• The 137th Rose Parade gets underway at 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026. • The 5.5-mile parade features floral-covered floats, equestrian units and marching bands.
The clock is ticking.
And it’s all hands on deck as an army of volunteers get floats ready for their run down Colorado Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 1.
This year’s theme for the 137th Rose Parade is “The Magic in Teamwork” with Magic Johnson as grand marshal.
Here’s a look at what’s happening behind the scenes.
Volunteer Jeff Okayasu works on the Rotary International float titled “Unite for Good,” while other Rose Parade floats are constructed at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.
Volunteers work on cutting flowers that will be added to the the “Bee Magical Together” float at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.
Volunteer Heather Tran, 16, helps decorate a float for the Rose Parade at the AES Rosemont Pavilion in Pasadena.
Clockwise from top left, cut flowers to be used for the Rotary Club float titled “Unite for Good”; volunteer Dulce Monico works on a flower that will be part of the City of Hope float titled “Overcoming Cancer and Diabetes Together”; volunteers help cup Spanish moss used to decorate the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s float; and volunteer Susie Fundter of Pasadena helps decorate a zebra on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park float.
Volunteers John Hernandez, right, and his son, Leonidas, of Fontana, apply Spanish moss to an elephant on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park float.
Volunteer Carlos Bo Bedia works on the Shriners float titled “Building Dreams Together” at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.
Volunteer Neal Gamble, from Scott City, Kan., works on the Shriners float titled “Build Dreams Together.”
The Department of the Army plans to “limit” a longstanding contracting preference the federal government has given to blind vendors, according to a notice scheduled to be published in the federal register this week.
The notice states that Army dining halls will no longer give blind applicants the same priority after the Trump administration determined doing so “adversely affects the interests of the United States.”
The decision was made by Trump’s education secretary, Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling CEO, according to the notice. The Education Department oversees what’s known as the Randolph-Sheppard Vending Facility Program, which was created during the Great Depression to help integrate blind workers into the U.S. workforce due to discrimination.
An Education Department spokesperson, Madi Biedermann, said in an emailed statement that McMahon had reviewed the Department of the Army’s proposal and approved it.
“The Army reports significant price and efficiency issues due to the requirement, impacting military readiness and imposing undue burdens on the Army,” Biedermann said.
The change at the Army appears to be part of the Trump administration’s broader attack on government policies aimed at boosting underrepresented groups in the country’s workforce. Advocacy groups representing workers with disabilities could end up suing in an attempt to stop it, arguing the change is unlawful.
HuffPost reported during the government shutdown that the Education Department planned to lay off a group of blind staffers who administer the Randolph-Sheppard program within the federal government, putting its future in doubt. The layoffs were stopped — at least temporarily — due to the deal Democrats reached with Republicans to reopen the government.
The notice states that the Department of the Army currently has at least 23 dining facility contracts that were awarded through the program. There are more than 1,000 licensed blind vendors across the country, many of them helping provide concessions on military bases.
“Based on the Department of the Army’s representations, it is clear that the Randolph-Sheppard priority hinders the Department of the Army’s ability to act swiftly, efficiently, and cost-effectively in procuring and managing [dining] contracts, which negatively impacts the availability and quality of food options for the nation’s warfighters,” it states.
Although the notice alludes to some examples the department cast as wasteful, it does not mention any comprehensive analysis finding the preference for blind vendors has hurt the Army.
Trump’s secretary of the Army, Daniel Driscoll, has criticized the program in the past. He appeared on a podcast in October and claimed the program was being abused and taken advantage of by people who don’t actually have disabilities, forcing the Defense Department to pay more than necessary for chicken.
“It’s been interpreted over the years to basically mean we have to prioritize blind people when we go out for our chicken contracts,” Driscoll said.
One Education Department employee previously told HuffPost that they were appalled by Driscoll’s portrayal of the program as wasteful.
“The mentality of these people is if we have a disability and we have a job, we’re taking it away from an able-bodied person,” they said.
This story has been updated with comment from the Education Department.
The US government now admits failures by the pilots of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a controller in the Reagan National Airport tower during the January 29 midair collision.
(CNN) — The US government now admits failures by the pilots of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a controller in the Reagan National Airport tower during the January 29 midair collision over the Potomac River that killed 67 people.
The new admission is part of court documents filed by the Department of Justice in United States District Court in Washington, DC, on Wednesday in a civil lawsuit brought earlier this year by the family of a passenger killed on American Eagle flight 5342.
“The United States admits that it owed a duty of care to Plaintiffs, which it breached,” the new filing says, setting up the ability for the families to seek damages.
The concession in the 209-page court filing is an unexpected admission from the military as the National Transportation Safety Board continues its independent investigation of the crash.
A total of 67 people were killed in the midair collision after the Army crew told controllers in the airport control tower that they would maintain “visual separation” from flight 5342 which was about to land at National Airport.
“The United States admits pilots flying PAT25 failed to maintain proper and safe visual separation from AE5342,” the court filing says.
The US government also admits in the suit that an air traffic controller in the tower “did not comply” with an FAA order governing air traffic control procedure.
“The United States is admitting the Army and FAA’s responsibility for the needless loss in the crash of an Army helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 at Reagan National Airport. However, the government rightfully acknowledges that it is not the only entity responsible for this deadly crash,” plaintiff attorney Robert Clifford said in a statement in response to the filing.
There’s still a fair amount of finger-pointing and legal distinctions the Justice Department is making in court, despite its admissions on Wednesday.
In the lengthy response to the lawsuit, federal government lawyers admit the Black Hawk crew’s choices in flight were a “cause-in-fact and a proximate cause of the accident and the death.”
They also argue that the federal air traffic controllers around the DC-area airport can’t be held liable because they weren’t the cause of the crash.
The commercial airlines are still fighting the lawsuit, asking for it to be dismissed by the court, and have not made the same admissions the federal government did on Wednesday.
During public hearings this summer, the NTSB focused on cultural issues in the Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion, possible errors in the altimeters on board the helicopter, and whether the layout of helicopter routes near the airport created an accident waiting to happen.
A final report and probable cause from the NTSB is not expected until next month at the earliest.
Lawyers representing victims’ families say the crash was caused by “collective failures” by the US government that “caused the mid-air collision that resulted in the senseless and tragic deaths of 67 individuals” and that government personnel – including controllers in the air traffic control tower – “should have known, that the airport approaches, and the airspace in the vicinity of Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (‘DCA’), presented certain safety risks, specifically including the possibility of a mid-air collision.”
They also maintain that the crew of the helicopter on a low-altitude training mission were using night-vision goggles which “unreasonably distracted them” and “limited their field of vision.”
The federal government, in its filing, admitted “the airspace near DCA is busy at times and the risk of midair collision cannot be reduced to zero.”
In a statement, a US Army spokesperson said, “The Army understands and respects the need for families to receive more information regarding the tragic DCA crash. We acknowledge that many individuals are still seeking answers about the incident and the measures being taken to prevent a similar tragedy.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment beyond the court filing.
CNN has also reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines for comment.
This story has been updated with additional details.
