Episode #121: Weekly News Roundup for February 3, 2012

Filed under African American History Month, DoD News, Emerging Media by on February 3, 2012 at 3:33 pm {no comments}

In “This Week in the DoD” for Feb. 3:

February is African-American History Month. DoDLive will be featuring stories throughout the month about many notable black Americans who helped shape the U.S. military. This week we profile Lt. Harriet Ida Pickens and Ensign Frances Elizabeth Wills, the first black women to become U.S. Naval officers.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy is retiring. In a recent interview with the Pentagon Channel, she recounted some highlights from her three years in the position.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey spoke about the future of the military reserve corps at the Reserve Officers Association’s National Security Symposium in Washington, D.C. He said now is a time to determine how best to meet military requirements within budget constraints.

Millions of people around the world will tune in this Sunday to watch the New York Giants and New England Patriots face off in Super Bowl XLVI, including thousands of troops serving abroad. Members of the Giants and Patriots extended their thanks and appreciation to service members, as did Gen. Dempsey.

Listen to the podcast here.

LIVE Stream: Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey discuss the DoD budget

Filed under DoD News by on January 26, 2012 at 1:40 pm {one comment}

Join us today at 2 P.M. EST as Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey host a briefing to discuss the programmatic issues of the DoD budget. The briefing will be streamed live from the Pentagon briefing room.

Following the briefing, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. will provide the media with additional comments and take questions, on-the-record, regarding major budget decisions.



Pentagon Channel

Episode #119: Weekly News Roundup for January 20, 2012

Filed under DoD News, Emerging Media by on January 20, 2012 at 4:09 pm {one comment}

In “This Week in the DoD” for Jan. 20:

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta laid out four proposals to end sexual assault between service members at a Pentagon press conference. He said sexual assault has no place in the Department of Defense.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno visited troops in Hawaii. While there, he also met with regional Army leadership and the press to discuss future military operations in the Pacific.

The Army is removing two brigade combat teams from Europe. The move comes as the Defense Department is working to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from its projected budgets. The Army will maintain its presence in Europe via rotational units.

On Wednesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Joining Forces initiative collaborated to hold a job fair and career expo at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The expo brought hundreds of potential employers and job-seeking veterans together for career counseling, recruiting and job interviews.

As the 2012 national elections approach, service members should make sure they’re compliant with current absentee voting laws. The 2010 National Defense Authorization Act included changes to absentee voting; more information is available here.

Listen to the podcast here.

Episode #118: Weekly News Roundup for January 13, 2012

Filed under DoD News, Emerging Media by on January 13, 2012 at 7:31 pm {no comments}

In “This Week in the DoD” for Jan. 13:

The Defense Department is adopting a new strategy that will allow the military to meet fiscal guidelines set by Congress. The military will be leaner and more mobile, leaders have said, but still able to meet future threats facing the U.S.

While many parts of the U.S. have faced relatively mild winters, several towns in Alaska are buried under snow — in some places, more than 18 feet of it. They’ve enlisted the assistance of the National Guard to help dig them out of their icy predicament.

American servicemembers have rescued two Iranian crews in the Arabian Sea this week. The U.S. Navy rescued a crew that had been taken hostage by pirates; the U.S. Coast Guard saved the crew of a ship that had begun taking on water.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding its social media presence. All of its 152 medical centers now have their own Facebook pages, and they intend to have a similar expansion on Twitter.

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. America celebrates the civil rights leader’s birthday every year with a day of service. We replay some of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Listen to the podcast here.

Episode #117: Weekly News Roundup for January 6, 2012

Filed under DoD News, Emerging Media by on January 6, 2012 at 5:19 pm {no comments}

The Joint Chiefs of Staff have a new member: the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. Air Force General Craig Mckinley became a member of the Joint Chiefs when President Barack Obama signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act December thirty-first.

The act included other provisions specific to the National Guard including changing the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau to a three-star position and rescinding the position of Director of the Bureau’s Joint Staff.

The act provides $670 billion in spending for Defense Department programs as well as nuclear weapons programs handled by the Department of Energy.

Following threats by the Iranian government, the Department of Defense has reaffirmed its position, having naval vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran.

January is National Blood Donor Month, and the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) needs your help.

On Thursday, the Defense Department released a strategy plan that will allow for more than $450 billion in budget cuts over the next ten years while maintaining America’s military superiority.

Listen to the podcast here.

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  • photo from Tumblr

    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

    (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Buttner)


  • photo from Tumblr

    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

    Lester was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and had earned the nickname “Lucky” “because of all the tight situations from which I had escaped without a scratch or even a bullet hole in my aircraft.”

    Read the story of a flight that helped Lester earn his nickname here.


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    The only African-American ace of World War II, and a former Tuskegee Airman, went on to have a career in the Air Force, as well as success in the business world.

    Lee A. Archer joined the Army in 1941 with high hopes of becoming a pilot, but was initially denied because of his race. When the Army’s policy changed about a year later, Archer was accepted to the training program for black aviators at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

    Archer is best known for a day in late 1944 when he was involved in a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. Flying a P-51 Mustang fighter, Archer shot down three German fighters. He would go on to add two more German fighters to his credit to become the first and only African-American ace of the war.

    As a civilian, Archer enjoyed even greater success, serving as vice president for urban affairs with General Foods, as CEO of North Street Capital Corp. and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp. He also served on the board of directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business.

    Read the rest of his story here.