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The U.S. Army's chief of staff is searching for alternatives to the multi-year Modular Handgun System effort, to include piggy-backing on Army Special Operations Command's current pistol contract. Gen. Mark Milley has used recent public appearances to criticize federal acquisition guidelines that all services must follow when choosing and purchasing weapons and equipment.

When it comes to handguns, the U.S. Army wants the weapon of its choice, not whatever pistol the Pentagon's Byzantine procurement process draws. The Pentagon is currently mulling over a host of proposals to replace the M9 9mm sidearms soldiers have carried since 1985 - when those guns replaced the venerable Colt 1911s that had been fixtures for decades. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley opened fire on the process at the Future of War Conference, saying he has asked Congress to grant service chiefs the authority to make the call. "We are not exactly redesigning how to go...

The Army misled Congress and taxpayers when it said it had killed in 2014 a program that embedded social scientists with combat units, according to a congressman, a Defense official and Army documents. Last year, the Army said it had terminated the controversial battlefield anthropology program, known as the Human Terrain System, which had been plagued by documented time sheet fraud, racism and sexual harassment. It is not clear why the Army said the program was dead, according to a Defense Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the program.

An investigation by Popular Military has determined that the recent reports about US special operations being conducted in Iraq are in direct violation of OPSEC (Operation Security). CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has published multiple articles this week about the specific operations of the U.S. Army’s most elite and secretive unit, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), popularly known as “Delta Force”. Yesterday, Barbara Starr reported “U.S. Special Ops team captures first ISIS operative,” based upon information that was not released through any official channels. Her report even lists the location in Iraq where the US special operators are...

Military triumphs and catastrophes have often hinged on how well (or luckily) armies and navies employed, avoided or benefited from weather, seasonal and other natural events. Severe storms helped the British navy defeat Spain's Armada in 1588. George Washington knew horrid weather meant the Hessians would not expect an attack across the Delaware River on Christmas 1776. Napoleon captured Moscow before leading his Grande Armee's exhausted, starving, freezing remnants back to France through a bitter 1812 Russian winter. Hitler's army never even reached Moscow; it was decimated by disease, starvation, bullets and frigid cold at Stalingrad 140 years later. Eisenhower's...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Hold the mystery meat: Military mess halls soon will be serving more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dishes under the first program in 20 years to improve nutrition standards across the armed services. First lady Michelle Obama and Pentagon officials announced the effort Thursday during a visit to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, where the military has been experimenting with ways to improve the quality and variety of foods served on base. The first lady toured a gleaming cafeteria line, then announced the program in a dining hall filled with service members whose plates...

The Pentagon is ordering the top brass to incorporate climate change into virtually everything they do, from testing weapons to training troops to war planning to joint exercises with allies. A new directive’s theme: The U.S. Armed Forces must show “resilience” and beat back the threat based on “actionable science.” It says the military will not be able to maintain effectiveness unless the directive is followed. It orders the establishment of a new layer of bureaucracy — a wide array of “climate change boards, councils and working groups” to infuse climate change into “programs, plans and policies.” The Pentagon defines

To meet the Obama administration's goal of "implementing a robust diversity strategy" at the Department of Defense (DOD), the agency's director of diversity violated government rules by distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to controversial leftist groups. Adding insult to injury, a "consulting" firm gets nearly half a million dollars from the DOD to help distribute the money to groups--even those that don't qualify--that support the Pentagon's "diversity strategy and program objectives." Among the recipients is the notorious open borders group League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Minority Access Inc., a Maryland-based nonprofit committed to decreasing disparities and reducing...

Sen. Ted Cruz said he would reconsider opening all ground combat positions to women if elected the next commander in chief. Cruz promised to take another look at the administration's decision late last year to open all positions to women. The administration's move ignored a request from the Marine Corps to keep some frontline combat positions male-only after some studies showed women were more likely to be injured and perform worse. "The Marine Corps request [for exceptions] must be reconsidered," Cruz wrote in response to a Center for Military Readiness survey released Sunday. "As long as the requirements are fair...

The Pentagon announced Monday that it intends to pay for hormone treatment for transgender troops. The change was one of several proposed in a package of reforms. Written public comments about this proposed new rule can be made in the Federal Register until April 1. Tricare coverage for gender dysphoria treatments would be available to troops, their family members and retirees, including psychotherapy and hormone replacement therapy. "This rulemaking proposes to remove the categorical exclusion on treatment of gender dysphoria. This proposed change will permit coverage of all non-surgical medically necessary and appropriate care in the treatment of gender dysphoria,...