DENVER — Every December, volunteers place wreaths on the graves of veterans at Fort Logan National Cemetery — a solemn tradition that honors their service and sacrifice. But this year, many graves may go without one.
Only about 14,000 wreaths have been donated for the more than 140,000 service members laid to rest at the cemetery, according to the nonprofit ColoradoHonor. That’s enough to cover just 10 percent of the graves, and there are thousands fewer donations than last year.
Denver7
John Parker served in both the Army and Air Force during Vietnam and the Gulf War. He was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in 2021.
Barbara Schneider said she’s been participating in wreath donations ever since her brother, John Parker, died in 2021.
“John had always wanted to be in a veterans cemetery,” she said. “John was very much into the military, and that was, you know, very touching to him.”
Parker served in both the Army and the Air Force. He was drafted out of college during the Vietnam War — “the last group out of our county, Sedgwick County in Julesburg, Colorado,” Schneider said — and spent two years in Okinawa. He later joined the Air Force and flew missions during the Gulf War.
“He was very outgoing, loyal to a fault, with his friends that he’d had like, I say, since they were born,” Schneider said. “He liked the structure, I think, and especially the higher up he got.”
Schneider said her pride in her brother drives her to give to the wreath program.
“Every year, you know, they take care of putting one on his grave, but I give so that many others can have them too,” she said. “Knowing that they have a physical remembrance that somebody has remembered them.”
ColoradoHonor founder David Bolser said the idea for the nonprofit came when he and other volunteers noticed how many graves lacked wreaths.
ColoradoHonor
“We were walking through the cemetery after we donated these wreaths, and our board chairman, Craig Butterfield, said, Look, 95% of these graves don’t have a wreath,” Bolser said. “The rest of them don’t. And that’s what it was, bare gravestones, you know, on Christmas morning — just that image. That’s what did it.”
Bolser said that each grave represents more than just a name.
“On the front of all of these 220-pound white marble gravestones, there’s a name, and that name carries an extended family with it,” he said. Volunteers are instructed to “place the wreath, read the name out loud, and then salute.”
He added that his ultimate goal is to place a wreath on every grave.
“I think that number is almost irrelevant when you consider that there are 140,000 that are there, and so that’s the ultimate goal,” Bolser said.
For Schneider, that mission is personal.
“As time goes by, sometimes the real hard pain of losing a loved one ebbs, but around the holidays, you know you still have their spirit and their memories,” she said.
Colorado Honor is continuing its donation drive in hopes of reaching more families and supporters before the wreaths are placed later this season. You can donate at the ColoradoHonor website. Donations are accepted until midnight on Thanksgiving Day.
Solemn tradition at risk as wreath donations lag at Fort Logan
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SICKLERVILLE, New Jersey (WPVI) — She’s 101 years old, lived through Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, and then went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a medical lab technician.
Her name is Ruth Roque Herbolsheimer. And today, she was recognized as a ‘Living Legend’ by the Military Women’s Memorial.
The Military Women’s Memorial is based in Arlington, Virginia, and preserves ‘Her Story’ through its monument and organization.
They recognize ‘Living Legends’ when veterans turn 100 years old or if they have another significant accomplishment worth celebrating.
Roque Herbolsheimer was joined today by her family and friends from her gym, where she works out several days per week.
90-year-old Phil Moyer spends his free time cutting grass and polishing plaques at the Wissahickon War Memorial in his beloved Philadelphia neighborhood.
Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson reports the latest on President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia. Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang also joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss his take on the trip and the broader threat China poses.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A former Army sergeant who once held top-secret clearance at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison for attempting to provide national defense information to China.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, pleaded guilty in June to attempting to deliver and retain classified material, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour also ordered three years of supervised release.
Schmidt’s sentencing comes as U.S. authorities warn of growing efforts by China to recruit or exploit former military personnel with access to sensitive information.
“As a retired Army officer, I find it unconscionable for a former soldier to put his colleagues and country at risk by peddling secret information and intelligence access to a hostile foreign power,” Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, learned Mandarin and sought a Chinese visa while serving in the Army.(U.S. Army)
Schmidt enlisted in 2015, and served in the Army’s 109th Military Intelligence Battalion until 2020. Prosecutors said he had access to both secret and top secret systems and later contacted Chinese consular officials after leaving the Army.
Court records show Schmidt created multiple documents based on classified material and offered them to Chinese security services. He also kept a device capable of accessing secure Army networks, which prosecutors said he offered to Chinese officials.
After leaving the Army, Schmidt traveled to Hong Kong in March 2020 and continued corresponding with Chinese contacts. He lived there for more than three years before flying to San Francisco in October 2023, where he was arrested. He pleaded guilty in June 2025, and was sentenced Tuesday in Seattle.
Schmidt attempted to sell U.S. state secrets to China through the consulate in Turkey before trying the Chinese security services, according to the DOJ.(Adek Berry)
Coughenour said he weighed “the seriousness of Schmidt’s crime and his mental health at the time.” A DOJ spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital the judge considered Schmidt’s mental health as a mitigating factor during sentencing.
The agency said Schmidt’s separation from the Army followed a mental health episode, and officials added that no classified material was believed to have reached China.
“The FBI and our partners will remain vigilant in our mission to safeguard our nation,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the Seattle field office.
Joseph Daniel Schmidt was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state while serving in the Army.(Facebook/Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said Schmidt “created documents based on classified and national defense information. He used his training to provide sensitive information to the Chinese security service. He knew what he was doing was wrong – he was doing web searches for such things as ‘Can you be extradited for treason.’”
The FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command (USACC).
BEIRUT — The ad was straightforward: Sign up for one year to fight on Russia’s side in “the special military operation zone” — i.e. the war in Ukraine — and get citizenship, free healthcare, money and land.
It was one of many promotions cropping up on the messaging platform Telegram beginning in 2024, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed foreign nationals fighting in the army’s ranks would receive passports for themselves and their families. Since then, travel agencies and brokers have drawn people from all over the world to join what they call Russia’s “elite international battalion,” dangling a raft of benefits to attract would-be recruits.
For Raed Hammad, a 54-year-old Jordanian man who worked as a cab driver until a herniated disk made sitting in a car seat all day untenable, it seemed like the opportunity he never found in his home country. He contacted a Russian businesswoman, Polina Alexandrovna, whose number was on the Telegram ad, and sent his passport information. In August, he received a visa and flight ticket and flew to Moscow.
(Other media reports put Alexandrovna’s last name as Azarnykh. It’s unclear if her name is a pseudonym.)
“As a 54-year-old who was sick, he had a hard time finding employment here in Jordan. When he found this job, and they accepted him with a very attractive salary and benefits, he didn’t think twice,” said Lamees Hammad, his wife, in a tearful video address she posted on social media in September. Because of his age, Lamees Hammad added, her husband assumed he would work as a driver or a cook; she insisted he repeatedly confirmed with Alexandrovna that he wouldn’t serve on the front line.
“He wanted to provide for our kids, to give them what he couldn’t give them in the past,” Lamees Hammad said. Hammad is a father of four sons, the youngest of whom is 13.
