodities of the Iran war, Ukrainian officials and defense practitioners are cautioning allies to recognize that the pace of today’s battlefield requires them to buy into an entirely new system of production alongside the endpoint weapon. “Expertise is not a drone, but a skill, a strategy, a system where a drone is...[Read More]
‘It takes money to kill bad guys’: Pentagon seeks $200 billion in new funding for war in Iran
The Pentagon on Thursday said it is seeking roughly $200 billion to sustain its war in Iran, as senior military officials acknowledge that the Islamic Republic retains “some capability” to attack American assets and allies in the Middle East. Asked about the figure during a press briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “that number could move,” before adding in a blunt aside: “It takes money...[Read More]
‘Light recipes’ tested to combat sailor fatigue at sea
Anyone who’s ever sat under a special daylight lamp to combat the winter blues knows that strategically applied light can have a dramatic impact on exhaustion levels and overall mood. But can that effect also work for sailors standing watches at all hours in dark ship corridors and compartments? That’s what researcher Eliza Van Reen is on a mission to prove. Van Reen, whose company Circadian Posit...[Read More]
‘Light recipes’ tested to combat sailor fatigue at sea
Anyone who’s ever sat under a special daylight lamp to combat the winter blues knows that strategically applied light can have a dramatic impact on exhaustion levels and overall mood. But can that effect also work for sailors standing watches at all hours in dark ship corridors and compartments? That’s what researcher Eliza Van Reen is on a mission to prove. Van Reen, whose company Circadian Posit...[Read More]
‘Marines’ doc focuses on purpose amid shifting Pacific landscape
Netflix on Tuesday released its four-episode documentary series on the U.S. Marine Corps. Coinciding with the service’s 250th birthday, “Marines” follows the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit — one of just seven Marine expeditionary units and the only permanently forward-deployed Marine expeditionary unit — “as they conduct high-stakes combat exercises in the Pacific,” according to the streaming serv...[Read More]
‘Maverick Act’ saves last 3 F-14 Tomcats from destruction
Four decades after Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell first felt the need for speed in the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat, new legislation is keeping hope alive that the iconic swept-wing fighter could someday fly again. In late April, the U.S. Senate, led by sponsor Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., unanimously approved the “Maverick Act,” introduced by freshman U.S. Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, an Illinois Repub...[Read More]
‘Militarily stupid to insult your allies’ — and other advice from 1942
“Don’t try to tell the British that America won the last war or make wise-cracks about the war debts or about British defeats in this war,” came the sage advice from the U.S. War Department in 1942. A then-seven-page pamphlet, issued to American GIs about to travel overseas to Britain, was intended to ease any friction between the young servicemen and the local populace. According to librarian Joh...[Read More]
‘My God what have we done’: Enola Gay pilot’s combat notebook is for sale
In a United States War Department-issued “Line of Position” notebook, Capt. Robert A. Lewis begins like many service member letters, with a “Dear Mom + Dad.” But this log, dated Aug. 6, 1945, is unlike any other entry from World War II. Lewis, the co-pilot of the B-29 Enola Gay, was en route to Japan from the Pacific island of Tinian when he began recording. Now, his account, written during and in...[Read More]