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As Congress repeatedly flirts with government shutdowns, military families face crisis fatigue

Caption: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks with troops at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Feb 23, 2024. Since Johnson became Speaker in October, Congress has dealt with multiple government shutdown threats as the House has struggled to pass long-term, Credit: Seth Watson / U.S. Air Force

Each threatened shutdown can lead to stress in the military community about missing paychecks and losing access to federal programs.

Bought by KMXT, KUT, KRPS, North Country Public Radio, WRFA-LP and more

Veterans who need financial fiduciaries can lose their gun rights. Critics say that's unfair.

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Sgt. Corey Briest (left) poses with his son Connor and wife Jenny, as Connor joins the South Dakota Army National Guard in Sioux Falls, March 11, 2022., Credit: South Dakota Army National Guard

Congress is considering whether to override a VA policy that says veterans who need financial fiduciaries may be reported to the FBI’s background c...

Bought by WRFA-LP, KPBS, WHRV, and KUT

After decades of desert wars, the Navy and Marines are preparing for bigger global fights

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Troops from Marine Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina monitor a refueling operation during "Large Scale Exercise 2023." The exercise involved 25,000 Navy sailors and Marines and dozens of ships across 22 time zones., Credit: Steve Walsh / American Homefront

A worldwide joint training exercise simulated a major battle with adversaries like China and Russia.

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Military spouses say the GOP hold on service member promotions has put families' lives on hold, too

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: At an August 14 ceremony, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin congratulates Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who has been nominated to be the next Chief of Naval Operations. Franchetti is first woman to be nominated as a service chief. but will serve in an acting r, Credit: Chad J. McNeeley / U.S. Department of Defense

Since February, Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville has held up military nominations and promotions to pressure the Biden administration to re...

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A new Pentagon policy helps troops who travel to receive abortions. Republicans want to block it.

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Air Force Major Sharon Arana testified before a U.S. House committee in July 2022 about the challenged she faced as she sought an abortion in 2009 when she was stationed in Alabama. She is concerned that experiences like hers are becoming more common sinc, Credit: C-Span

The Pentagon policy reimburses service members for travel expenses and offers up to 21 days of leave for abortions and fertility treatment.

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Under pressure from Congress, some states are making it easier for overseas troops to vote

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Master Sgt. Blayne Ralston, right, speaks with Tracey Hall, installation voting program manager, and Michael Glover, Airman and Family Readiness Center causality assistance representative, during an Armed Forces Voting Week event at Hanscom Air Force Base, Credit: Todd Maki / U.S. Air Force

States are mailing absentee ballots sooner and - in a few places - letting troops cast ballots online. Still, voter turnout among military personne...

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Lawyers are seeking clients for Camp Lejeune water claims, but veterans may be better off waiting

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Surrounded by veterans, family members, and others at an August 2022 ceremony, President Joe Biden signs legislation designed to compensate people who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service, including people who lived on Camp Lejeu, Credit: C-Span

Lawyers are aggressively advertising potential windfalls for people exposed to contaminated water at the base. But it's too soon to know how the cl...

Bought by WRFA-LP, Texas Public Radio, KWMU St. Louis, KTEP, and KUT

10% of National Guardsmen are unvaccinated. Some states say they should be allowed to serve anyway.

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Tucker Salls, a member of the Connecticut National Guard, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby, Connecticut, Jan. 2, 2021., Credit: Steven Tucker / U.S. Air National Guard

The Pentagon said unvaccinated guardsmen won't get paid and can't participate in federally-funded deployments, but some states are concerned that w...

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The Supreme Court will decide if Guardsmen and reservists can sue states for employment violations

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Former Texas State Trooper LeRoy Torres reviews legal paperwork with his wife Rosie in their Robstown, Texas home in 2019. Torres resigned from his job after returning home from Iraq in 2008. He said the state refused to make job accommodations for a disa, Credit: Carson Frame / American Homefront

When National Guard members and reservists deploy, a federal law is supposed to preserve their civilian jobs and benefits. But in some states, gove...