But days after signing a 17-page army contract that Hammad couldn’t read — he was denied a Russian translator and wasn’t given access to WiFi to translate using his phone, according to his wife — he found himself bunkered in a drone-stalked forward position somewhere in Russian-occupied southeastern Ukraine.
“He’s facing all kinds of danger … If a rifle is raised in his face, he can’t even run. They’re being treated like livestock over there,” Lamees Hammad said in a recent interview with a Jordanian TV channel, adding that Hammad contacted Alexandrovna and begged to break his contract but was told he would have to pay 500,000 rubles — almost $6,000 — to do so.
Russian military personnel, draped in Russian flags, appear after a prisoner swap with Ukraine on June 24.
(Russian Defense Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Accurate figures are hard to come by, but it’s clear that Hammad isn’t alone in fighting under Russia’s banner for benefits, with estimates putting the number of foreign fighters in Russian army ranks in the tens of thousands. Many come from disadvantaged countries in the Middle East, Africa and South and East Asia.
Some 2,000 Iraqis are thought to have enlisted, but press reports indicate thousands joining from Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and Jordan. Fighters from Nepal, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Syria, who in the past came in significant numbers, are no longer allowed to join, according to the Russian defense ministry.
Foreigners have also served on the opposing side, with Ukrainian officials stating in the past that roughly 20,000 fighters from 50 countries joined Ukraine’s International Legion, including around 3,000 Iraqis.
In the Russian military, many of the enlisted foreigners came to Russia first as students, but their visas lapsed and they do not want to return home. A significant number also travel to Moscow on tourist visas after they are approved by the military. Once in Russia, they visit offices of companies like Alexandrovna’s and sign a contract with the Russian ministry of defense; others are met by a broker and a Russian officer at the airport.
Offers vary, but recruits can receive a signing bonus of 1.5 million rubles (around $17,000), and depending on where they fight, get a monthly salary ranging between $2,500 to $3,500 — a life-changing amount in countries like Egypt, where the average salary barely exceeds $300.
Training lasts four to six weeks and includes language instruction so foreigners can follow basic commands in Russian. They receive citizenship soon after they join, and are given a two-week paid vacation six months into their one-year deployment. If they are killed or wounded, their families can claim the money and citizenship.
Among the recruitment ads, which appear in Arabic and other languages, Alexandrovna’s channel keeps up a steady rhythm of posts extolling the Russian army’s victories in Ukraine.
Alexandrovna herself appears in several photos taken with recruits when they first land in Russia; others depict foreign soldiers after they receive their citizenship, smiling to the camera and proudly showing off their passports. Her clients appear to be mostly from the Arab world and parts of Africa.
“Each of my soldiers is a source of pride,” she writes in one post, saying that they add to the “victory against the neo-Nazis from Ukraine.”
“Every soldier must proudly and steadfastly defend the new homeland of Russia, because Russia becomes a new homeland for each of them!” she writes.
Despite the risks, there’s no lack of interest: A look on Alexandrovna’s Telegram channel, titled “Friend of Russia” and featuring a picture of Putin, shows more than 22,000 subscribers. Another channel, run by an Iraqi man who calls himself Bahjat, has almost 30,000.
Members of a thousands-strong Telegram community group run by an Iraqi with the nickname Abbass the Supporter — who served in the Russian military for three years but now works as a broker and answers questions about deployments on his TikTok channel — participate in chats asking how quickly they can get their visa and travel.
When contacted by The Times, Alexandrovna denied giving false information to would-be recruits but did not answer detailed questions about Hammad. Nevertheless, it’s unclear how Hammad concluded he would serve in rear positions: Most ads on Alexandrovna’s channel explicitly say foreigners must fight in Ukraine, with no mention of being able to join as a driver or cook, and in any case, those decisions are made by the defense ministry.
The E-visa form inquires about military experience. Bahjat, who spoke on condition of only giving his first name, said those coming to the Russian army from abroad should expect to go into combat, and that breaking the contract risks imprisonment.
“What, you think a country is going to give you money and citizenship so you come and cook?” he said in a WhatsApp chat.
“I’ll give it to you straight. Everyone coming here is going to the frontline and to the war. Anyone saying otherwise is speaking nonsense.”
The Jordanian ministry did not answer questions about Hammad, but legal experts say governments have little recourse to repatriate their citizens if they signed a contract, unless they can prove they did so under duress.
Lamees Hammad has been pleading with Jordan’s King Abdullah and government officials to communicate with the Russian foreign ministry and to bring her husband home. But in the meantime, she said, she hoped the Jordanian government would at least block Telegram channels like Alexandrovna’s to prevent others from following in Hammad’s steps.
“People should know if they do this,” she said, “they’re going to their death.”
Israel’s army said Saturday that it would advance preparations for the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and return all the remaining hostages, after Hamas said it accepted parts of the deal while others still needed to be negotiated.Related video above: President Trump announces ceasefire proposal to end Gaza conflictThe army said it was instructed by Israel’s leaders to “advance readiness” for the implementation of the plan. An official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record said that Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike. The official said no forces have been removed from the strip.This announcement came hours after Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza once Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan. Trump welcomed the Hamas statement, saying: “I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.”Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support and was also endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, without addressing potential gaps with the militant group. Netanyahu has come under increasing pressure from the international community and Trump to end the conflict. The official told the AP that Netanyahu put out the rare late-night statement on the sabbath, saying that Israel has started to prepare for Trump’s plan due to pressure from the U.S. administration.The official also said that a negotiating team was getting ready to travel, but there was no date specified.A senior Egyptian official says talks are underway for the release of hostages, as well as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. The official, who is involved in the ceasefire negotiations, also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians. The talks are aimed at unifying the Palestinian position towards Gaza’s future.On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas’ response to the Trump plan. The group had previously rejected the proposal days earlier.Also on Saturday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that the death toll in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war has topped 67,000 Palestinians. The death toll jumped after the ministry said it added more than 700 names to the list whose data had been verified.Gaza’s Health Ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half of the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.Progress, but uncertainty aheadYet, despite the momentum, a lot of questions remain.Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Its official statement also didn’t address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing, a key part of the deal.Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn’t lay down its arms.Others say that while Hamas suggests a willingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged.This “yes, but” rhetoric “simply repackages old demands in softer language,” said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. The gap between appearance and action is as wide as ever and the rhetorical shift serves more as a smokescreen than a signal of true movement toward resolution, he said.Unclear what it means for Palestinians suffering in GazaThe next steps are also unclear for Palestinians in Gaza who are trying to piece together what it means in practical terms.Israeli troops are still laying siege to Gaza City, which is the focus of its latest offensive. On Saturday, Israel’s army warned Palestinians against trying to return to the city, calling it a “dangerous combat zone.”Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched its major offensive there aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind.Families of the hostages are also cautious about being hopeful.There are concerns from all sides, said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held in Gaza. Hamas and Netanyahu could sabotage the deal or Trump could lose interest, he said. Still, he says, if it’s going to happen, it will be because of Trump.”We’re putting our trust in Trump, because he’s the only one who’s doing it. … And we want to see him with us until the last step,” he said.Magdy reported from Cairo.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) —
Israel’s army said Saturday that it would advance preparations for the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and return all the remaining hostages, after Hamas said it accepted parts of the deal while others still needed to be negotiated.
