MIL News Weekly

MIL News Weekly 7-13 Jun 2026 (Episode 54)
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[00:00:00] Weekly Briefing Intro
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Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for 7-13 June 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.

[00:00:39]  Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Active and Reserve Military Personnel

[00:00:43] New Missile Procurement
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The high-volume use of precision-guided weapons in the conflict has accelerated a separate defense procurement effort. Because standard Tomahawk cruise missiles cost upwards of $2 million each, the Department of Defense is facing a significant cost asymmetry when responding to cheaper drone threats. To address this [00:01:00] challenge, the Pentagon launched the Low-Cost Containerized Munitions program, establishing agreements with defense firms such as Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos, and Zone 5.

The assessment phase began in June 2026, with the military purchasing initial test missiles from all four companies. This program is designed to procure more than 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles over a three-year period starting in 2027, with the new weapons expected to cost only a few hundred thousand dollars apiece.

Additionally, the Pentagon signed an agreement with Castelion to purchase a minimum of 500 Blackbeard hypersonic missiles annually once testing and validation are complete, with plans to purchase over 12,000 of these hypersonic strike weapons over five years. These operations also prompted the House Armed Services Committee on Friday, 5 June 2026, to advance a proposal requiring the defense secretary to submit an unclassified total cost assessment of operations in Iran by 1 April 2027, forcing direct transparency [00:02:00] regarding the financial drain of these engagements.

[00:02:02] Pay and Policy Updates
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Back at home, active and reserve personnel are navigating significant updates to compensation and daily operations. The 2026 military pay scale implemented a 3.8 percent increase in basic pay. This means that in 2026, an enlisted E-1 receives $2,407.20 per month, while an enlisted E-6 with more than a decade of service earns $4,759.50 monthly. Officers also saw increases, with a new O-1 basic pay beginning at $4,150.20 and a senior O-4 with more than ten years of service receiving $9,420.00 monthly.

These raises are determined by the Employment Cost Index calculated by the Department of Labor to mirror private-sector wage increases. Personnel are encouraged to verify these changes on their Leave and Earning Statements, paying close attention to the Date of Initial Entry into Military Service and the Retirement Plan fields to ensure accurate benefits tracking.

[00:02:57] Navy Food and Army Fitness
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Quality-of-life improvements are also [00:03:00] underway for Navy shore installations. The service is expanding its shore food service transformation initiative, aiming to establish grab-and-go food stations at 95 percent of all shore-based galleys by the end of June 2026. The pilot program, launched on 29 May 2026 at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, and expanded on 3 June 2026 to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington, provides sailors with flexible dining options to accommodate irregular watch and training schedules. The Navy plans to maximize operational hours, ensuring these grab-and-go stations are open from the moment a galley opens until it closes by the end of 2026.

Additionally, the Army has initiated a major transition in its physical fitness standards. In June 2026, the service officially dropped the "Combat" designation from the Army Combat Fitness Test, renaming it the Army Fitness Test. The restructured test removes the ball throw event, establishes sex-neutral scoring standards for combat arms specialty jobs, and utilizes [00:04:00] the deadlift, pushups, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and two-mile run as the official components. This new scoring framework for the 21 combat-focused specialty jobs has officially become the standard of record for the National Guard and Reserve as of June 2026, completing the total force integration of the revised physical evaluation.

Finally, the broadcast highlights off-duty updates for personnel. Xbox Game Pass added Solarpunk and Undisputed as day-one titles on 8 June 2026, and Wo Long returned to the service on 7 June 2026. Meanwhile, PlayStation is rolling out age verification measures in June 2026. Users who fail to verify their age will lose access to voice chat, messaging, party systems, and Discord integration, though access to single-player games and the PlayStation Store will remain unaffected.

[00:04:52]  Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel

The transition from active duty to civilian retirement represents a critical milestone that [00:05:00] significantly impacts healthcare, income, and survivor benefits. For National Guard and Reserve personnel, this transition is particularly complex. Often referred to as "gray area retirees," these individuals have officially retired from service and stopped drilling but have not yet reached age 60, the threshold at which they become eligible to draw retired pay and qualify for standard TRICARE Prime or Select benefits.

