MIL News Weekly

MIL News Weekly 21-27 Jun 2026 (Episode 56)
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[00:00:00] Weekly Briefing Intro
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Welcome to the MIL News Weekly for 21-27 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.

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

[00:00:44] Venezuela Relief and RIMPAC
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U.S. forces surged into Venezuela to support disaster relief following the devastating 24 June 2026 earthquakes. Under Southern Command's direction, Air Force C-17 Globemasters transported Search and Rescue teams from Los Angeles and Virginia to Caracas, [00:01:00] while Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys, the USS Fort Lauderdale, and the USS Billings arrived to assist, supported by Army CH-47 Chinooks from Joint Task Force-Bravo and Space Force satellite imaging.

On 24 June 2026, Exercise Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC 2026, officially kicked off in Hawaii. Under Combined Task Force and Pacific Fleet Deputy Commander Vice Admiral Jeffrey T. Jablon, this 30th iteration features thirty nations, over 206 aircraft, and 30,000 personnel, including 35 Indonesian Marines led by Colonel Rana Karyana.

[00:01:35] Pentagon Updates and Red Hill
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On the home front, the Pentagon on 25 June 2026, restored mandatory flu shots for all military recruits following an influenza outbreak at an Air Force boot camp. This comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ended mandatory military vaccines, which led to nearly 160 service members falling ill with the flu. Additionally, on 25 June 2026, the federal government settled for $17 million [00:02:00] with 629 civilian plaintiffs sickened by fuel-contaminated drinking water at the Navy’s Red Hill facility in Hawaii. Active-duty service members affected by the contamination received nothing due to the Feres Doctrine, which bars active duty personnel from suing the government for service-connected injuries. In leadership news, General Christopher Donahue, commander of Army forces in Europe and Africa, abruptly stepped down on 24 June 2026, after only 18 months in the position.

[00:02:29] Shutdown Pay Protection
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To round out this section, the analysis focuses on a critical piece of legislation active in Congress this week that directly impacts active duty pay and security during fiscal crises: S. 3039, the True Shutdown Fairness Act. A link to the act is available in the transcript.

( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3039)

Led in the Senate by Chris Van Hollen and in the House by Representative James Walkinshaw of Virginia, S. 3039 was reintroduced to address a major shift in Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, guidance stating that Congress must explicitly [00:03:00] authorize back pay via separate legislation following a shutdown.

A breakdown of the effects of S. 3039 on active duty and reserve personnel reveals that the bill is a vital financial lifeline. It automatically appropriates necessary funds from the Treasury to continue paying standard salaries, allowances, and differentials on their regular schedules during any government shutdown in fiscal year 2026, shielding service members from financial distress.

For the retired military population, S. 3039 has no direct impact on standard military retirement annuities. However, it does protect retired military personnel who have transitioned into civilian federal government jobs, ensuring their civilian paychecks are not disrupted during a shutdown.

For the veteran population, S. 3039 is highly significant because veterans comprise roughly twenty-five percent of the federal civilian workforce. By guaranteeing uninterrupted pay for federal employees and contractors and preventing agencies from launching reductions in force—essentially [00:04:00] layoffs—under the cover of a shutdown, S. 3039 ensures that veteran employees maintain their financial stability and that essential administrative services remain fully operational.

[00:04:11] Retiree Benefits Package Stalls
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[00:04:11]  Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel
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Issues That Affect Retired Military Personnel

The discussion now turns to the critical developments of this week that directly impact retired military personnel and their families. This week, legislative activity centered around the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, or TCAVA, introduced as H.R. 9237 and S. 4744. A link to the official legislative source is provided in the transcript. ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9237)

This 554-page omnibus package, containing over 60 bills to modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs, was scheduled for a House vote during the week of 21 June 2026. However, on Thursday, 25 June 2026, the vote was canceled. This cancellation occurred because of an impasse over President Donald Trump's demand that Congress prioritize the SAVE Act (voter citizenship requirements), [00:05:00] alongside intense opposition from veterans groups over a controversial funding offset that would reduce future disability ratings.