Related video above: President Trump announces ceasefire proposal to end Gaza conflict
The army said it was instructed by Israel’s leaders to “advance readiness” for the implementation of the plan. An official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record said that Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike. The official said no forces have been removed from the strip.
This announcement came hours after Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza once Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan. Trump welcomed the Hamas statement, saying: “I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE.”
Trump appears keen to deliver on pledges to end the war and return dozens of hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the attack on Tuesday. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support and was also endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, without addressing potential gaps with the militant group. Netanyahu has come under increasing pressure from the international community and Trump to end the conflict. The official told the AP that Netanyahu put out the rare late-night statement on the sabbath, saying that Israel has started to prepare for Trump’s plan due to pressure from the U.S. administration.
The official also said that a negotiating team was getting ready to travel, but there was no date specified.
A senior Egyptian official says talks are underway for the release of hostages, as well as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. The official, who is involved in the ceasefire negotiations, also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians. The talks are aimed at unifying the Palestinian position towards Gaza’s future.
Abdel Kareem Hana
Mourners attend the funeral of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army strike, outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas’ response to the Trump plan. The group had previously rejected the proposal days earlier.
Also on Saturday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said that the death toll in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war has topped 67,000 Palestinians. The death toll jumped after the ministry said it added more than 700 names to the list whose data had been verified.
Gaza’s Health Ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half of the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
Progress, but uncertainty ahead
Yet, despite the momentum, a lot of questions remain.
Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.
In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of the territory, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.
Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Its official statement also didn’t address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing, a key part of the deal.
Ohad Zwigenberg
People look at photos of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, in Jerusalem, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. A Hebrew sign reads, “don’t forget us.”
Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn’t lay down its arms.
Others say that while Hamas suggests a willingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged.
This “yes, but” rhetoric “simply repackages old demands in softer language,” said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. The gap between appearance and action is as wide as ever and the rhetorical shift serves more as a smokescreen than a signal of true movement toward resolution, he said.
Unclear what it means for Palestinians suffering in Gaza
The next steps are also unclear for Palestinians in Gaza who are trying to piece together what it means in practical terms.
Israeli troops are still laying siege to Gaza City, which is the focus of its latest offensive. On Saturday, Israel’s army warned Palestinians against trying to return to the city, calling it a “dangerous combat zone.”
Experts determined that Gaza City had slid into famine shortly before Israel launched its major offensive there aimed at occupying it. An estimated 400,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks, but hundreds of thousands more have stayed behind.
Families of the hostages are also cautious about being hopeful.
There are concerns from all sides, said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held in Gaza. Hamas and Netanyahu could sabotage the deal or Trump could lose interest, he said. Still, he says, if it’s going to happen, it will be because of Trump.
“We’re putting our trust in Trump, because he’s the only one who’s doing it. … And we want to see him with us until the last step,” he said.
A former Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Army soldier was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for permanently injuring his newborn daughter and sexually assaulting his wife.
A former U.S. Army private stationed at Fort Belvoir was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for twice abusing his infant daughter, who is now permanently disabled, and raping the child’s mother.
Austin Blair Johnson, 35, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of sexual abuse in connection with the crimes in 2012 and 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria said in a news release.
The 15-year sentence handed down Friday is to be served consecutively to a 15-year sentence Johnson is serving for injuring his 6-week-old son with his new wife in Montana in 2017.
Fort Belvoir case
According to court documents, on June 24, 2012, Johnson, then an active duty soldier residing on Fort Belvoir, was watching his infant daughter, who was born prematurely 15 days earlier.
The baby was crying, “so Johnson picked her up and carried her, but she continued to cry,” the release said. While holding the baby in front of him with one hand under each of her arms, Johnson “rapidly and forcefully shook” the victim multiple times before letting go of her, causing her to flip and land on her head, the release said.
Johnson then picked up the baby and ran with her upstairs to a bedroom where he woke his then-wife. According to court documents, Johnson falsely told her he had accidentally dropped the baby, and had successfully broken her fall with his foot.
The couple took the baby to the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital ER, where she presented with a fever, bruising on her head and shoulder and blood coming out of her mouth, according to the release.
A CT scan conducted there revealed the baby’s skull had been fractured. She was transferred later to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Walter Reed Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with extensive injuries and remained hospitalized for the next 10 days.
The day she was discharged, the baby was again left in Johnson’s care while his wife was out and he again “rapidly and forcefully shook” her before dropping her, the release said. The baby was 26 days old at the time.
The next morning, the infant’s mother took her for a follow-up appointment with a pediatrician at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, where the baby began having seizures and was sent to the ER.
She was later transferred later to the PICU at Children’s National Medical Center, where doctors discovered myriad injuries, including a second skull fracture, and identified extensive brain damage, the release said.
When she was discharged on July 20, 2012, the baby was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services, where she remained for approximately 14 months until she was returned to the custody of Johnson and her mother.
Two days later, shortly after her third birthday, she underwent a hemispherectomy “during which the entire left side of her brain was removed in an effort to control her irrepressible seizures,” the release said.
The victim is now legally blind, non-verbal and the entire right side of her body is paralyzed, prosecutors said. Cognitively, she functions at the level of a mature infant.
As part of his sentence in the case, Johnson was ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution.
In addition to his assaults on the baby, Johnson was convicted of sexually assaulting the baby’s mother in 2013 at their home on Fort Belvoir.
“After she rebuffed Johnson’s requests to be intimate with her, Johnson proceeded without her consent. [The victim] protested and tried to hit Johnson to get him to stop, which he eventually did,” the release said.
Johnson was never court-martialed or criminally charged in the assaults.
Montana case
Five years later, Johnson was living in Montana with his new wife and 6-week-old son when she went upstairs to try on jeans, asking Johnson to watch the baby for a few minutes, according to an article in Stars and Stripes.
She came back down to find the baby limp and unresponsive. He, too, suffered permanent brain damage from violent shaking.
Johnson was quickly arrested and sentenced in the crime on March 1, 2018.
The boy’s mother told prosecutors she didn’t know about Johnson’s past abuse of his first child.
It was unclear Friday if the military ever investigated Johnson or why it took over a decade for federal prosecutors to take up the case. Johnson was indicted in July 2024 and pleaded guilty in May in connection to the assaults on his wife and daughter.
The Army Criminal Investigative Division did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.
“Military medical protocol requires hospital workers to notify criminal investigators and others if they even suspect child abuse,” Stars and Stripes wrote. “It’s unclear whether that happened but what is known is that the Army never court-martialed Johnson. It took nearly 13 years for Johnson’s previous abuse to catch up with him.”
Despite spending billions of dollars to make it happen, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Oculus founder Palmer Luckey were never able to make virtual reality a profitable consumer product. Teamed up again, the pair have found an audience that is more comfortable with spending lots of money for slow development timelines and little return: the US Army. According to a report from Bloomberg, Luckey’s Anduril Industries and Zuck’s Meta Platforms were among three companies tapped to produce prototypes for mixed-reality style combat goggles.
