AlaDefense.com

Officer stationed at Maxwell AFB talks about what lured her into Space Force

August 5, 2023

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SPACE FORCE

By Katie Lange DOD News As a military brat and a childhood fan of Star Trek, it’s no surprise that Space Force Maj. Alexa Eggert turned her fascination with space and engineering into a career. She spent a decade in the Air Force learning how new technologies are developed and used before switching to the…
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Boeing, Air Force tout new trainer jet, a project once sought for Macon County

August 5, 2023

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AIR FORCE

Alabama connection remains alive with T-7A Red Hawk By Troy Turner [email protected] Alabama officials in recent years hoped that the next generation of trainer jets for the U.S. Air Force would be built in their state. That isn’t happening, but efforts to land the contract did bring with it hope for new military aviation relationships…
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Mobile-made USS Canberra joins U.S. fleet… and already is making history

August 3, 2023

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NAVY

By U.S. Navy, Pacific Fleet SAN DIEGO — The USS Canberra (LCS 30) joined the U.S. Navy active fleet on July 22 with the U.S. Navy’s first international commissioning ceremony at the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Base East in Sydney, Australia. The USS Canberra was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. The ship is the…
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USS Alabama’s 100 patrols remind of deterrence mission

August 2, 2023

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NAVY

By Troy Turner [email protected] August 2022 The USS Alabama nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine achieved a significant naval milestone when it completed its 100th patrol in autumn 2021, and not to be lost in recognition is the success it continues to provide today in its primary mission: Serving as a major deterrent to potential enemies by…
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Retired Marine colonel: leaders must CARE

August 2, 2023

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MARINES, OPINION

By Col. (Ret) Chris Richie I recently started my first (and hopefully last) post-military retirement job. After a few months in my new profession, I feel so much more comfortable in my role as leader in a small, yet extremely impactful and highly functional team. Starting a brand-new profession after serving as a Marine for…
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Saying goodbye to the Confederacy – again

August 1, 2023

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AIR FORCE, ARMY, NAVY

By Troy Turner [email protected] Fort Benning, Georgia – one of the largest military bases in the world – was renamed for an Army hero and his wife who resided in Auburn late in their lives. Alabama’s Fort Rucker was renamed for a Medal of Honor helicopter pilot who made a series of daring rescues during…
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Alabama felt post-war Vietnam, but Afghanistan? Not so much

August 1, 2023

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OPINION

OPINION By Troy Turner [email protected] The comparisons of America’s messy military, economic and diplomatic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 to that of Vietnam almost 50 years earlier were plentiful as it occurred, but on one of those three fronts there exists stark contrast. An economic ripple effect from post-war Vietnam after the mid-1970s came specifically…
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Railroad fuss could have impact on military’s logistical strategies

August 1, 2023

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OPINION

OPINION By Troy Turner [email protected] Railroads in the United States played a critical combat role during the American Civil War for both the Union and the Confederacy, as each raced to move troops into battle and ship supplies to where needed most. More than a century-and-a-half later, the war in Ukraine has shown that railroads…
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Army’s directed-energy research lab in Huntsville explores future weaponry

August 1, 2023

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ARMY

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center’s Technology Complex hosted the ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the Directed Energy Systems Integration Lab on Redstone Arsenal in August 2022. (Photo courtesy of Army Space and Missile Defense Command) By Troy Turner [email protected] Most Alabamians likely never have connected the state’s infamous red clay…
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