AlaDefense.com

Alabama National Guard medics train for combat during exercises in Germany

February 24, 2025

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ARMY

By: Staff Sgt. Jaccob Hearn Alabama National Guard For two weeks in Germany, no one saw the sun. Each new bitter morning, the unending gray, heavy skies of U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels only promise more cold and rain. The sharp chills, harsh winds, and muddy earth may be the norm for soldiers of the 1st…
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Battle of Iwo Jima: 80 years later, lessons learned

February 19, 2025

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MARINES, NAVY

(Marines raise the flag on Iwo Jima, Japan, Feb. 23, 1945. Photo ccurtesy of Joe Rosenthal, via DOD) By David Vergun DOD News The Battle of Iwo Jima took place from Feb. 19, 1945 to March 26, 1945. The island, only 8 square miles in area, was considered crucial to the strategy of the Pacific campaign…
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A match made in service: Mississippi Air Guard’s kidney donation finds recipient in Alabama Airman

February 15, 2025

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AIR FORCE, ARMY

Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Sargent (middle with maroon shirt) and family visit with Master Sgt. Ron Bohl (second from left) and his family celebrating one month after a successful kidney transplant for Sargent and Bohl’s brother. Bohl, a Mississippi Air National Guardsman, donated a kidney to Sargent, an Alabama Air National Guardsman. Nicole Brannon (second…
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Alabama’s 117th Air Refueling Wing returns from Indo-Pacific deployment

February 11, 2025

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AIR FORCE

By Troy Turner [email protected] The Alabama National Guard’s 117th Air Refueling Wing recently returned from a planned deployment in support of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The 117th is based at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham and flies the KC-135R Stratotanker. (U.S. Air National Guard photos by Senior Airman Kasie Faddis) “Our airmen…
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Navy extends Austal USA contract for work on littoral combat ships

February 8, 2025

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CONTRACTS, NAVY

Austal USA LLC, based in Mobile, recently received a contract extension with the U.S. Navy to continue “emergent repair and continuous maintenance on the fleet’s littoral combat ships deployed to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans and the countries and ports therein.” Austal was granted a $48 million modification to a previously awarded contract, bringing the…
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UPDATED LIST: DOD’s contracts with Alabama-linked companies bring $billions in defense spending

February 7, 2025

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CONTRACTS

(Laser warfare development is among the many fields of research taking place in Alabama. DOD photo.) By Troy Turner [email protected] The Department of Defense in the past several months has awarded dozens of Alabama-connected companies – many of which are headquartered here – major contracts to support a wide array of military projects, involving almost…
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Audie Murphy: Hero, movie star, veteran

February 2, 2025

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ARMY

Audie Murphy shown relaxing during a 1954 stay at the Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham. Murphy often toured the nation giving speeches at war memorial dedications, and he did so in Alabama. (Photo via Alabama Department of Archives and History.) Editor’s note: World War II hero and post-war movie star Audie Murphy was in Alabama and…
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Navy singer goes from Auburn to NFL mega-audience on way to social media fame

January 29, 2025

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NAVY

By Troy Turner [email protected] AUBURN – Basketball fans fortunate enough to attend last Saturday’s hard-fought Auburn-Tennessee game briefly may have turned their heads before tipoff to notice the man singing the national anthem. A day later for those who joined millions of others to watch the NFL’s nationally televised AFC Championship football matchup in Kansas…
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Alabama Congressional delegation wastes no time in making pitch to Trump for Space Command Headquarters

January 22, 2025

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Uncategorized

By Troy Turner [email protected] The 119th Congress began its first session on Jan. 3, and within days members from Alabama introduced resolutions in the House and Senate calling on President Trump in his return to office to “immediately proceed in establishing a permanent headquarters for United States Space Command at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.” The resolutions were introduced on…
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The president leads our government, but who is next in the line of succession? The next 18 positions of power:

January 20, 2025

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Uncategorized

By Troy Turner [email protected] The inauguration of President Donald Trump into his second term brought most of the top U.S. government leadership all together in the same room. Which, to some, might prompt the question of what is the succession of power beneath the office of the president? The U.S. Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act…
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Alabama National Guard activates 400 in latest winter weather response

January 20, 2025

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AIR FORCE, ARMY

Alabama National Guard personnel responded to an earlier winter-assistance activation, shown here Jan. 11, 2025. (Alabama National Guard photo) MONTGOMERY — The Alabama National Guard has called to duty more than 400 service members in preparation to assist local responders during the next several days for severe freezing weather, snow and ice across the southern…
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Maxwell AFB begins Grey Wolf training role; 24th Helicopter Squadron activated for special missions

January 14, 2025

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AIR FORCE

By Troy Turner [email protected] MONTGOMERY – Special-mission aviators for worldwide service in nuclear security, VIP transportation, and survival/evasion/resistance/escape operations will be in the high-level training activities at Maxwell Air Force Base as it becomes a key component for the military’s MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter program. The recent activation of the 24th Helicopter Squadron, under the…
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