The project—which also invited a company called Rivet Industries that is headed up by the former Head of Mixed Reality at Palantir to participate, in case you were worried they couldn’t assemble the full Axis of Evil for this thing—will seek to build upon the Army’s massive, multi-billion dollar Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) project that it launched with Microsoft. The goal is to ultimately create “new helmet-mounted mixed reality systems.”
The IVAS project will certainly be familiar to Luckey’s crew at Anduril, which took over the project after Microsoft effectively abandoned its VR/AR ambitions entirely—but not before handing over a demo product that an Army participant said “would have gotten us killed.” Just what they have done with it since taking over isn’t clear, though the project did get re-named to “Soldier Borne Mission Command” (SBMC), so that’s something.
There does seem to be quite a bit of information that will help inform the new goggles project. Anduril claimed that it will be guided by “over 260,000 hours of soldier feedback from the IVAS program,” which comes after the Army poured $1.36 billion into research, development, prototypes, according to Bloomberg. Seems like a lot of that information will be on what *not* to do, but that’s a start.
The project also appears as though it’ll make good on Zuckerberg and Luckey’s promised return to collaboration after a nasty falling out in 2017. Earlier this year, the two Trumped-up tech bros promised to make “the world’s best” AR and VR technology for the U.S. military under what they called “Project EagleEye.” The expectation was that the pair would make a joint bid for an Army contract that would be worth about $100 million. While the details on this latest deal weren’t made public by Anduril, the company did announce that Meta was a part of its bid and would be involved in the development of the goggles. Rival Rivet Industries said its contract was valued at around $195 million, per Bloomberg. So, it seems we may have a match.
Iran has “no choice but to become stronger,” the country’s army chief said Wednesday as the Iranian armed forces continue to gird themselves for more conflict.
The warning by Iranian Major General Amir Hatami comes in the wake of the 12-day conflict with Israel in June, when Israeli and U.S. forces struck Iranian military and nuclear sites, leaving a trail of casualties and inflaming regional tensions.
Newsweek has contacted Iran’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
With all sides on edge, fears of renewed confrontation are mounting, with Hatami’s remarks underscoring a fresh drive to strengthen Iran’s military capabilities amid a volatile and uncertain geopolitical landscape.
Iran faces growing scrutiny over its nuclear program. Britain, France and Germany—known as the E3—are considering triggering the “snapback” mechanism of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 by the end of August, which would automatically reinstate pre-2015 sanctions if Tehran fails to comply with inspection requirements.
With the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) set to expire on October 18, the stakes are high, carrying potential global consequences for non-proliferation and international diplomacy.
In this photo released on Monday, June 23, 2025, by Iranian army press service, Iran’s army commander-in-chief Gen. Amir Hatami attends a video call with top commanders, in Zolfaghar central headquarters, Iran, as portraits of… In this photo released on Monday, June 23, 2025, by Iranian army press service, Iran’s army commander-in-chief Gen. Amir Hatami attends a video call with top commanders, in Zolfaghar central headquarters, Iran, as portraits of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hang on the wall.
Iranian Army Press Service/AP Photo
What to Know
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, Hatami stressed the need to build up the military further, declaring: “We need a powerful army to protect our nation. A strong army is one whose every component carries out its missions and duties correctly.”
He noted that Iran’s strategic position had historically made it a target for external aggression, citing past invasions and conflicts. “This mission is important for every country, but in Iran, due to our strategic and geopolitical position, it is even more significant and exceptional.”
Soldiers march during a military parade to mark the Iran’s annual Army Day in Tehran on April 18, 2025. Soldiers march during a military parade to mark the Iran’s annual Army Day in Tehran on April 18, 2025. Atta Kenare/Getty Images
12-Day War
The June hostilities began with Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, followed by U.S. airstrikes, prompting Iranian missile retaliation on strategic targets, including the Al-Udeid Air Base used by the U.S. military in Qatar.
The nonprofit group Human Rights Activists in Iran and the Iranian Health Ministry reported that the conflict killed between 935 and 1,190 Iranians, including 38 children and 132 women, and injured over 4,000.
Iranian missile attacks killed 29 Israelis, including one off-duty soldier, and left more than 3,200 injured, according to the Times of Israel.
Missile Defense
Meanwhile, rumors circulating on X and other social media sites included reports that the U.S. had redeployed a THAAD missile defense system from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.
The claims, which Newsweek could not independently verify, highlighted a Bloomberg report this month that said the Pentagon plans to spend $3.5 billion to replace interceptor missiles used during the 12-day war, when Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems were heavily engaged against waves of short- and medium-range missiles fired by Iran.
The U.S. Defense Department has yet to disclose any THAAD transfer but typically does not comment on operational movements. The chatter, however, speaks to the strain on Israel and growing concern in the region over the potential for renewed hostilities.
JUST IN: US has relocated a THAAD missile defense system from the UAE to Israel as tensions with Iran grow.
Iran Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami said in a public address on Wednesday: “We need a powerful army to protect our nation. A strong army is one whose every component carries out its missions and duties correctly.”
Former Israeli intelligence officer Jacques Neriah told Tel Aviv radio station 103FM on Sunday: “There is a sense that a war is coming, that Iranian revenge is in the works. The Iranians will not be able to live with this humiliation for long.”
What Happens Next
Iran’s army plans to continue to strengthen its capabilities and modernize medical and combat readiness programs. Commanders have pledged ongoing support for military healthcare and training, ensuring the armed forces remain prepared for future challenges.
If you’d been a die-hard football fan in Philly in the early 20th century — attending games at Franklin Field — you would have almost certainly not expected to spend Sunday’s routing for an NFL Franchise.
It would be 1924 before Philadelphia actually had an NFL Team and another eight years before the Eagles.
Philly still has the oldest stadium in operation today: Franklin Field.
Dating back to April 1895, Franklin Field first opened as a location for 5,000 fans to see the Penn Relays. No college football stadium in America has seen more.
On Friday night — in a college football matchup that was first played one hundred and forty-five years ago in 1879 and then renewed again after 1893 — Yale played the University of Penn. Yale has the lead in the series 51–37–1 and won the game 31–10 while stifling Penn’s offense. Quarterback Aiden Sayin left the game with an injury in the first quarter, giving way to Liam O’Brien and freshman Karson Siqueiros-Lasky.
PHOTO: William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images
For Garnett Valley High School football standout and Glen Mills, PA native Shane Reynolds — playing football for the Naval Academy isn’t just a chance to play — it’s a chance to serve; until this week — the Navy and Army were both ranked for the first time since 1960 and undefeated in football — a feat that hasn’t been done since 1945. While Army sat idol after a 45–28 win last week against East Carolina — #24 Navy was throttled by #12 Notre Dame — and saw Philly native Shane Reynolds gain only six yards of offense.
If you were a young football fan in Philly, you may have witnessed the 1899 Army-Navy Game at Franklin Field.
The City that’s hosted the most meetings of the last regular-season college football games each year?
The US Army has been ordered by a federal judge to release records related to former President Donald Trump’s controversial August visit to Arlington National Cemetery by Friday at the latest.
