MIL News Weekly

MIL News Weekly 10-16 May 2026 (Episode 50)
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[00:00:00] Weekly Briefing Intro
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Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for 10-16 May 2026, your essential guide to the latest news impacting the military and veteran community. Whether you're currently serving in uniform, a military retiree, a veteran, or a family member, this is your source for the critical updates you need to know.

Each week, we cut through the noise to bring you the most important developments from the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. We’ll cover everything from new policies and pay raises affecting active and reserve forces, to changes in healthcare and benefits for retirees, and the latest on VA services and legislation for our veterans. Let's get you informed. Here’s what’s happened this past week.

[00:00:40]  Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel

The geopolitical landscape of active-duty operations underwent a sudden and profound shift during this reporting period. The Department of Defense abruptly canceled the planned nine-month rotational deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, known as the "Black Jack" brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division from [00:01:00] Fort Hood, which was scheduled to deploy to Poland. This operational halt was directed by a memo signed on 1 May 2026 by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, catching many military planners and leadership off guard. The cancellation was issued despite the advance team already being positioned on the ground in Poland and the brigade’s heavy combat equipment actively in transit across the Atlantic, representing a massive upfront financial investment and logistical expenditure for the 4,000 soldiers assigned to the mission.

The strategic shift is a direct result of a broader presidential order issued in early May 2026 to reduce the overall United States military footprint in Europe by approximately 5,000 troops, primarily targeting forces stationed in Germany. This directive arose from an escalating diplomatic rift between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Chancellor Merz publicly criticized the administration’s strategy in the ongoing war with Iran, stating that the American leadership was being "humiliated" by the Iranian [00:02:00] government. In response, President Trump ordered the German drawdowns and threatened to pull troops from Italy and Spain as well, accusing those European allies of failing to support American objectives in the Middle East. Additionally, the administration canceled a plan developed under the previous Biden administration to station a missile-equipped artillery unit in Europe.

Bipartisan backlash quickly materialized on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers warning that reducing forces during an active regional war sends a destabilizing signal. During a congressional hearing on 15 May 2026, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the Army’s Chief of Staff, General Christopher LaNeve, testified that while the planning discussions took place over two weeks, the final decision was executed rapidly. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas G. DiNanno sought to reassure partners at a security conference in Estonia, stating that while the reductions are codified, the core United States commitment remains structurally intact. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz [00:03:00] released a statement clarifying that the matter relates strictly to the realignment of American forces in Europe rather than bilateral tensions. With this cancellation, the total American military presence in Europe drops back to pre-2022 levels.

[00:03:13] Right to Repair Fight
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On 12 May 2026, the special operations community focused its attention on a Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities hearing, where top leaders expressed severe frustration over proprietary agreements enforced by major defense contractors. Lieutenant General Lawrence Ferguson, chief of the Army Special Operations Command, testified that the inability of operators at the tactical edge to modify or "tinker" with their equipment represents a major capability gap, particularly in unmanned aerial systems. Lieutenant General Michael Conley, chief of the Air Force Special Operations Command, echoed these concerns, noting that when attempting to integrate small, long-range cruise missiles onto existing aerial platforms, military programmers hit software "walls" built [00:04:00] into proprietary mission computers.

This corporate bottleneck creates an asymmetric disadvantage. Major General Peter Huntley, chief of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, pointed out that adversaries such as Al-Shabaab and drug cartels can easily purchase and modify commercial off-the-shelf drones without restriction, whereas the United States military remains legally bound to original equipment manufacturers. Despite strong backing from military leaders and the administration, right-to-repair provisions were stripped from the compromise version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act following intense lobbying by the defense industrial base, leaving special operations forces without the legal authority to repair their own gear.

This technical lag is especially visible when compared to the conflict in Ukraine, where the military's unified "Delta" network successfully integrates every drone, sensor, and weapon into a single command-and-control system. To address this, the Army recently launched "Operation Jailbreak" at Fort Carson, Colorado, where [00:05:00] engineers and private contractors are working to break through software firewalls.

