July 10 Joint Base Lewis-McChord Daily News Clips

July 10 Joint Base Lewis-McChord Daily News Clips

Local/Regional/ Pacific/Middle East:

*JBLM News

Think before you flush: keep JBLM's water clean

(Key words): Have you ever wondered where the water goes after flushing a toilet? On Joint Base Lewis-McChord, it flows to a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant and then to the Puget Sound. An average of two million gallons of wastewater flows through JBLM's sewers each day, and up to one billion gallons per year. The WWTP is designed to treat only human waste, all other waste can cause problems. Toilet paper is designed to immediately break down once wet, so the plant does not have to process it out separately. https://www.army.mil/article/277889/think_before_you_flush_keep_jblms_water_clean

*U.S. Army News (JBLM Community Relations)

Voluntary Soldiers

(Key words): While managing a high school travel Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team called JBLM Pride, Command Sgt. Maj. Donny Thornton with the 555th "Triple Nickel" Engineer Brigade had an idea to create something that would give back to local communities around the installation. The goal is to help high school athletes with sports training while also strengthening the Army's relationship with local areas. With the help of 1st Lt. Alisa Fallon, they developed the Soldier Athlete Program in December 2023. https://www.army.mil/article/277893/voluntary_soldiers

Newsweek

Seoul warns of threat from Russia and North Korea

(Key words): South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has warned the deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea poses a threat not only to South Korea but also to Europe. "Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a distinct threat and grave challenge to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe," Yoon told Reuters news agency ahead of his departure for the U.S. for the July 10 to 11 NATO summit. https://www.newsweek.com/seoul-warns-threat-russia-north-korea-1922849

The Defense Post

Japan to Fortify US Military Installation in Okinawa

(Key words): Japan will soon begin fortification work on a new military installation in Okinawa that will house troops from the US Marine Corps. The move is part of a government plan to relocate the USMC Futenma Air Station from Okinawa's densely populated city of Ginowan to Nago City in southern Japan. Defense sources told local media outlet NHK that concrete seawalls will be built around the planned reclamation area to help keep American troops and the facility safe. They also said a test to drive piles at Oura Bay was conducted earlier this week to reinforce the seabed, which has been found to be soft. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/07/09/japan-fortify-us-installation/

Business World

Philippines belies China's claim of reef damage from rusted warship

(Key words): THE PHILIPPINES on Tuesday belied China's claim that its military outpost at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea has damaged the area's marine and coral reef ecosystem. "It is China who has been found to have caused irreparable damage to corals," Jonathan E. Malaya, spokesman of the country's task force on the South China Sea and assistant director-general of the National Security Council, said in a statement. https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2024/07/09/607059/philippines-belies-chinas-claim-of-reef-damage-from-rusted-warship/

BBC

Israeli forces bombard Gaza City as tanks re-enter central areas

(Key words): Palestinians in Gaza City say they have experienced one of the most intense Israeli bombardments since Israel launched its war on Hamas after the group's unprecedented 7 October attack. Columns of Israeli tanks are reported to be closing in on the centre of the city from several different directions. The Gaza Civil Emergency Service says it believes a number of people have been killed but has so far been unable to reach them because of fighting in several districts in the east and west of Gaza City. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51yle4m5pzo

Breaking Defense

At the NATO summit, a turbulent Middle Ease likely to stay in the background: Analysts

(Key words): Though NATO member states spent many years and lost many lives fighting in the Middle East and Southwest Asia over the last two decades, those regions are unlikely to be a priority for the alliance as its leaders descend upon Washington, DC, this week, meeting in the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Even amid Israel's headline-dominating war in Gaza, six analysts told Breaking Defense ahead of the NATO summit that the alliance has for the most part attempted to move on to what it sees as more pressing global military problems.https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/at-the-nato-summit-a-turbulent-middle-east-likely-to-stay-in-the-background-analysts/

National:

Military Times

Marines, Air Force on track for 2024 recruiting; Navy projected to miss

(Key words): With three full months left in the fiscal year for military recruiting, the services already are developing a sense of whether they'll make their target recruiting mission or end up short. The Marine Corps has brought in more than 101% of its recruiting target for the year to date, up from 100% this time in 2023, and officials anticipate meeting annual recruiting goals once again. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/07/08/marines-air-force-on-track-for-2024-recruiting-navy-projected-to-miss/

New York Times

Two US soldiers part of NY crew that sold stolen military gear online: cops

(Key words): Two US soldiers and a civilian National Guard employee ran a lucrative scam allegedly stealing official military gear from upstate arsenals and peddling it to online customers from Texas to Queens, police said. The military-grade material included guns, helmets, radios — and even a ballistic vest that was seized before it was shipped to Russia, state police said. The accused crooks allegedly pillaged a US Army Military Police detachment in upstate Auburn and a National Guard station in Syracuse and sold the goods on Facebook Marketplace, pocketing tens of thousands of dollars, New York State Police said in a release. https://nypost.com/2024/07/08/us-news/two-us-soldiers-part-of-crew-selling-stolen-military-gear-online-cops/