(CNN) — The US Army has been ordered by a federal judge to release records related to former President Donald Trump’s controversial August visit to Arlington National Cemetery by Friday at the latest.
The US Army issued a stark rebuke following the visit, stating that an employee of the cemetery was “abruptly pushed aside” after attempting to enforce rules that prohibit political activities taking place at the cemetery. The incident was reported to police and the employee ultimately decided not to press charges. The Army “considers this matter closed,” an Army spokesperson said in August.
The expedited release is a result of a lawsuit by American Oversight, a non-partisan watchdog nonprofit advocating for the release of government records. The group submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for any records relating to interactions between Trump campaign staff and the employee.
Senior Judge Paul Friedman of the US District Court of the District of Columbia signed the order requiring the Army to “produce responsive, non-exempt records on or before October 25” on Tuesday, according to court records.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith told CNN on Tuesday that the Army “will comply with the court order.”
CNN has asked the Trump campaign for comment.
American Oversight submitted a FOIA request for any report “including but not limited to” the filed incident report with military police regarding the incident at Arlington on August 26, according to court records.
Chioma Chukwu, the interim executive director of American Oversight, said in a press release on Tuesday that with the presidential election only two weeks away, the American people “have a clear and compelling interest in knowing how the government responded to an alleged incident involving a major presidential candidate who has a history of politicizing the military.”
“These records belong to the public, and we’re pleased the court agreed on the need to expedite our request,” Chukwu said. “We look forward to receiving the incident report and making it available to the public.”
When the incident occurred, Trump was visiting Arlington with some family members of US troops who were killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021. The visit was criticized by some veteran organizations who said it was inappropriate and a politicization of one of the most sacred burial grounds of US service members. And while the campaign shared a statement from the Gold Star family members Trump accompanied, which said they’d “given our approval for President Trump’s official videographer and photographer to attend the event,” some imagery that resulted from the visit included the graves of other service members whose families had not given that permission.
Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita told CNN in August that the incident was a “disgrace” as a “despicable individual” attempted to “physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event.”
“Whoever this individual is spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces, and they are disrespecting everyone who paid the price for defending our country,” LaCivita said. The Trump campaign later shared a video on TikTok of the visit, showing Trump walking through the cemetery and visiting grave sites, with audio of him criticizing the administration of President Joe Biden for the “disaster” of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Arlington and the US Army said the campaign did not adhere to federal laws regarding political activity in the cemetery, and particularly around Section 60, which is largely reserved for the graves of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The incident also prompted the Army to issue the unusually sharp rebuke of the Trump campaign.
“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” an Army spokesperson said in late August. “An ANC (Arlington National Cemetery) employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”
“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” the spokesperson said. “ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”
A $460 million U.S. Army contract for a multi-mode aviation radio set was awarded.
The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a ceiling value of $460 million for the AN/ARC-231/A Multi-mode Aviation Radio Set (MARS). This award consists of hardware components, repair services, engineering and logistic support, and development for rotary-wing aircraft.
The MARS system is designed to perform in the most demanding environments to provide warfighters with secure mission-critical information when they need it most.
In today’s complex and contested battlefields, operators rely on fast and accurate communications to inform key decisions in the field. MARS’ programmability reduces the time to field evolving communication needs, special mission modifications, and performance enhancements. The software communications architecture and software-defined radio design enable fielding new capabilities as software-only upgrades.
“We provide communication solutions with scalable software deployment in support of tactical missions where speed and relevance of information matter most,” said Amber Dolan, director of Adaptive Communications and Sensing at BAE Systems. “This airborne radio design enables the U.S. Army to upgrade their rotary-wing fleet with the latest secure waveform that can be tailored for each mission for years to come.”
The AN/ARC-231A MARS system is comprised of the RT-1987 radio with associated ancillaries, including amplifiers and mounting bases. It is the newest generation of multi-band, multi-mission, airborne communications system with Type 1 Crypto Modernization. It’s focused on configurability and allows for flexible integration and mission deployment options that ensure interoperability for joint force operations. Available through foreign military sales, it provides internationally compliant air traffic control communications and full range of mandatory U.S. and NATO capabilities.
The radios will be developed and produced at BAE Systems’ facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with engineering support in Largo, Florida.
With more than 100,000 radios deployed globally, BAE Systems’ battle-proven communications products offer nearly double the reliability of legacy products. The company’s compact radio sets also offer multi-band, secure anti-jam voice, data imagery transmission, and network-capable communications.
Then there’s the matter of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), the Army’s futuristic “smart” goggles. Currently based on a ruggedized version of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset, the IVAS is both night vision goggles and futuristic heads-up display, capable of feeding sensor inputs into a soldier’s line of sight. The Army has long experimented with helmet-mounted displays for decades as part of various “future warrior” programs, and the IVAS hasn’t been immune to the pitfalls of previous efforts—namely, complaints from soldiers about “mission-affecting physical impairments” like headache, nausea, and discomfort associated with prolonged use. And the future of the long-delayed headset now appears uncertain anyway: According to Breaking Defense, the service may end up going back to the drawing board with a new primary contractor for the sophisticated system as part of its IVAS Next initiative after auditing its existing night vision goggle capabilities. Still, between the ENVG-B and IVAS, helmet-mounted night vision devices have progressed far beyond anything Sawicki’s chain of command had previously imagined.
Armor Up
The bulletproof vest and camouflage suit combination that Sawicki donned for his AUSA debut, referred to in contemporaneous publications as “layered nylon armor” and “layered nylon vest,” is actually a bit closer to modern Army personal protective equipment than the flak jackets that were accompanying soldiers downrange during the Vietnam War. Currently under development, the Soldier Protection System (SPS) offers modern soldiers a “lightweight modular, scalable and tailorable suite of protective equipment,” according to the Army’s description. What this really means is that the protective ensemble comes in several different pieces that work together to maximize soldier survivability without impairing mobility; in terms of body armor, this refers primarily to the soft armor Torso and Extremity Protection subsystem and the hard armor Vital Torso Protection subsystem that, using reinforced ceramic plates, offer improved ballistic protection against small arms fire.
Protecting soldiers from bullets is one thing, but protecting them from the effects of nuclear explosions, as Army leaders told The New York Times Sawicki’s suit would, is another thing entirely—at least, in terms of equipment. While the well-worn Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) ensemble has been safeguarding Americans service members against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats for years, it’s an entirely separate system of personal protective gear rather than one integrated into the SPS or the standard-issue Army Combat Uniform. And while the 1959 design calls for specially designed “‘welded’ combat boots” and “molded plastic gloves” to help protect soldiers on an irradiated battlefield, modern troops must, unfortunately, go into battle with their Army Regulation 670-1-authorized boots and tactical gloves, apart from what’s in their MOPP kit. Then again, if the nukes do start flying, nobody will survive long enough for ground combat anyway.