During this intermediate period, gray area retirees without employer-sponsored healthcare can purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve. However, this option is highly expensive. For the calendar year 2026, the monthly premiums for TRICARE Retired Reserve are set at $645.90 for an individual and $1,548.30 for a family plan, with an annual network deductible of $198 for individuals and $397 for families.

This stands in stark contrast to the premiums for TRICARE Reserve Select, which is available to active [00:06:00] drilling Guard and Reserve members at a monthly rate of $57.88 for an individual and $286.66 for a family. Once a retiree reaches age 60 and their retirement processing is officially completed in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, they can finally transition to the standard, lower-cost retiree health plans.

Navigating these healthcare options is also critical for older retirees. On 6 June 2026, the Joint Base San Antonio Retired Military Council hosted its annual T-65 Forum at the Military and Family Readiness Center on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. This in-person event, which was also livestreamed via Facebook Live, served as a crucial transition seminar for the region's large military retiree community.

The forum provided vital information to retirees turning 65 years of age, focusing on the mandatory transition from standard TRICARE plans to TRICARE For Life, Medicare eligibility [00:07:00] requirements, necessary updates to the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, and coordinating Social Security benefits. Navigating these changes is critical, as failing to enroll in Medicare Part B once a retiree reaches age 65 results in a complete loss of military healthcare coverage.

These healthcare complexities were also a primary topic of discussion at the Tri-City Retiree Luncheon, held on 13 June 2026 at the Restaurant Makedonia in Heidelberg-Kirchheim, Germany. The gathering brought together European-based military retirees and surviving spouses to discuss the unique limitations of using TRICARE For Life overseas, where Medicare is not recognized as the primary payer.

Because TRICARE For Life acts as the primary payer internationally, attendees were briefed on specific services that are not covered under foreign medical provider rules, emphasizing the need for retired personnel residing overseas to carefully monitor their coverage limits.

[00:07:53] Major Richard Star Act
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On the legislative front, retired military personnel are closely watching a historic development that could [00:08:00] fundamentally alter their retirement compensation. On 10 June 2026, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mike Bost and Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran introduced a massive, comprehensive legislative package that establishes a clear, bipartisan path forward for the Major Richard Star Act.

Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102 / S. 1032)

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

( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1032)

The passage of the Major Richard Star Act would provide vital long-term financial security for currently serving active duty and reserve personnel. By ensuring that any future combat-related injury resulting in medical retirement does not trigger a pension offset, the bill preserves the full value of both military retirement and disability compensation. This significantly improves long-term career planning and provides peace of mind to service members operating in high-risk environments, knowing that their future financial safety net is legally protected.

The bill directly eliminates the unjust "wounded veteran tax" that currently targets combat-injured military [00:09:00] retirees. Under existing federal law, service members who are medically retired under Chapter 61 with fewer than 20 years of service are subject to a dollar-for-dollar offset, meaning their hard-earned military retired pay is reduced by the amount of VA disability compensation they receive. The Major Richard Star Act would completely end this offset, allowing medically retired combat-wounded veterans to concurrently receive their full, unreduced Department of Defense retirement pension alongside their VA disability compensation.

Enacting this legislation would provide immediate, substantial financial relief to approximately 54,000 combat-wounded veterans and their families, significantly reducing financial strain and improving their overall quality of life. According to a cost estimate released by the Congressional Budget Office, implementing this concurrent receipt would increase direct federal spending outlays by $35.9 billion between 2026 and 2031, and by a total of $78.1 billion over the [00:10:00] ten-year period spanning 2026 to 2036. This substantial federal investment reflects the significant scope of support this bill will deliver to the nation's most severely injured veterans.

[00:10:10]  Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
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Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs

The final segment of the broadcast focuses on veterans affairs, highlighting a massive wave of legislative action and technological modernizations designed to support those who have completed their military service. The central development of the week is the introduction of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act on 10 June 2026. This comprehensive package serves as a major legislative vehicle, consolidating over 60 bipartisan bills to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system, streamline the disability benefits process, and expand economic and educational opportunities.

