AlaDefense.com

Rapper MC Hammer served in the Navy, and his stage name has an Alabama connection

October 26, 2024

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NAVY

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series by the Department of Defense highlighting famous sports stars and entertainers who served in the military. By David Vergun DOD News Rapper MC Hammer is perhaps best known for his 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This.” Stanley Kirk Burrell, which is Hammer’s birth name, was also in…
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These 17-year-old twins get an early start in Alabama National Guard

October 24, 2024

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ARMY

By Staff Sgt. Jaccob Hearn Alabama National Guard Meet Pvt. Ciara Fells and Pvt. Asalyn Fells (L-R in photo), identical twins and newly enlisted soldiers for the Alabama National Guard. The sisters, both 17 years old and high school seniors from Birmingham, joined the Guard their junior year of high school. The National Guard allows…
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Huntsville company tasked with assisting in UAS-defense development

October 17, 2024

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CONTRACTS, MARINES

(Top: AI-generated image/AlaDefense.com; Bottom: DOD file photo) By Troy Turner [email protected] The Department of Defense and U.S. Navy awarded Invariant Corp., based in Huntsville, and a California company a combined $400 million contract for the integration and delivery of a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System/Engagement System. Defense against drone warfare has become a given on the battlefield,…
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Report: Alabama ranks among the top 15 states in defense spending

October 16, 2024

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AIR FORCE, ARMY, COAST GUARD, CONTRACTS, CYBERSECURITY, MARINES, NAVY, SPACE FORCE

By Troy Turner [email protected] Lockheed Martin was Alabama’s top defense contractor in 2023, bringing the state more than $1.1 billion in Department of Defense contracts, while Alabama as a state ranked 14th in defense spending nationwide. The DOD on Tuesday released its 2023 states spending report, including data breaking down the impact of defense spending…
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Auburn University celebrates ‘Hey Day,’ a tradition linked to post-World War II

October 15, 2024

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AIR FORCE, ARMY, MARINES, NAVY

By Clint Richardson auburnuniforms.com Special to AlaDefense.com AUBURN — “Hey!” Yeah, that’s about it. But it’s still more than that. The tradition of Hey Day on Auburn University’s campus, which this year was celebrated today (Wednesday), was truly a grassroots movement in the 1940s to welcome back to campus students who served in World War II.…
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Birmingham-based 117th Air Refueling Wing selected as finalist for new aircraft

October 14, 2024

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AIR FORCE

U.S. Air Force F-16C Falcons from the 187th Fighter Wing, Montgomery, are refueled by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 117th Air Refueling Wing, Birmingham, on Aug. 17, 2022. The 187th has since transitioned to F-35 aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Faddis.) Special to AlaDefense.com BIRMINGHAM — Birmingham’s Sumpter Smith Joint…
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Navy helicopters, personnel relocate to Maxwell AFB during Hurricane Milton

October 10, 2024

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AIR FORCE, NAVY

From Public Affairs Air University & 42d Air Base Wing MONTGOMERY — 26 U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawks and approximately 200 personnel from Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, relocated to Maxwell Air Force Base in preparation for Hurricane Milton, which on Wednesday made landfall on Florida. The aircraft and personnel will remain at…
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Maxwell AFB turned into massive staging area for Hurricane Helene disaster relief

October 2, 2024

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AIR FORCE, ARMY

By Troy Turner [email protected] Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery is playing a major role as a FEMA staging area for tons of supplies making their way to disaster sites left behind in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Federal disaster aid is being distributed in hard-hit communities throughout the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. Also, Alabama…
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Air Force awards $89 million contract for work in Madison to support F-16 program

September 21, 2024

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AIR FORCE, CONTRACTS

By Troy Turner [email protected] The U.S. Air Force has awarded a Texas-based company doing business in Madison, Alabama, as International Enterprises Inc. an $89 million contract for optical upgrades on F-16 fighter aircraft. ElbitAmerica Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, leads a large family of business units involved in a wide array of defense and civilian industry…
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Navy: Mobile region could gain 2,000 new jobs as Alabama shipbuilder Austal USA is tapped for submarine expansion program

September 20, 2024

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CONTRACTS, NAVY

By Troy Turner [email protected] Navy and local officials say 2,000 new jobs could be created in the Mobile region over the next four years as the U.S. Navy looks to nearly double submarine production by 2028, and major changes are in store for Austal USA and Alabama Shipyard, both located inside the Port of Mobile.…
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Alabama Shipyard wins contract to service Army’s largest dredge ship

September 18, 2024

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ARMY, COAST GUARD, CONTRACTS, NAVY

Alabama Shipyard LLC, based in Mobile, was awarded an $11.5 million contract to drydock and repair the Dredge Wheeler, which is the largest dredge ship operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Wheeler keeps waterway channels clear from Key West, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. Although the dredge is maintained in a state of…
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TURNER: The U.S. military’s history with Martin Dam and Lake Martin continues

September 16, 2024

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AIR FORCE, ARMY, OPINION

(Illustration of an F-35 in flight over Lake Martin. AI-generated/AlaDefense.com) COMMENTARY By Troy Turner [email protected] It might be a hard-to-detect stealth fighter jet, but there was no sneaking into Tallapoosa County a recent afternoon when an F-35 roared up the river at low altitude and made a tight turn over Martin Dam. “Hello, 187th, I…
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