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One of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen was 100 years old when he died peacefully at his home Sunday in Michigan. Retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, Jr., was one of the legendary flying corps’ most decorated pilot during World War II, and was on a four-man team that won the first-ever ‘Top Gun’ contest in the years after.
He was also one of four Tuskegee airman to record three air-to-air kills on a single mission day — two of which he finished with his planes’ machine guns while recording the third through sheer flying skill.

Pentagon leadership revoked the department- and military-wide social media suspension that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team temporarily instituted to “reorient” all public-facing communications to reflect the new administration’s vision and objectives, according to an internal government email obtained by DefenseScoop on Monday.
President Donald Trump has been moving swiftly since the start of his second term on Jan. 20 to reshape American policies and the federal government’s structure — particularly through a series of sweeping executive orders.

Marines and soldiers have deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown involving the U.S. military.
Several hundred troops will provide security for a 30,000-person migrant facility at the U.S. military base in Cuba, according to plans announced last week by the White House.
There are currently 310 service members supporting the migrant “holding operations” with elements from U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army South, and U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.

As the Army continues efforts to streamline continuous authority to operate (cATO) processes, the service’s chief information office has begun work to identify needs and challenges related to approving the same frameworks for physical platforms and weapons systems.

The Marine Corps plans to upgrade an air-to-surface munition to give its helicopters more firepower to shoot down enemy drones, according to the service’s new aviation plan.
The U.S. military sees unmanned aerial systems as a growing threat that it expects to face on future battlefields, and it’s pursuing a variety of new tools to protect its forces.
For the Corps, that includes modernizing the AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile.
The JAGM, built by Lockheed Martin, achieved initial operational capability on the Marines’ AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter in March 2022.

David W.

Just over a year ago, the Navy launched a three-week prep course for new recruits who might never have made it to boot camp. The Navy Future Sailor Preparatory Course gave a path to enlistment to recruits who wanted to be sailors but who were out of shape, or whose test scores were too low. The idea was to boost their qualifications until they qualified to enter regular boot camp that all recruits go through.
A year later, the prep course has not only sent over 90% of its recruits to boot camp, but six have gone on to be Honor Grads.

Germany has reached an agreement with Patria to initiate a work package focused on the development and qualification of mortar systems for the Bundeswehr, within the framework of the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme.

Safran Defense & Space (DSI) has secured a contract to perform preventive maintenance for several mobile and fixed antennas at a US Army Test Range.

Tom Selleck, a name most associated with some of the most popular TV shows of all time, turned 80 on January 29. He has been in the public eye for over 45 years with appearances on TV, film, commercials and talk shows. The legend made a strong debut in a recurring role on The Rockford Files as private investigator Lance White.
Actor Tom Selleck at the New York PaleyFest 2014 for the TV show Blue Bloods. Photo courtesy of Dominick D and Wikimedia Commons.