Wartime U.S. presidents have taken keen personal interest in picking the most lethal gun for the military. But in President Obama's first foray into small-arms procurement for the armed forces, his Jan. 4 executive order on gun control directs the Pentagon to find ways to make not so much more lethal firearms, but safer ones. His direct order has brought a few snickers among retired combatants who argue that the commander in chief is issuing his directive at a time of more pressing small-arms priorities. The military, critics say, fields a flawed personal rifle and has spent more than a...

As part of his commitment to build the military "force of the future," Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday announced a series of "family-friendly" initiatives to attract and retain "the best America has to offer." "We are not Google. We are not Walmart. We're war fighters. But that doesn't mean we should not be challenging ourselves just like the private sector," Carter told reporters at the Pentagon. [...] The Defense Secretary outlined the following initiatives: [...] Making military workplaces more accommodating to women when they return from maternity leave: The focus here is to make it easier for new mothers...

Two weeks ago, the US military was humiliated by the Iranians before a worldwide audience. The surrender of two US Navy vessels of war and their crews to the Iranians without firing so much as a shot and the subsequent and sickening apology by the commanding officer, speaks volumes about the current fighting spirit, training and state of readiness of the US military in 2016. The conduct of the US Navy officer in charge, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter was nothing less than a complete and utter disgrace. No doubt the order to surrender...

A friend told me a co-worker and her family lost TriCare Coverage without notice in early January. When she investigated, she was told a “glitch” in the interface between DEERS and TriCare caused the problem and a quarter-million families were affected. There was no projected date for the problem to be resolved. I have heard squat about this in the media.Looking to my FreeRepublic family to report if you know of anyone caught up in this latest guberment snafu. It is being pursued through Congressional and American Legion contacts.

All military branches required to 'address the impacts of climate change' A new directive issued by Pentagon leaders mandates that the agency work to "assess and manage risks associated with the impacts of climate change," according to a copy of the Jan. 14 directive issued by Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work. As the Obama administration focuses on a larger effort to push its climate change agenda, the Pentagon will now "address the impacts of climate change." This includes engaging in "deliberate preparation, close cooperation, and coordinated planning" to "improve climate preparedness and resilience," according to the directive. The partnership...

Today, my former boss, a retired Army Intelligence officer sent me a copy of a memorandum for record concerning the US Army’s most recent lactation and breastfeeding policies, signed by the new Secretary of the Army, Eric K. Fanning and dated November 10, 2015. My first reaction was to pop a couple Tums even before starting to read it. As I scanned the document, I realized how far the Army has fallen on its sword. The sword of feminism, the sword of lunacy has completely eviscerated the lean green machine, so that it is the US Army in name only...

Rep. Duncan Hunter has had enough of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' strong support for opening all Marine combat posts to women, declaring him "a greater threat to the Marine Corps than ISIS.” The Republican congressman and Marine veteran from California, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is furious with Mabus for pushing through an end to the ban on women serving in all combat positions over the Marine Corps' objections. Particularly, he's taking exception to memo Mabus sent to the Marines Corps this week, instructing it integrate Marine boot camp, which has been separate for men and women, and change...

Chuck Hagel Breaks His Silence A glimpse inside the Obama inner circle's culture of deceit and delusion. December 22, 2015 Ari Lieberman I've never been a big fan of former Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, but one cannot help but feel some sympathy for a man who had to endure two years of fecklessness, incompetence and back-stabbing in the Obama White House. It would have been enough to drive any sane person stark, raving mad. Hagel announced his resignation in November 2014 (he stayed on a bit longer until replaced by Ashton Carter), but the brutal reality is that...

In an unusually scathing memo to Secretary of the Navy Ray Maybus, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has demanded severe changes to the troubled Littoral Combat Ship program. It includes instructions to cut the number of Littoral Combat Ships to be built, and as well as focusing on building one variant, from one shipyard and general contractor. arter has specifically directed Maybus to cut the number of hulls for the LCS program from 52 to 40, and to select a single LCS design-shipbuilder team, instead of the current plan for two completely separate designs and shipbuilders, according to the letter...

The Pentagon acknowledged Wednesday that Defense Secretary Ash Carter used a personal email account to do some of his government business during his first months on the job. Carter's press secretary, Peter Cook, declined to say whether it was a violation of Pentagon email policies. He said work-related messages Carter received on his personal account were "copied or forwarded to his official account so [they] can be preserved as a federal record as appropriate."