Bullet Time
While the 1959 “soldier of tomorrow” appears armed with an M14, advances in firearms technology have long since left the beloved battle rifle in the dust. The Army began replacing the M14 with the lighter-weight 5.56-mm M16 assault rifle in the late 1960s, which was itself replaced by the shorter-barreled M4 carbine during the Global War on Terror in the 2000s. Replacing the M16 and M4 family of rifles has proven difficult in the past, but it’s safe to say that the promises from Army brass in 1959 of a lighter standard-issue rifle for soldiers have, for the most part, come true in the intervening decades—even if the new XM7 rifle, recently adopted under the service’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program, is actually noticeablyheavier than the M4.
So, too, has the promise of “new high-velocity bullets.” While the Army in the early 2000s fielded the 5.56-mm M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round for improved performance over the standard M855 ammo previously adopted in the 1980s, the service undertook a major small arms study in 2017 to determine whether soldiers required a different caliber ammunition to deal with the sudden proliferation of body armor among adversaries. The study determined that the Army’s next rifle should come chambered in 6.8 mm, which would purportedly offer significantly improved performance at range compared to both 5.56-mm and 7.62-mm rounds. From there, the Army ended up selecting Sig Sauer to produce its two 6.8mm NGSW systems in 2022, weapons the service began officially fielding earlier this year. It may have taken several decades, but the Army’s new high-velocity round is finally here.
Rocket Man
While certain elements of Sawicki’s combat kit are clearly represented in recent military innovations, others simply never came to fruition. The automatic foxhole-digging charges, for example, never materialized as an effective replacement for the beloved handheld entrenching tool, despite their prevalence among military futurists at the time. But if there’s one vision that has persisted in military and defense circles, it’s that of jetpack-equipped troops.
The Defense Department has pursued the militarized jetpack for decades, starting with research and development in the 1950s and culminating in October 1961 with the successful demonstration of Bell Aerosystems’s Small Rocket Lift Device (or, colloquially, the “Bell Rocket Belt”) for President John F. Kennedy at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Army ended up abandoning development of the Rocket Belt over fuel constraints that limited its potential tactical applications, but US military planners would revisit the concept time and again in subsequent decades.
BILLERICA — The Billerica Police recently promoted six members to supervisory positions, including the first female lieutenant in the department’s history.
Lt. Commander John Harring will now serve as operations commander, while Lt. Commander Frank Mirasolo will oversee Administration. Lt. Tara Connors — the department’s first female lieutenant — will serve in patrol, as will Lt. Mark Gualtieri, Sgt. Dwayne Eidens, and Sgt. Timothy McKenna.
All six promotions were made to fill vacancies left by the retirements of Lt. Commander Greg Katz and Lt. Commander Ronald Balboni.
“Lt. Commander Katz and Lt. Commander Balboni will be deeply missed within this department, where they both had a major impact throughout their careers,” Chief Roy Frost said. “I am pleased to see this new group of supervisors being promoted. They have big shoes to fill, but I am confident they will do so with professionalism, compassion, and skill.”
• Harring joined the Billerica Police in 2001, after serving the Broward County, Florida Sheriff’s Department. His father is a retired Billerica Police detective lieutenant. Harring worked as a K-9 handler for Billerica starting in 2009, at which time he was assigned to the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council K-9 Unit. Harring eventually became commander of the NEMLEC K-9 Unit, serving in that position until 2021. He was promoted to sergeant in 2014 and lieutenant in 2020. Prior to his promotion, Harring was in charge of training. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England College, located in Springfield.
• Mirasolo began working with the department in January 1995, after serving the Keene, N.H. Police Department. He was promoted to sergeant in 2004 and lieutenant in 2021. He has been a detective for 26 years. Prior to this position, Mirasolo was in charge of the early night patrol shift. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College, located in Paxton.
• Conners joined the department in 2003 after serving as a teacher in the Billerica schools. She was promoted to sergeant in 2016. In addition to being the first female to reach the rank of lieutenant in department history, Connors has served as a domestic violence officer, a court prosecutor and a grant administrator. She also served as a supervisor of the school resource officer program. Her father is a retired Billerica Police deputy chief. Connors holds a law degree from the New England School of Law, located in Boston, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
• Gualtieri started with the Billerica Police in 1995, after transferring from the Billerica Fire Department. Gualtieri was promoted to sergeant in 2002. In 2004, he was placed on the NEMLEC Tactical Police Force and later in 2010 trained and certified as a NEMLEC SWAT officer, where he served until 2023. In that capacity, Gualtieri responded to high-risk situations throughout the region. Prior to his promotion, Gualtieri was serving as a patrol sergeant on the early night shift. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England College.
• Eidens joined the department in 2005. He worked in patrol until 2018, when he was assigned to the Traffic Division. In addition to investigating motor vehicle crashes and conducting targeted road safety programs, Eidens was certified as a motorcycle officer and assigned to the NEMLEC Motor Unit. Eidens is a U.S. Army Reserve veteran, and recipient of the Bronze Star for his service overseas. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from UMass Lowell.
• McKenna began working for the department in 2003, after transferring from the Bedford Police Department, where he worked as a dispatcher. McKenna has served as a Criminal Justice Information Services administrator since 2009. There he managed all state and federal compliance requirements on behalf of Billerica. In 2017, McKenna was assigned as a detective, working in the criminal bureau. He became a provisional sergeant in 2023, during a period where the department needed to find quality supervisors as civil service worked to develop new testing standards. McKenna served in this provisional capacity for one year. After a short stint back in the criminal bureau, McKenna will return to a permanent supervisory role. His father was a captain of the Arlington Police Department.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis
COCOA, Fla., July 9, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Vaya Space, a space and defense company, today announced that it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center (DEVCOM AvMC) to investigate the use of Vaya Space’s vortex hybrid propulsion technology in a representative size for a surface-to-surface missile. The agreement will also allow Vaya to further prove out the engine’s capabilities for use in an operational environment, either as a replacement engine for existing missile systems or as the propulsion system for a new long-range surface-to-surface missile.
The CRADA is a follow-on action to Vaya Space’s demonstration of successful deep throttling, shutdown, and restart of an 8 kN test engine based on the design specifications of a Hellfire tactical missile. Vaya began designing the demonstration engine just after initial discussions with Army Futures Command in April of 2023. Vaya designed and built the test engine by that September at their own expense, with an initial test fire in October 2023. In January 2024, Vaya demonstrated the engine’s ability to throttle from 8 kN to 4 kN and back up to 8 kN, and the ability to shut down the engine while firing, pause for a period of time, and then restart the engine to senior representatives of Army Futures Command, DEVCOM AvMC, and several defense primes. This demonstration of the rapidly designed and built engine with operationally relevant capabilities was the impetus for the CRADA.
Robert Fabian, Vaya Space COO, said, “With our recent tests proving that Vaya’s proprietary technologies can provide a flexibility and control not normally seen in tactical missiles, it’s time to move the concept forward. This CRADA will start the design work, in cooperation with the Army’s missile experts, for a larger test missile, as well as begin to flesh out the operational and logistical requirements to potentially field it. Taking a new rocket engine from a clean sheet to first fire in less than six months is unheard of. We are planning to keep that pace going as we further explore defense applications for our unique vortex hybrid rocket engines.”