Take Care of America's Veterans Act (H.R. 9237)

( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9237)

For personnel preparing to separate from active duty or reserve status, this act significantly improves the transition process. It mandates the modernization and [00:11:00] stabilization of the Transition Assistance Program, ensuring that separating service members receive timely and consistent information about available benefits. Additionally, it facilitates the seamless, hassle-free transfer of military health records from the Department of War to the VA, preventing administrative delays and ensuring that service-connected conditions are documented and addressed immediately upon discharge.

The bill incorporates the exact provisions of the Major Richard Star Act, establishing a viable, bipartisan legislative pathway to secure concurrent receipt of retirement pay and disability compensation for combat-wounded retirees. By embedding this top priority of retired military organizations into a broader, must-pass veterans' package, the act significantly increases the likelihood of ending the pension offset that has long impacted tens of thousands of retired service members.

The act delivers sweeping improvements to VA healthcare access and patient choice. It legally codifies strict community care access standards, [00:12:00] ensuring that veterans can receive care from private-sector providers when the VA cannot meet their needs. It legally obligates the VA to notify veterans within five days of becoming eligible for community care. To prevent scheduling manipulation, the bill mandates that the "wait-time clock" starts the moment a veteran requests care, rather than when a bureaucrat enters the request into the system, and prohibits the VA from resetting this clock by canceling and rescheduling appointments.

For mental health, the bill enforces a strict standard requiring veterans in need of urgent inpatient mental health treatment to receive a diagnosis and be placed into care within 48 hours. It also establishes a user-friendly online self-service portal for managing appointments, appeals, and referrals.

[00:12:44] Benefits Expansion and Education
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A second major piece of legislation currently advancing through Congress is the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026, which recently passed the House of Representatives.

Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026 [00:13:00] (H.R. 6047)

  ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6047)

The bill provides a major benefit expansion for reserve component members by officially expanding their eligibility for VA-guaranteed home loans, allowing reserve personnel to obtain favorable mortgage terms, lower interest rates, and smaller down payments. However, to offset the direct spending costs of the bill, the legislation increases the fees that the VA charges borrowers for certain refinancing loans and loan assumptions. Specifically, the rate for refinancing loans will increase from 0.5 percent to 1.4 percent of the loaned amount, and the rate for loan assumptions will rise to 1.0 percent, which will increase the upfront borrowing costs for active duty and reserve home buyers.

The legislation extends a temporary statutory limitation on certain VA pension payments to hospitalized or institutionalized veterans through 30 September 2036, maintaining current pension cap rules for retirees receiving long-term care.

This bill delivers the first significant benefit increase for [00:14:00] catastrophically disabled veterans and surviving families in decades. It provides two targeted cost-of-living adjustments to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, which is paid to the surviving dependents of veterans who died from service-connected disabilities. The first adjustment, taking effect on 1 December 2026, will be 1.0 percentage point higher than the standard Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, and the second, in December 2027, will be 0.5 percentage points above the standard adjustment, increasing average monthly survivor benefits by approximately $23 in 2027 and $34 in 2028.

The bill also creates a brand-new monthly supplemental allowance of $833.33, starting on 1 December 2026, for catastrophically disabled veterans who receive a monthly VA aid and attendance allowance. This new benefit, which will adjust with inflation to approximately $1,026 per month by 2036, will immediately support [00:15:00] about 8,000 severely injured veterans, with participation expected to grow to 10,000 over the next decade.

Additionally, bipartisan efforts are underway to address the financial burdens of veterans pursuing higher education and professional training.

Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act (H.R. 1965)

( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1965)

The bill ensures that active duty and reserve personnel transitioning to civilian life can maximize their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. By indexing stipends directly to inflation, the legislation prevents the erosion of their earned educational benefits, ensuring that future student-veterans do not face high out-of-pocket expenses for required learning materials.

While retired personnel who have already utilized their educational benefits will see minimal direct impact, those who have transferred their Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility to their dependents will benefit significantly, as the increased stipends will apply to eligible spouses and children pursuing higher education.

