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2020 Budget May Include New F-15s

Air National Guard F-15 Eagle fighter units may be in line for a modernized version of their aging air-superiority jets. Several published reports indicate the Air Force will include 12 F-15Xs in the fiscal 2020 Defense Department budget request. The... Read More Details

Shanahan Replaces Mattis as Defense Secretary

Patrick M. Shanahan is now the top official in the Defense Department. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who most recently served as deputy defense secretary, became acting defense secretary upon the departure of James N. Mattis, a retired Marine... Read More Details

Republicans Fill Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees

Familiar faces will lead Republicans on defense and veterans issues in Congress this year, but some powerful senators are also expected to take a back seat as the 116th Congress gets underway. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Sen. Johnny Isakson of... Read More Details

Democrats Named to Key Senate Committees

Democratic leaders have identified four additions to influential Senate committees that oversee the defense and veteran issues. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama will join the Senate... Read More Details

December 2018 Update

President Trump signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of Defense (DoD) appropriations legislation into law on September 28, which includes $674.4 billion in defense spending. This marks the first time since 2008 DoD received its appropriations... Read More Details

2.6 Percent Pay Raise for Troops Goes into Effect

Guardsmen should see a little more money in their drill checks after an across-the-board pay raise took effect this month. The 2.6 percent raise approved by Congress last year – which went into effect on Jan. 1 – will be included in the first checks... Read More Details

NGAUS Legislative Workshop Set for Feb. 11-12

The annual NGAUS Legislative Workshop is set for Feb. 11 and 12 at the National Guard Memorial, the association’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The event provides state legislative-liaison officers and association leaders with a chance to hear key... Read More Details

Pentagon Extends Mission Along Southern Border

Another year has begun and troops, including the National Guard, remain deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border. Then-Defense Secretary James N. Mattis extended the active-component mission to the end of January before resigning last month. The Guard... Read More Details

Pentagon Personnel Turnover Continues

Retired Rear Adm. Kevin Sweeney, the chief of staff to the Secretary of Defense, has stepped down, the Department of Defense announced on Saturday. Sweeney had served in the role since Jan. 2017. “After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the... Read More Details

VA Tiger Team Must Address Forever GI Bill Payments

A new law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to form a team of specialists to address issues with Forever GI Bill payments that came to light last year. The “Forever GI Bill Housing Payment Fulfillment Act of 2018” was approved in the final... Read More Details