Utilizing its patented vortex hybrid rocket technology, Vaya Space is set to advance its engine testing to match the rigorous operational conditions of missile systems. Having conducted over 120 successful hot-fire tests across various sizes and configurations, Vaya is confident in its ability to perform future tests that meet the requirements and stringent standards of surface-to-surface missile systems.
Vaya Space envisions broader applications for its vortex hybrid propulsion technology in various missile systems used by the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy, including as propulsion for hypersonic weapons. The engine’s capability to be custom-tailored to specific form factors and thrust profiles, along with its in-flight throttling, is also enabling for missile defense targets. This adaptability allows targets to mimic adversary capabilities, providing more realistic training and testing scenarios for missile defense systems.
About Vaya Space
Vaya Space is a privately owned company based on the Space Coast and leveraging patented Vortex Hybrid engine technology to disrupt the Space and Defense Markets. For media inquiries, please contact media@vayaspace.com.
Months later, the Minnesota man told family he was “heading to the West Coast,” the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 8 news release.
This would be the last time his family would ever see or hear from him from again.
For decades, his whereabouts were a mystery.
Now, using forensic genetic genealogy, deputies said they identified remains found in remote Arizona in 1975 as Long.
Runaway pig leads to remains
As farmers were chasing a runaway pig along Meteor City Road, east of Flagstaff, on April 19, 1975, deputies said the farmers stumbled upon skeletal remains.
The man was nicknamed “Munsingwear Doe” after a “Munsingwear brand jacket found with the remains,” deputies said.
While both detectives and cold case volunteers created leads, deputies said none of these efforts led to an identification.
For the next 49 years, the man’s identity would remain a mystery, according to deputies.
Then came advancements in DNA technology.
Genetic genealogy to ID
Deputies said they partnered with Intermountain Forensics in 2023, a forensic genetic genealogy company, in hopes genetic genealogy could finally close the case.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
The company created a DNA profile for the unknown man, which was uploaded into genealogy databases, deputies said.
From there, deputies said the company’s investigators tracked down a family line for the man and identified Long “as a potential match.”
The Army veteran, originally from Minnesota, said he was headed west in 1972 and was never heard from again, Arizona deputies say. Photo from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office
Long’s family told deputies he was a member of the Army from 1969 to 1972 and served in the Vietnam War.
His family also told deputies they had not heard from him since October 1972 when he told them he was headed west.
After getting this information from family, deputies said the FBI Laboratory’s Latent Print Unit compared Long’s fingerprints to those of the unknown man.
They were a match, deputies said.
A family member of Long’s also provided DNA to confirm the man’s identity, deputies said.
This month, the company’s scientists confirmed “that Munsingwear Doe was Gerald F Long,” deputies said.
While the man’s identity is no longer a mystery, deputies said Long’s cause of death “was not determined in 1975 and remains unknown today.”
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
It started as a class project for University of Florida senior engineering students, and it became a viable solution for soldiers who needed an easier, faster, and safer way to camouflage their vehicles on the battlefield.
Students from Matthew J. Traum’s mechanical engineering capstone course received real-world training last year when they partnered with peers at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Civil-Military Innovation Institute, or CMI2, to design and produce a vehicle camouflage deployer for the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
“This was a successful collaboration that tackled a problem faced by soldiers in the field — and much more rapidly than the Army’s conventional process,” said Traum, Ph.D., an instructional associate professor in the UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Traum said a prototype of the UF-designed vehicle camouflage deployment device was delivered to Fort Stewart at the end of the fall 2023 semester and replicated in-house by the Army. The device is currently being field tested.
“Our students designed and built the device in one calendar year, which is remarkable speed compared to conventional Army innovation timelines, which can take years,” Traum said. “The system surpassed the Army’s stated targets for mounting, deploying, and retracting the camouflage while keeping the soldiers safer.”
Traum learned through a colleague, Randy Emert at CMI2, about the potential for collaboration with the nonprofit organization through the Army’s Pathfinder program, managed by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory and supported by CMI2 to bridge the gaps in defense innovation by fostering relationships between service members and researchers. Traum was invited to the Army base to listen as soldiers presented their wish lists of projects.
“The Army’s tactical innovation labs play a key role in addressing in-field challenges faced by frontline soldiers and securing the necessary resources and technologies to resolve them,” said Emert, the CMI2 lab manager for the Marne Innovation Center at Fort Stewart. “We source problems directly from service members and engage engineering students in a short cycle of product development.”>
Based on what Traum heard that day, the need to camouflage combat vehicles faster was a good fit for his capstone students.
“Every time we park a combat vehicle on a battlefield, we need to cover it with camouflage material to hide it from the enemy,” said Capt. Chris Aliperti, co-founder of the Marne Innovation Center. “The process is not easy, and the soldiers were asking for something that would save them time and keep them safe.”
The camouflage deployment problem was broad enough for senior engineering students to work on, and one that could potentially be designed and built within a year, said Aliperti, who recently was promoted and is now a mechanical engineering instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“This was something soldiers on the frontline were asking for, and our team didn’t have the bandwidth to address it,” Aliperti said. “The collaboration with the University of Florida provided invaluable hands-on experience to their students, and the end result contributes directly to enhancing the capabilities of our service members.”
The capstone course is a UF mechanical engineering student’s last class before they graduate and is viewed as a culmination of what students have learned throughout the curriculum, Traum said. The Army project spanned three semesters with about 80 students enrolled each semester.
Their approach evolved over the course of the year, and soldiers offered the students ideas and input weekly.
“It was interesting to see how the design started out as something most people would come up with, but after students met with the soldiers, took their feedback and ran analyses, they ended up with something that looked very different,” Aliperti said. “And it solves the problem much better than the original design.”
The students’ innovation addresses a longstanding pain point for soldiers. Traditionally, the poles used to hold up the camouflage material are staked into the ground, posing difficulties in muddy terrain or on urban concrete where securing them is impractical. Recognizing this limitation, the students devised a solution that uses mounting plates that are secured into place by the weight of the vehicle.
“That novel feature excited the Army,” Traum said. “By eliminating dependence on ground conditions, the mounting plates offer a versatile solution.”
The new device also masks the type of vehicle hidden beneath the camouflage netting. By strategically deploying poles to disrupt the shape of the netting, the device ensures that the vehicle’s silhouette varies each time it is deployed, thwarting the enemy’s ability to identify the concealed asset.
“The students were smart enough to realize in order to make a new device feasible, they should build around the equipment already in use,” Aliperti said. “Their device allows us to use the same poles and the same net but much more efficiently.”
Success of projects like the vehicle camouflage deployment device that was borne out of the Army’s tactical innovation lab set a precedent for future endeavors between academia and the military.
“Bringing ideas of this scope and scale to students to chew on allows young engineers to apply the fundamental lessons they learn in a book to real-life problems,” Aliperti said. “And if we strike gold on a great design like this one from the University of Florida, we’ve made a monumental impact across the entire Army.”
![People look at photos of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, in Jerusalem, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. Hebrew sign reads, "don't forget us". (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)](https://kubrick.htvapps.com/htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/ap268e10993d930c.jpg?resize=660:* "People look at photos of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, in Jerusalem, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. Hebrew sign reads, "don't forget us". (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)")
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