For active duty and reserve personnel, H.R. 9237 serves as a future recruitment and retention tool by guaranteeing that future service-connected medical retirements and survivor benefits are highly expanded, though critics note that Section 108 shifts a massive funding burden onto future claimants (including current post-9/11 active duty personnel).

For retired military personnel, H.R. 9237 offers long-overdue benefit expansions, primarily by integrating concurrent receipt for combat-injured retirees and protecting survivor benefits upon remarriage.

For the veteran population, H.R. 9237 represents a major modernization of VA services, transition assistance, and education benefits, yet draws heavy opposition from major veterans service organizations because it pays for these expansions by reducing future disability compensation for sleep [00:06:00] apnea and tinnitus.

[00:06:01] Love Lives On Act
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The second key component of the TCAVA package is H.R. 1004 and S. 410, the Love Lives On Act of 2025. A link to the official legislative source is provided in the transcript. ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1004)

This bipartisan bill addresses a deeply outdated penalty affecting the survivors of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

For active duty and reserve personnel, H.R. 1004 provides critical peace of mind, ensuring that if a service member is killed in the line of duty, their surviving spouse will be taken care of unconditionally, without facing financial penalties if they eventually choose to remarry and rebuild their lives.

For retirees, S. 410 guarantees that if they pass away due to a service-connected illness, their surviving spouses are protected. Under current law, surviving spouses forfeit Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits if they remarry before age fifty-five. The Love Lives On Act removes this penalty completely, protecting [00:07:00] nearly 30,000 surviving spouses nationwide and restoring TRICARE eligibility if the subsequent marriage ends.

For the veteran population, S. 410 addresses a severe injustice facing Gold Star families. Because the average surviving spouse of a post-September 11 service member is between twenty-five and thirty-five years old, the current law penalizes young parents. The bill restores their financial independence and ensures they do not have to choose between financial stability and finding companionship.

[00:07:29]  Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs
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Issues That Affect Veterans Affairs

This brings the focus to the final segment, centering on the latest administrative, healthcare, and legislative updates from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

While the benefits increases under the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act are widely supported, the bill’s cancellation on 25 June 2026, occurred because of a fierce controversy over its funding. Since the CBO estimated the Major Richard Star Act would cost billions, lawmakers sought offsets. Sponsors of H.R. 9237 [00:08:00] inserted Section 108, which permanently codifies a controversial proposed rule to restructure how the VA evaluates service-connected sleep apnea and tinnitus for future claims.

Under Section 108, veterans with asymptomatic or mild sleep apnea receive a 0% to 10% disability rating, and tinnitus is eliminated as a stand-alone disability, requiring connection to an underlying hearing loss pathology. This change would affect 1.5 million future claimants and cut future compensation by $57 billion over ten years. Veterans groups like the DAV and VFW, along with VFW Commander Coleman Lee, protested, arguing that disability ratings must be evidence-based medical decisions, not political budget offsets. House Democrats, led by Representative Mark Takano, called this a betrayal of active duty service members. Furthermore, the AFGE opposed the bill because it would convert 5,000 VA psychologists to the Title 38 system, slashing their collective bargaining rights, [00:09:00] and unions warned changes to the Veterans Community Care Program would accelerate privatization.

[00:09:05] VA Reforms and Claims Progress
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In brighter VA news, on 24 June 2026, the VA announced a sweeping reform to its 5,000-officer police force. Previously managed locally by individual facilities—leading to inconsistent standards and personnel working as valet parkers—the force is being centralized under a unified law enforcement chain of command in the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness. Led by a dedicated Assistant Secretary, this shift includes raising entry-level grades to GS-6 and establishing career tracks up to the Senior Executive Service.

[00:09:37] Closing 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 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.