Army Times

Pentagon postpones Army exercise amid diplomatic tensions with Georgia

(Key words): The Pentagon on Friday "indefinitely" called off a U.S. Army exercise in the country of Georgia, which neighbors Russia, as U.S. officials review future cooperation with the country. The training event, dubbed Noble Exercise 2024, was scheduled to run from July 25 to Aug. 6, and normally takes place at Vaziani and Camp Norio Training Areas outside the capital city of Tbilisi. The Pentagon said the Georgian government has spread misinformation that the United States and other allies had pressured the country to open a second front on its border with Russia.https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/07/08/pentagon-postpones-army-exercise-amid-diplomatic-tensions-with-georgia/

*The Hill

Land sale review authority expanding near military bases

(Key words): The Treasury Department on Monday announced it was moving to expand its review authority related to foreign purchases near U.S. military bases across the country. A proposed Treasury rule allows the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews real estate transactions near military installations or sensitive U.S. government property, to add more than 50 installations across 30 states to its authority. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4761546-treasury-expands-review-foreign-purchases/

Pentagon & Congress

Jill Biden launches campaign outreach to veterans, military families

(Key words): Jill Biden is launching President Joe Biden's outreach to veterans and military families during a campaign swing through battleground states, drawing contrasts with her husband's Republican rival as the Biden team works to shift the conversation away from growing calls for the Democratic incumbent to drop his reelection bid after a damaging debate performance against Donald Trump. The first lady was to announce the formation of Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris during stops Monday in Wilmington, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Columbus, Georgia. The states have large populations of veterans and military families. https://www.armytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/07/08/jill-biden-launches-campaign-outreach-to-veterans-military-families/

Morningstar

US Foods, Military Family Advisory Network Join Forces to Address Food Insecurity Disproportionately Impacting More Than 25 Percent of Active-Duty Military Families

(Key words): US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD), one of America's largest foodservice distributors, today announced a national partnership with the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) with a $250,000 monetary contribution. The collaboration is part of the company's "Helping Communities Make It" program, which seeks to empower communities in need through hunger-relief, culinary education and disaster relief. This is the company's first national hunger relief partnership supporting military families, a group disproportionately impacted by food insecurity1.https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20240709645533/us-foods-military-family-advisory-network-join-forces-to-address-food-insecurity-disproportionately-impacting-more-than-25-percent-of-active-duty-military-families

*NPR

What military brats tell us about social mobility

(Key words): Audio- Children of U.S. military families, a.k.a. brats, are known for their adaptability when relocating to new neighborhoods and schools every few years. This migratory population became the basis for brand new research on how the neighborhood you grew up in affects your economic success later in life. Today on the show, how a place influences your financial destiny. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/09/1197967537/military-brats-financial-earnings-social-mobility

International:

The Telegraph

Germany makes defense funding cuts on eve of NATO summit

(Key words): Germany's defense minister is "annoyed" by a real terms cut to the military budget on the eve of the Nato annual summit in Washington. The German army was promised a €100 billion (£84.5 billion) rearmament fund after decades of underinvestment were brutally exposed by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/germany-makes-defence-funding-cuts-on-eve-of-nato-summit/ar-BB1pFabs?item=flights%3Cimg%20src=&item=flights%3Cimg%20src=&item=flights%3Cimg%20src=&item=flights%3Cimg%20src=

ABC News

Belarus and China join forces in a military drill near the Polish border

(Key words): Belarus is hosting Chinese troops for a joint military drill near its border with NATO member Poland, officials said Tuesday, the first such exercise reflecting growing defense ties between the two countries. The 11-day drill named Eagle Assault 2024 started on Monday at a shooting range in the Brest region close to Poland. It comes ahead of NATO's summit in Washington that opens on Tuesday and after Belarus last week joined a regional security organization led by China and Russia. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/belarus-china-join-forces-military-drill-polish-border-111779983

Reuters

US announces second $ 2 billion military loan deal for Poland

(Key words): The United States on Monday announced a second $2 billion foreign military financing direct loan deal with Poland as part of a major modernization program in the European country that will include buying U.S. defense equipment, the State Department said. Poland is purchasing F-35 aircraft, Patriot missile systems and Abrams tanks, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. A previous $2 billion deal was signed in September 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-announces-second-2-billion-military-loan-deal-poland-2024-07-08/

AP

Ton counter China, NATO and its Asian partners are moving closer under US leadership

(Key words): In the third year of the war in Ukraine, NATO is set to deepen relations with its four Indo-Pacific partners, which, although not part of the military alliance, are gaining prominence as Russia and China forge closer ties to counter the United States and the two Koreas support opposing sides of the conflict in Europe. The leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea for the third year in a row will attend the NATO summit, which starts Tuesday in Washington, D.C., while Australia will send its deputy prime minister. China will be following the summit closely, worried by the alliance's growing interest beyond Europe and the Western Hemisphere. https://apnews.com/article/nato-japan-south-korea-australia-new-zealand-6c3d9aa6fccc1253ca99ee140073f95c