Marines no longer lose free trip home if they take US leave while moving between overseas assignments www.stripes.com/branches/mar...

The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship will work together with the Department of Homeland Security to support border operations. www.stripes.com/branches/nav...

EUROPE TRAVEL | From Christmas-themed attractions to concerts and comic cons, these places promise something special over the last November weekend. www.stripes.com/living/europ...

ICYMI: A group of 17 veterans who left the Air Force and Space Force early because of President Donald Trump's ban on transgender troops — each with 15 to 18 years of military service — has filed a federal lawsuit over the loss of their retirement pay and health care coverage.

The Netherlands and an unspecified number of NATO partner countries are pulling out of plans to purchase six U.S.-made Boeing E-7 Wedgetail surveillance aircraft following the United States' withdrawal in July from a multinational effort to replace the alliance's aging Boeing E-3A planes.

President Donald Trump's administration has appealed a ruling from a federal judge in Oregon that barred it from deploying the National Guard to Portland.

The Army's selection of Anduril’s Lattice software as the next-generation fire control platform for the Integrated Battle Command System is the latest step in the service's efforts to adapt to the rise of drone warfare.

More than a dozen top House members are calling for the preservation of Navy Reserve Centers around the country after the Senate proposed eliminating the system that serves tens of thousands of sailors.

An Alaska-based firm that provides moving and storage services to military members has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle allegations that it faked customer surveys to get more business through a program administered at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, federal authorities said this week.

PACIFIC TRAVEL | American beer aficionados eager for a taste of home will have a chance to try several award-winning brews when the American Craft Beer Experience comes to Hibiya Park in central Tokyo's Chiyoda ward for a three-day celebration of suds Nov. 22-24.

Marines can now take annual leave between overseas tours without jeopardizing their eligibility for a paid trip back to the U.S. from their new duty station, according to a recent message to the force.

ICYMI: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fastened the final screw into a new Department of War plaque at the Pentagon's main entrance for visiting VIPs, marking the latest effort to cement a name change that still requires congressional backing.

As NATO pushes for faster innovation, drones flooded the skies above a test battlefield in Greece this week, showcasing a broad range of domestically developed drones and counter-drone tools for an audience of military officers from the U.S., France, Bulgaria, Armenia and Turkey.

A Navy veteran was sentenced this week to 52 years in prison for holding a family hostage, including an 8-year-old child, in Colorado in 2022.

The FAA began taking the first steps to restore U.S. air travel Friday after the federal government shutdown, halving the number of flights that airlines must cut from the schedules at 40 airports, but some limits remain.

The State Department has backed a $330 million military equipment sale to Taiwan, which has also requested U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced.

As the Army carries out its Transformation Initiative, the 25th Infantry Division's large-scale combat training now taking place across Hawaii is providing a glimpse of the future of warfare. (from @wyattwolson.bsky.social)

Japan's Ministry of Defense has rejected as "ineligible" a request from Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki to fund new filters designed to remove "forever chemicals" from a major water purification plant in central Okinawa. (from @brianmcelhiney.bsky.social & @keishirkoja.bsky.social)

ICYMI: Lt. Col. Robert Stirm, the Air Force officer whose return home after 5½ years as a POW in Vietnam was captured in the iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph "Burst of Joy," reportedly died this week at the age of 92. Read more about Stirm here: bit.ly/4peSiBk

Airmen may wear unit morale T-shirts on Fridays, and aircrew members are allowed to wear callsign name tags daily. www.stripes.com/branches/air...

Iran did not acknowledge the seizure, though it comes as Tehran has been increasingly warning it can strike back after facing a 12-day war in June with Israel that saw the U.S. strike Iranian nuclear sites. www.stripes.com/theaters/mid...

A Russian naval spy ship seen two weeks ago in international waters off Oahu was spotted Thursday lurking 17 miles off Hawaii island. www.stripes.com/branches/coa...

The Netherlands is among a number of countries pulling out of plans to buy six U.S.-made Boeing E-7 Wedgetail reconnaissance aircraft, the Dutch defense ministry announced. www.stripes.com/theaters/eur...

A software program that uses artificial intelligence to prioritize and destroy drone swarms will become the backbone of the Army’s new unified command and control system, according to its manufacturer. www.stripes.com/branches/arm...

