MOVE OVER MAVERICK – The Air Force just got its first all-female crew of aces. Capt. Carla Nava, weapons systems officer, and Capt. Claire “Atomic” Eddins, pilot, made history during Iran’s massive April 2024 drone-and-missile assault on Israel by racking up five confirmed kills in a single night - earning the rare ace designation - something the Air Force hadn’t handed out in decades. For Nava, now named Airman of the Year, the achievement goes beyond the combat record. It’s proof that an all-female team could break into a tradition long dominated by men - and do it under the most intense conditions in more than 50 years of air combat.
NEITHER COMING NOR GOING: There is a hearing coming up this week in Congress to discuss a new bill introduced by Congressman Brian Mast, (R,FL), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that would allow the Secretary of State to revoke the passports of some U.S. citizens. According to The Intercept, while the bill says it is aimed at supporters of “terrorists and traffickers,” opponents worry that it could be used to go after Americans whose free speech – rather than their actions, offends an administration in power. Earlier this year, the State Department cancelled the visa of a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University because of unhappiness with an OPED she co-authored a year earlier. Meanwhile, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller appeared on Fox News’ Hannity program last week in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk murder to say: "My message is to all of the domestic terrorists in this country spreading this evil hate, you want us to live in fear -- we will not live in fear," Miller told Hannity. "But you will live in exile. Because the power of law enforcement under President Trump's leadership will be used to find you, will be used to take away your money, take away your power, and if you've broken the law, to take away your freedom." So it appears as though Mast won’t let you leave – and Miller won’t let you stay if you spread messages they don’t like.
DON’T CROSS THE LINE – An important question is where the line is - between free speech and domestic terrorism, and who is drawing it? The FBI defines ‘domestic terrorism’ as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial or environmental nature.”
WORSE THAN ROTTEN TOMATOES – A new UN report accuses Pyongyang of cracking down on “cultural infiltration” by executing North Koreans who are caught distributing foreign television shows, including South Korean soap opera blockbusters. Since 2014, surveillance has increased and punishments have escalated from prison time to death penalties for “cultural contamination.” The report, based on 300+ witness accounts, says “Several interviewees reported witnessing public executions over the past decade. The Government reported that public executions were an exception, used in cases of “heinous” murder without remorse, in cases where the criminal had committed repeated crimes, causing serious harm to others, and in cases where the victim’s family requested such an execution and that “Executions are reportedly carried out by firing squad after trials that do not meet fair trial standards.” North Korea officials rejected the findings, which is about as surprising as the plot twist in a bad soap opera.
ANOTHER NAVY “LOSS OF CONFIDENCE” – Cmdr. Adam Ochs, skipper of the littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara, got the boot last week while deployed with the Navy’s 5th Fleet. No scandalous details offered - just the Navy’s favorite catch-all phrase that basically means: “We didn’t trust him to steer anymore.” Task & Purpose reports that the Santa Barbara is currently roaming 2.5 million square miles of high-drama waterways, spanning from the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, but officials insist the mission is “totally fine, nothing to see here.” Ochs is being shuffled to a desk job as Cmdr. Linzy Lewis officially takes over. So yes, the ship has blue and gold crews that tag-team command like a naval relay race — and in this case, the handoff came a little earlier than planned.
MORE TESTS FOR TROOPS – The Pentagon has decided that service members tripping on magic mushrooms probably isn’t great for “good order and discipline.” A new memo says psilocin - the active compound that kicks in after munching psilocybin mushrooms - will officially join the military’s drug test panel starting Oct. 1. Translation: if you’ve been microdosing in the barracks, the jig is up. According to Navy Times, officials cite concerns about hallucinations, psychotic behavior, and, yes, the ever-popular vomiting, none of which pair well with running live-fire drills. The change comes as part of a broader crackdown: the Pentagon is tightening its drug-screening rules, streamlining how tests are requested, and studying troop drug habits like an anxious parent rifling through a teenager’s backpack. Psilocybin and psilocin remain Schedule I substances under DEA rules, meaning they’re lumped in with the “absolutely not” crowd - no medical use, high abuse potential, zero tolerance. In short: if you’re in uniform, don’t expect Uncle Sam to tolerate your side hustle as a psychonaut.
SpOC GETS BEAMED INTO OBLIVION – The Space Force has decided its Star Trek–flavored acronym for Space Operations Command (SpOC) was maybe a little too cute for a branch that insists it’s all about warfighting. Enter the new name: Combat Forces Command - because nothing says “serious military business” like stripping away the sci-fi charm. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the switch will happen once Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon (pending a promotion to three-star) takes over from Lt. Gen. David Miller, who’s off to a strategy gig in D.C. Translation: as soon as the paperwork clears, “SpOC” gets beamed into oblivion. A spokesperson framed the rebrand as aligning with Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman’s push for “combat-ready forces,” but let’s be honest, it’s also about not confusing Space Force with U.S. Space Command, which actually fights. Meanwhile, leadership chairs are being shuffled like cards in a deck: Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess is up for a new ops role, Maj. Gen. Steven Whitney is headed to the Joint Staff, and STRATCOM is flipping back to Navy leadership with Vice Adm. Richard Correll. But the headline here? SpOC is no more. Apparently, the final frontier has no room for punchy acronyms that make the Pentagon sound like Comic-Con.
PROTECTION FROM ALIEN RETRIBUTION – Sorta. Congress held another round of “Aliens Anonymous,” last week, with a focus on protecting whistleblowers who say they’ve seen things that make Independence Day look like a documentary. According to DefenseScoop, lawmakers are pushing for stronger shields against retaliation after military veterans testified about encounters with glowing orbs, flying buildings, and Tic Tac-shaped objects zipping out of the ocean like they’re late for a Marvel crossover. Air Force vet Jeffrey Nuccetelli recalled UAPs buzzing Vandenberg during high-stakes launches, while Dylan Borland said coming forward about his own run-in basically nuked his career. For added drama, an active-duty Navy senior chief described a 2023 incident where four self-lit craft pulled a synchronized disappearing act without a sonic boom - because apparently physics takes a vacation when UFOs are around. And just to top it off, Rep. Eric Burlison unveiled a never-before-seen video of a U.S. drone firing a Hellfire missile at a speedy orb off Yemen. The orb shrugged it off like it was swatting a mosquito. Cue lawmakers demanding to know why this kind of footage is harder to find than your Netflix password. Bottom line: the push isn’t just about chasing little green men - it’s about making sure those who report the weird stuff don’t get career-sabotaged for saying, “Uh, hey boss, there’s a glowing craft doing backflips over the carrier.”
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