Tragically, operational dangers were highlighted on 12 May 2026, when recovery teams retrieved the remains of Specialist Mariyah Symone Collington near the Cap Draa Training Area in Morocco. Specialist Collington and Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. went missing on 2 May 2026 after being swept away by a sudden ocean wave during a recreational hike along the coastal cliffs. Both soldiers were deployed to Morocco as part of the multi-national African Lion 2026 exercise.

[00:05:32] Training Pay and Recruiting
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Meanwhile, the Air Force is launching the most significant overhaul of its basic military training program in more than seven decades. Major General Davidson told reporters on 12 May 2026 that the revamped curriculum is specifically designed to transition from historical, rote training models to a system that builds "airminded" warfighters, emphasizing decentralized decision-making, cyber awareness, and the mental agility required for peer-to-peer conflicts.

[00:06:00] To align with combat demands, the Army has implemented a new seven-event Combat Field Test for soldiers in combat-arms specialties. Furthermore, a Pentagon proposal emerged during this reporting period to double the monthly combat pay for troops deployed to active war zones. This compensation focus aligns with a successful Navy recruiting and retention push. The Navy surpassed its fiscal year 2025 recruiting goal of 40,600 by enlisting 44,096 new Sailors, and has increased its fiscal year 2026 goal to 45,000. Key policy changes, such as suspending High Year Tenure gates to retain 2,340 Sailors and launching the Full Power Navy initiative, have helped secure a net gain of 10,830 enlisted personnel over the past year.

[00:06:45] Navy Ships and Supply Chain
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On 11 May 2026, the Department of the Navy released its fiscal year 2027 Shipbuilding Plan, launching a generational initiative titled the "Golden Fleet". Built on the principles of increasing acquisition speed, enhancing maritime dominance, and [00:07:00] revitalizing the domestic industrial base, the plan commits to a high-low platform mix, unmanned systems, and a significant recapitalization of amphibious forces, including LHA, LPD, and Medium Landing Ships.

To protect the defense supply chain, the Department of Defense proposed a rule trending on 12 May 2026 that would expand Foreign Ownership, Control, and Influence, or FOCI, disclosure requirements. Under the new regulations, contractors bidding on awards exceeding five million dollars must submit a Standard Form 328 in the National Industrial Security System, providing complete visibility into beneficial ownership to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing sensitive unclassified technologies.

Finally, infrastructure modernization continues at Royal Air Force Base Croughton in England. The 422d Civil Engineering Squadron announced that starting in May 2026, a 15-month complete refurbishment of 36 bungalows will force military families to find off-base housing. Because the [00:08:00] moves are designated as a government necessity, they will be fully funded by the Air Force, and affected personnel will receive a Partial Dislocation Allowance and a Move In Housing Allowance.

[00:08:09]  Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel

The primary policy focus for retired military personnel continues to center on concurrent receipt reform, a long-standing legislative battle that gained fresh momentum during this reporting period. This effort is crystallized in the Major Richard Star Act, which is analyzed in detail below.

Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102 and S. 1032

( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2102 )

The bill directly enhances recruitment and long-term retention. Since fear of injury and long-term disability is a primary barrier to enlistment—with 68% of young Americans citing it as a major concern—codifying robust concurrent benefits demonstrates a clear national commitment to prospective soldiers.

The legislation permanently eliminates the dollar-for-dollar offset for combat-injured medical retirees (Chapter 61), allowing them to receive full [00:09:00] retirement pay alongside VA disability, leading to an average increase of $1,200 per month.

It empowers approximately 54,000 combat-wounded veterans to select whether they want to remain in the Combat-Related Special Compensation, or CRSC, program or transition to full, concurrent retirement and tax-free VA benefits.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided a major endorsement for the bill during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Under questioning from the bill’s lead sponsor, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Secretary Hegseth declared, "As I have said in the past to other organizations, we support the Richard Star Act". This official backing from the Pentagon has put immense pressure on congressional leadership to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, given that it has achieved a supermajority of co-sponsors, with 326 members in the House and 79 in the Senate as of 11 May 2026.

