Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Federal employee groups, lawmakers and good government organizations in recent days have announced their formal opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to require federal workers sign non-disclosure agreements, arguing the measure would violate employees’ First Amendment rights and chill whistleblower activity.The Office of Personnel Management first announced its plan in May, issuing a notice in the Federal Register and soliciting public feedback. In its one-month comment period, the initiative has attracted more than 30,000 comments, the bulk of which appear to oppose it.OPM has argued that leaks of information, primarily to the press, have been disruptive to executive branch operations,…

1 German-Netherlands Corps (1GNC) has decided to deploy Systematic’s SitaWare Headquarters to enhance its digital Command-and-Control capabilities. The software supplies the Corps with a unified Common Operational Picture (COP) for synchronized decision-making across the high-readiness formation. SitaWare Headquarters is specifically designed to support 1GNC’s unique framework nation model: Germany and the Netherlands provide the core command structure and processes, with 10 additional NATO allies contributing personnel. 1GNC must synthesize data from a wide array of different systems to maintain situational awareness. SitaWare Headquarters serves as a functional capability layer, integrating these diverse inputs into a single operational picture. This allows…

By Captain Annie Richardson 29 June 2026 More than 2200 munitions were disposed of across East New Britain during Operation Render Safe 2026. The explosive remnants of World War II were located across the Rabaul, Kokopo and Gazelle districts by the Australian Defence Force-led multinational team, working with Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) personnel. For the more than 430,000 people living across East New Britain’s 15,500 square kilometres, the impact of removing the hazards represents land returned to communities, reduced risks for families, and greater opportunities for social and economic development across the province. Now in its 22nd year,…

Iran Press TV Monday, 29 June 2026 6:38 AM The Hezbollah resistance movement says Israel continues to repeatedly violate the ceasefire agreement, adding that it is monitoring all breaches and reserves the right to defend Lebanon and its people. In a statement released early on Monday, Hezbollah reported that Israeli warplanes targeted a residential structure in the city of Nabatieh, while a separate airstrike hit another residential building in the town of Meifdoun. Additionally, Israeli drones bombarded an open area on the outskirts of Frun in southern Lebanon. The resistance movement further slammed the Israeli occupation forces for persistently intimidating…

Objectives Buprenorphine is effective in reducing opioid-related overdose, yet many patients discontinue prematurely. Little is known regarding the influence of utilization management policies on buprenorphine discontinuation. This study assesses the duration of buprenorphine episodes paid by fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care organization (MCO) plans with and without prior authorization (PA) in Medicaid. Methods Cross-sectional analysis was conducted using 2018 national prescription claims data with 810,449 treatment episode months involving dispensed buprenorphine prescriptions with an FDA-approved indication for opioid use disorder treatment reimbursed by Medicaid. Standard discrete-time survival models using logistic regression were conducted to examine differences in duration to buprenorphine…

Families of missing-in-action service members from the Vietnam war were issued a promise on June 25 from the new overseer of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to look into budget cuts that have canceled MIA searches in Vietnam and Laos. Former Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, now undersecretary of defense for Personnel and Readiness, was initially met with skepticism on the budget cuts at the annual DPAA briefings for the families of those lost during the Vietnam era. Tata sought to mend fences, however, by pledging to work for restoration of about $40 million in DPAA cuts as proposed in…

It was a warm, early autumn day in D.C. as Sam O’Hara trailed several National Guard members.It had been several weeks since President Donald Trump had declared a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital and deployed federal troops. On three separate occasions O’Hara had taken to playing “The Imperial March” as a Star Wars-inspired peaceful protest, recorded and uploaded to O’Hara’s social media accounts. Passersby can be heard saying “May the force be with you” and several guardsmen smiled or laughed at O’Hara’s satirist opposition. That is, until Sept. 11, 2025, when Sgt. Devon Beck, a guardsman from Ohio, took…

As the Marine Corps continues its pursuit of ground-based air defense against hostile drones and low-flying enemy aircraft, it’s making a milestone investment: a first-of-its-kind $20 million production contract for fully autonomous ground vehicles that can transport air defense systems deeper into the fight, with less human oversight.The contract was awarded this month to Overland AI, a Seattle-based company whose autonomy stack already powers military vehicles including General Dynamics’ Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET); the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps; Textron’s Ripsaw M5; and used by DARPA, among othersIn a round table meeting with reporters on Monday, Overland co-founder and CEO…

At least six new Common Combat Vessels will be built for the Royal Navy under the Defence Investment Plan, delivering the UK’s most advanced maritime air defence capability and keeping British shipyards working for decades to come. UK MoD press release The Common Combat Vessels (CCVs) will replace the current fleet of six Type 45 destroyers, with delivery expected from the early 2030s. Unlike its predecessors, the new warship will act as a control hub for uncrewed systems – extending the Navy’s reach, resilience and firepower without a proportional increase in crew or cost.  Due to be outlined in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, these new ships…

The Department of Veterans Affairs has dramatically reduced the time it takes to process disability claims, pension benefits and survivor compensation as of 2026, posting some of the strongest performance numbers the agency has recorded in recent years. The average number of days needed to complete a disability claim fell from 141.5 days to 80.7 days since the start of the current presidential administration, a 43 percent reduction, the VA announced in April. The agency also reported that its claims-processing accuracy rate had risen to 94.02 percent, the highest 12-month accuracy rate in the past two years. The numbers extended…