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For the Ukrainian military, a long partnership with U.S. National Guard units is paying dividends

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Air National Guard Base in Sunnyvale, Cal. in September 2021. The visit was part of a decades-long partnership between the California National , Credit: Duane Ramos / California National Guard

The State Partnership Program has quietly become a powerful tool for diplomacy and modeling U.S. values around the world.

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The VA wants to close and replace older hospitals. But there's opposition in some communities.

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: The Fort Meade, S.D. VA hospital, built in 1956, is among the facilities that would close under the VA restructuring plan. It would be replaced by a new hospital approximately 30 miles away in Rapid City., Credit: Department of Veterans Affairs

The VA wants to close and replace older hospitals. But there's opposition in some communities.

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Underfunded and understaffed, some state veterans homes are turning residents away

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Amanda Eldridge, a certified occupational therapist assistant, works with a veteran at the state-run St. James Veterans Home in St. James, Missouri., Credit: Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio

Labor shortages exacerbated by the pandemic have left facilities around the country with empty beds, even though veterans are on waiting lists hopi...

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The Pentagon wants to root out extremism in the military, but nobody knows how common it is

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin talks with Army Maj. Gen. William J. Walker of District of Columbia National Guard outside the U.S. Capitol Jan. 29., Credit: Erica Jaros / U.S. Army National Guard

Pentagon leaders were concerned about extremism in the military even before the Jan. 6 insurrection. But new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he...

Bought by Texas Public Radio, KPCC, and KMXT

Despite a reprieve from the Trump Administration, Stars And Stripes faces an uncertain future

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: A soldier in Logar Province, Afghanistan reads about the capture of Osama Bin Laden in a 2011 issue of the Stars and Stripes., Credit: Christopher Hall / Georgia National Guard

The 159-year-old military newspaper, which is published by the Department of Defense, has been targeted for elimination by some Pentagon leaders.

Bought by WUSF, KPCC, and Texas Public Radio

Amid long domestic deployments, Guardsmen and Reservists push for equity in benefits

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Members of the California Army National Guard assemble emergency food kits at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. , Credit: Jason Sanchez / U.S. Air National Guard

Even as members of the Guard and Reserve are seeing longer and more frequent deployments, they don't always receive the same retirement, education,...

Bought by Colorado Public Radio

Far away from Washington, impeachment means little to U.S. troops providing military aid to Ukraine

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: American soldiers from the Wisconsin National Guard play blues songs for a contingent of soldiers from Poland and Lithuania who are also helping train Ukraine's military., Credit: Levi Bridges / American Homefront

While the impeachment case centers on President Trump's handling of military aid to Ukraine, U.S. troops deployed in Ukraine say their mission hasn...

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After generations of grief and frustration, families of Korean War MIAs are more optimistic

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: U.S. Defense Department forensic anthropologists in Wonsan, North Korea examine the contents of boxes containing the possible remains of U.S. MIAs July 27, 2018., Credit: David Marshall / U.S. Army

Families hope advances in DNA technology and thawing U.S./North Korean relations will help the government recover and identify long-missing remains...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, KPBS, Texas Public Radio, and WUSF

Veterans find peace and community through mindfulness

From: KALW
Series: Crosscurrents

Nathan and Lesley Keith met on a military base in Kuwait, in 2006. They’re both Navy veterans, and together they served for a cumulative 27 years. ...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Fearing Facebook

From: War News Radio

Caption: 1st Battalion, 8th Marines in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Credit: Balazs Gardi

News and features on the conflicts in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Returning veterans transition from combat to campuses

From: KALW

Caption: Randolph Martinez is a member of the Veterans Alliance club at the City College of San Francisco. , Credit: Laura Flynn

As veterans return to school to take advantage of the new GI Bill, many have found that campuses often aren’t ready to handle the administrative de...

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Parallel Crisis

From: International Crisis Group
Series: Crisis Group Podcast

A new Crisis Group report examines how the dysfunctional administration of the larger of the country’s two entities has paralyzed its decision-maki...