Despite this broad consensus, the bill has been blocked by some lawmakers over concerns regarding its [00:10:00] long-term cost. Senator Ron Johnson previously objected to a unanimous consent vote, citing estimates that the reform would cost more than $70 billion over ten years. However, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee clarified that the $70 billion figure represents the cost of eliminating the offset for all 250,000 medical retirees.

Because the Major Richard Star Act is narrowly tailored to apply only to Chapter 61 retirees eligible for Combat-Related Special Compensation, the committee estimates the true cost is actually $11 billion over ten years. To resolve the funding debate, the Veterans of Foreign Wars has urged Congress to finance the bill using the federal Military Retirement Fund, which currently holds more than $1.7 trillion in assets.

At the state level, the Star Act Alliance reports that more than a dozen states have introduced resolutions urging federal passage of the bill, with California, Iowa, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania having successfully passed such measures.

[00:10:58] Michigan Guard Pay Equity
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State legislatures [00:11:00] are also pushing for compensation equity for retired National Guard and Reserve personnel. In Michigan, State Representatives Carol Glanville and Veronica Paiz have championed House Concurrent Resolution 0003, which is analyzed below.

Michigan House Concurrent Resolution 0003, HCR 0003 of 2025

( https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Search/ExecuteSearch?docTypes=Bills&sessions=2025-2026&sponsor=Carol%20Glanville )

The resolution urges the federal Congress to amend 38 U.S.C. § 5304 and 10 U.S.C. § 12316 to allow activated National Guard and Reserve members to receive active-duty pay concurrently with VA disability compensation, eliminating the current administrative requirement to forfeit disability pay during drill or active periods.

It establishes a seamless transition for part-time personnel moving between drill status, federal activation, and retirement, preventing complex pay recalculations.

It protects the financial security of disabled veterans who choose to continue serving their country in reserve components.

The Michigan resolution argues that forcing part-time service members to choose between [00:12:00] active service pay and earned disability benefits is an administrative injustice that undermines the readiness and economic security of the reserve-component force.

[00:12:09]  Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
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Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs

The focus of this weekly review next shifts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is facing intense scrutiny over physical security vulnerabilities. On 13 May 2026, the Government Accountability Office publicly released a highly critical report titled "Facility Security: VA Should Fully Implement Federal Security Requirements and Improve Performance Reporting" (GAO-26-107952) alongside testimony by Triana McNeil, Director of Homeland Security and Justice, before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs (GAO-26-109020).

The GAO's findings expose alarming gaps in the security of the nation's veterans' hospitals. In fiscal years 2024 and 2025, VA police recorded 74,706 crimes across VA medical facilities. [00:13:00] While 98% of these offenses were nonviolent, such as disorderly conduct, theft, and drug possession, the rate of crime was twice as high in urban facilities compared to rural areas, averaging 214 crimes per urban facility over the two-year period.

To evaluate the VA's security posture, GAO investigators conducted unannounced, covert testing at a representative sample of 30 VA medical centers. The results were deeply troubling: in all 30 tests, VA staff completely failed to detect a prohibited weapon carried into the facilities by undercover investigators, even in two facilities equipped with operational metal detectors. Additionally, in 25 out of 26 tests, staff failed to confront investigators who were openly drinking from a bottle labeled "vodka" in plain view inside public waiting areas, despite alcohol being strictly prohibited on VA property. In 16 of the 30 tested facilities, undercover investigators successfully gained unauthorized access to locked, restricted-access medical [00:14:00] areas.