The bill directly modernizes the [00:16:00] Post-9/11 GI Bill by adjusting the annual book, supply, and equipment stipend, which has remained stagnant at a maximum of $1,000 since 2008 despite decades of inflation. H.R. 1965 increases this annual stipend to $1,400, while a companion Senate version introduced by Senators Martin Heinrich, Jim Banks, and Tammy Duckworth proposes an adjustment to $1,500.

Crucially, the bill mandates that the VA annually adjust this stipend to keep pace with inflation, utilizing the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers of the preceding fiscal year. It also increases the base book and supply stipend for veterans enrolled in registered apprenticeships and trade programs to $128, also indexed to annual inflation. This update will support more than 600,000 student-veterans currently facing high out-of-pocket costs for books and digital learning equipment.

[00:16:52] Rights and VA Modernization
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Finally, the legislature is advancing a critical measure to protect veterans' constitutional rights within the VA system.

Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection [00:17:00] Act (H.R. 1041)

( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1041)

The bill provides psychological security to currently serving active and reserve personnel, ensuring that seeking assistance with financial management or personal affairs upon transition will not result in the automatic forfeiture of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

The bill protects retirees who require administrative or fiduciary assistance in managing their military pensions from being wrongfully penalized or stripped of their constitutional rights by federal agencies without proper judicial review.

The legislation ends a long-standing practice where the VA automatically reported any veteran who utilized a designated fiduciary to manage their monthly benefits to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, effectively stripping them of their Second Amendment rights. Under H.R. 1041, no VA official or bureaucrat can report a veteran to this database or restrict their right to bear arms unless a judge, magistrate, or court of competent jurisdiction has formally ruled that the veteran is a danger to themselves or their [00:18:00] community, restoring vital constitutional due process rights.

In addition to these legislative reforms, the VA has achieved a major milestone in its technological modernization. On a Saturday just prior to 8 June 2026, the department successfully deployed its new standardized Federal Electronic Health Record system at four major healthcare facilities in Ohio and Kentucky. The deployment sites include the Chillicothe VA Medical Center, the Cincinnati VAMC, the Cincinnati VAMC-Fort Thomas, and the Dayton VAMC.

This deployment marks the successful first wave of 13 scheduled rollouts in 2026 under an accelerated schedule. Unlike previous deployment attempts that allowed local facilities to customize the system—resulting in severe technical errors, administrative delays, and safety concerns—the current rollout focuses on a strictly standardized system to ensure all facilities operate on a single, unified network.

The standardized system is designed to facilitate the seamless transfer of [00:19:00] military health records among the VA, the Department of War, and private-sector providers, allowing doctors to spend more time with patients, reducing duplicate medical testing, and improving the coordination of emergency care when a veteran visits an unfamiliar facility. To ensure a stable rollout, the VA has hired dozens of local staff and is in the process of hiring a total of 400 support specialists to assist with the transition.

This technological push comes as the VA reports historically high trust ratings. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, overall trust in the VA reached an all-time high of 82 percent among veterans who utilize its health, benefits, and memorial services. Furthermore, 93.6 percent of surveyed veterans reported that they trust the VA for their outpatient healthcare needs, with 77.3 percent stating it was easy to navigate the system, 81.4 percent reporting they received the care they needed, and 79.5 percent feeling valued during their interactions.

Despite these record-high [00:20:00] metrics, patient advocates and critics note that these figures may be heavily influenced by the expanded use of the Community Care Program, which allows veterans to receive care from private doctors due to persistent wait times at VA-run facilities. Advocates continue to push for greater accountability, noting that federal VA physicians remain exempt from state licensing board oversight, which can limit a veteran's recourse in cases of substandard care.

To bridge these lingering gaps and connect local communities directly to their earned benefits, local agencies are hosting targeted outreach events, such as the Harnett County Veterans Services two-day resource event held in June 2026, which brought comprehensive benefit counseling, healthcare enrollment, and community support services directly to active duty personnel, local veterans, and their families.

[00:20:47] Wrap Up and Subscribe
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And that's your 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 [00:21:00] 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.