Marines can now take annual leave between overseas tours without jeopardizing their eligibility for a paid trip to the U.S. from their new duty station. www.stripes.com/branches/mar...

New signage on a Pentagon entrance comes as Senate Republicans take steps to change the formal name of the Defense Department to the Department of War. www.stripes.com/theaters/us/...

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Ammunition, food and medical supplies float on parachute from C-130 cargo plane into the Marine fortress of Khe Sanh Base in South Vietnam in this March 10, 1968, photo from the Stars and Stripes archive. www.stripes.com/history/arch...

The State Department has backed a $330 million military equipment sale to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has rejected a request from Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki to fund new filters designed to remove PFAS from a major water purification plant in central Okinawa. www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...

Lt. Col. Robert Stirm, the Air Force officer whose return from captivity during the Vietnam War was captured in an iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph in 1973, has reportedly died at the age of 92. Read more here: bit.ly/4peSiBk

As the Pentagon cracks down on personal appearance across the military, the Air Force is loosening uniform rules in a bid to boost morale. (from @zadevadnais.bsky.social)

WATCH: Japan Marine United Corporation held a naming and launch ceremony Nov. 13 in Yokohama for the JS Sakura, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever offshore patrol vessel. Read about Japan's ongoing military buildup plan here: bit.ly/3XunP6a 📽️: Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes

Russia unleashed a massive combined attack on Kyiv early Friday, sparking fires and scattering debris across many districts of the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. At least 11 people were injured as emergency crews responded to multiple strikes, he said in a statement.

The U.S. and NATO allies are strengthening their anti-submarine capabilities in the Baltic Sea this week during a nine-nation exercise in a region where infrastructure networks are susceptible to Russian mischief threatening Europe’s security.

The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is over — on paper, at least. But the American public isn't done with it yet: Getting everything back up and running doesn't happen all at once.

A former Marine convicted of the 1979 murder of a 6-year-old girl who was abducted from her bedroom was put to death Thursday evening in a record 16th execution in Florida this year. Court records show Bryan Frederick Jennings was on leave from the Marine Corps when he killed Rebecca Kunash.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a major new U.S. military and surveillance campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that is deploying an unprecedented mix of robotic air and sea vessels to counter Latin American drug-trafficking cartels.

The U.S. military has launched a disaster-relief operation to the Philippines alongside local forces after back-to-back typhoons battered the islands in recent weeks.

ICYMI: A group of 17 transgender members of the Air Force filed a lawsuit this week in federal court against the U.S. government over what they say is the military's unlawful revocation of their early retirement pensions and benefits.

Rear Adm. Patrick Hannifin returned to Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan this week to assume command of the U.S. 7th Fleet, which covers the Navy's largest operations area of approximately 48 million square miles of ocean. (from @alexmwilson.bsky.social)

The U.S. Army has moved prototype equipment to Guam and South Korea in preparation for development and testing as part of its newest missile defense system.

Jeremy and Kaitlin Kuykendall, the parents of a toddler who was physically abused by employees at a Navy child care center in Hawaii, filed a lawsuit this week in federal court seeking damages for what they say was government negligence. (from @wyattwolson.bsky.social)

ICYMI: The legislative package passed Wednesday by the House and signed by Donald Trump to end the government shutdown includes funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Defense Department infrastructure projects for a full year. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)

Blue Origin launched its huge New Glenn rocket with a pair of NASA spacecraft destined for Mars. It was only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos’ company and NASA are counting on to get people and supplies to the moon.

The U.S. conducted another strike on an alleged drug boat on Monday in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people.

A coalition of Navy veterans is seeking an expansion of health care and disability benefits for toxic exposures linked to gases, chemicals and biological contaminants aboard submarines.

A U.S. proposal to provide a United Nations mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza is facing opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries.

AFTER HOURS | The cozy vegan cafe in downtown Kaiserslautern, Germany, will now offer a biweekly lunch and weekend breakfast options. Read our review here:

Military bases and cocaine refining laboratories are just some of the targets that the American Administration could aim for in the event of an attack on Venezuela, threatened by US President Donald Trump. Here's the list:

A former Marine convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl more than four decades ago is scheduled to be executed in Florida, which would be the record 16th death sentence carried out under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.