The GAO's analysis attributes these vulnerabilities to systemic planning and communication failures. While the VA is legally required to implement the Interagency Security Committee’s federal risk management standards, it has failed to do so. The department has not documented its decisions regarding which security strategies to adopt, nor has it established metrics to measure the effectiveness of the security measures currently in place. Furthermore, while the VA set a capital planning performance goal to resolve 95% of identified security gaps, regional networks have failed to meet this target. Specifically, Veterans Integrated Service Network 10 and Network 15 did not meet the security gap closure goal from fiscal year 2023 through fiscal year 2025. This occurred because VA headquarters, which tracks the capital planning data, failed to establish any communication mechanism to notify regional directors of their underperformance, leaving network officials completely unaware they were failing to meet the national goal.

[00:14:58] Key Veterans Bills Update
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As the VA addresses [00:15:00] these administrative security challenges, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, led by Chairman Mike Bost, advanced 16 key bills on 14 May 2026 to the full House of Representatives. Three of these legislative proposals are of critical importance to transitioning service members and veterans.

Improving Emerging Tech Opportunities for Veterans Act, H.R. 7103

It directly supports transitioning service members by embedding emerging technology career and education tracks directly into the military's Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, ensuring that active-duty personnel are prepared for immediate civilian employment.

It provides workforce transition support for retired veterans entering high-tech civilian job markets.

It instructs the VA to partner with industry stakeholders to identify high-growth occupations in emerging fields, specifically Artificial Intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing, and streamlines access by establishing a rapid 90-day course approval process. The program is structured to terminate on 30 September [00:16:00] 2027.

RECOVER Act, H.R. 2283

It builds a stronger mental health safety net of private partners that active-duty personnel can immediately access upon transitioning to civilian life.

It expands clinical capacity for retired personnel dealing with long-term, combat-related mental health conditions.

It creates a three-year pilot program authorizing $20 million annually from 2025 to 2027 to award grants of up to $1.5 million per facility to qualified private mental health providers, who must deliver culturally competent, evidence-based care to veterans, free of any out-of-pocket charges.

Blast Overpressure Research and Mitigation Task Force Act, H.R. 6444

It drives deep research and protective protocol development for active-duty personnel regularly exposed to high-pressure weapon blast waves in combat and heavy training, preventing early-onset brain trauma.

It integrates clinical findings to provide systematic, long-term care [00:17:00] pathways for retired personnel suffering from chronic, overlapping brain health conditions.

It mandates a joint VA-DOD task force to coordinate clinical research and improve integrated care delivery for veterans experiencing overlapping PTSD and TBI symptoms from blast exposures.

In addition to these three bills, the committee reported out several other measures, including the Veterans Flight Training Responsibility Act of 2026 (H.R. 5634), the CRUISE Act (H.R. 7083), the BEACON Act of 2026 (H.R. 6993), and the U.S. Vets of the FAS Act (H.R. 6652), which expands support for veterans from the Freely Associated States.

[00:17:41] VA Trust and Wrap Up
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In administrative news, the VA reported that overall veteran trust reached an all-time high of 82% in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026. Trust in outpatient medical care rose even higher, with 93.6% of veterans reporting satisfaction with their care. According to VA data, [00:18:00] 77.3% of veterans found it easy to access services, 81.4% received the care they needed, and 79.5% felt like valued customers. However, public feedback reveals a persistent disconnect, as many veterans continue to report facing long wait times and administrative hurdles, indicating that translating high-level policy reforms into a consistent, positive clinical experience remains an ongoing challenge.

Finally, the VA continues to manage its capital requirements over a ten-year horizon using the Strategic Capital Investment Planning, or SCIP, process to correct performance gaps and modernize facility security. Under recent guidelines signed in 2025, the major lease threshold for congressional approval has been adjusted from $3,926,211 in fiscal year 2026 to $4,109,355 in fiscal year 2027, ensuring the department can continue to procure modern physical facilities to care for the nation's heroes.

[00:18:59] Closing Remarks
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And that's your [00:19:00] Weekly Briefing. Staying on top of these changes is key to navigating your career, your retirement, and your benefits.

Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an update. We’ll be back next week with another roundup of the news that matters most to the military and veteran community.