Stars and Stripes

VFW to offer cannabis drinks at local posts under a co-branding agreement with Florida beverage company Veterans of Foreign Wars will put its branding on some Torch Hemp-derived beverages with proceeds supporting initiatives for veterans.

Veterans of Foreign Wars — the national advocacy group for former service members — has signed a deal with a national beverage maker to offer cannabis-infused drinks at VFW chapters in states and jurisdictions where recreational marijuana use is legal.
www.stripes.com/veterans/202...

UK’s Reaper drones give way to new NATO-focused fleet of Protector aircraft The U.K. retired its MQ-9A Reaper drones, and now prepares to field new U.S.-built unmanned aircraft designed for Europe’s modern threats.

The U.K. has flown its MQ-9A Reaper drones for the last time, closing out an era of Middle East operations as it prepares to field new U.S.-built unmanned aircraft designed for Europe’s modern threats.

Trump administration threatens no back pay for federal workers in shutdown

A new memo being circulated by the White House says that legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law in 2019 does not require back pay to be given to some 750,000 furloughed federal workers.

That would be a reversal of a longstanding policy.

Hegseth fires Navy secretary’s chief of staff

ICYMI: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired U.S. Navy Chief of Staff Jon Harrison.

Change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 2018

#ARCHIVES: Change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 2018

Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii: Marines stand at attention with the passing of the color guard during a ceremony marking change of command of Marine Corps Forces Pacific at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Typhoon 28W (Halong), # 8: Yokosuka in TCCOR 4

We'll track the storm for you. Stay informed:

STORM TRACKER: In a bit more than a day, Halong has rapidly intensified from a tropical storm into a Category 4-equivalent typhoon.

The latest forecast track shows Halong peaking a shade below super-typhoon strength late Wednesday but staying well south of the Japan coast.

A $12.9 million housing development is coming to Coast Guard Station Portage in Michigan

A $12.9 million contract was recently awarded for the construction of new multiplex family housing units at Coast Guard Station Portage in Michigan.

US has given Israel at least $21.7B in military aid since war in Gaza began, report says

REPORT: The U.S. under the Trump and Biden administrations has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the start of the Gaza war.

NATO’s most vehement Kremlin foes at forefront of dozens of drone incursions, report finds Military bases and civilian infrastructure such as airports are among the locations where suspected Russian drone sightings have occurred, a report said.

NATO’s most vehement Kremlin foes at forefront of dozens of drone incursions, report finds

How the government shutdown does, and does not, affect the military community Until the shutdown ends, troops will work without paychecks and federal websites and social media accounts will not be updated. Here’s what you need to know.

As the shutdown stretches into a second week, here are some common questions and answers about how it affects the military community.

Rent, groceries on minds of US military families in Asia Pacific as government shutdown continues Americans with the U.S. military in the Pacific are concerned about how they will afford groceries and rent if the shutdown continues.

Americans with the U.S. military in the Pacific are concerned about how they will afford groceries and rent if the shutdown continues.

www.stripes.com/theaters/asi...

New fiscal year brings hike in lodging costs at Air Force bases in Japan Defense Department travelers headed to Yokota and Misawa in Japan will find significantly higher lodging expenses.

New fiscal year brings hike in lodging costs at Air Force bases in Japan

DODEA-Pacific athletes get green light to play again Last weekend’s slate of events won’t be made up, but the Far East championships will take place as scheduled despite ongoing gov

DODEA SPORTS | Last weekend’s slate of events won’t be made up, but the Far East championships will take place as scheduled despite ongoing government shutdown.

www.stripes.com/sports/pacif...

Registration open for language classes on Ramstein Want to learn German, French or Spanish? Fall classes at Ramstein are now open for registration.

K-TOWN NOW | New to Germany and interested in learning the language?

Adult language courses are open for registration at Ramstein Air Base, with classes beginning later this month.

China’s Premier Li Qiang to visit North Korea in highest-level visit since 2019 China is sending a delegation to North Korea This week. The visit is the highest level visit to North Korea by China since 2019.

China's Premier Li Qiang will lead a government delegation to North Korea this week, the highest-level visit by a Chinese leader since 2019.

Officials from Russia, Vietnam and Laos will also attend the events marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's ruling party.

Trump tells sailors not to ‘worry about’ paychecks as shutdown continues All troops will miss a paycheck if Congress does not agree on a deal to reopen the government before Oct. 15, the next pay date for the military.

President Trump told sailors Sunday not to worry about their paychecks amid an ongoing government shutdown, saying he will "always stand for" service members and pay is "coming." (from @svetashko.bsky.social)

Maduro asks Pope Leo to help maintain peace in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he has asked Pope Leo XIV to help maintain peace in his country, as the U.S. military continues to strike alleged drug-carrying boats off Venezuela in what Donald Trump has declared an "armed conflict" with cartels.

Typhoon 28W (Halong), # 7: Yokosuka in Storm Watch

PACIFIC STORM TRACKER | Halong has strengthened into a high-end Category 1-equivalent typhoon, with the Joint Typhoon Warning Center's latest forecast track showing it peaking as a Category 4-equivalent system late Wednesday but remaining well south of Japan's coast.

Chicago and Illinois sue to stop Trump’s Guard deployment plan after Portland ruling

ICYMI: Illinois filed a lawsuit Monday to try to stop Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a clash amid aggressive immigration enforcement in the nation's third-largest city.

The legal challenge came hours after a judge blocked the Guard's deployment in Portland.

With restoration complete, USS Arizona Memorial ready again for visitors Regular shuttle boat service to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor has resumed after several months of preservation work that curtailed visitor access.

Regular shuttle boat service to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor has resumed after several months of preservation work curtailed visitor access.

Shuttle boats are once again moving to and from the memorial every 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily. (from @wyattwolson.bsky.social)

Kremlin welcomes Trump comments on Putin offer to extend New START nuclear arms pact

The Kremlin on Monday welcomed President Donald Trump's comments about Russia's offer to extend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States, saying it raises hope for keeping the pact alive after it expires in February.

Cause of hot water lapse at US Army base in Germany was local and not in DC, garrison says Friday’s shutoff in living quarters at Rose Barracks and another building on base was caused by a local power outage, a U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria spokesperson said.

Officials are assuring residents of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria in Vilseck, Germany, that a recent halt in hot water was the result of a local power outage and not connected to the U.S. federal government shutdown, as a social media post claimed.

Trump says he’s open to health care deal with Democrats as shutdown hits Day 6

ICYMI: Donald Trump said Monday he’d be open to striking a deal with Democrats on the health care subsidies they’ve made central to their shutdown fight.

But he also said "billions and billions" are being wasted, nodding to arguments from conservatives who do not want the subsidies extended.

Israel and Hamas launch indirect talks in Egypt on eve of Gaza war anniversary

Israeli and Hamas officials launched indirect talks Monday at an Egyptian resort on a U.S.-drafted peace plan to end the ruinous war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary.

5th Fleet changes command after intense stretch of naval combat Vice Adm. Curt Renshaw assumed command of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet from Vice Adm. George Wikoff in Bahrain.

A high-ranking officer who has served more than three decades and has deployed to all Navy theaters of operation worldwide has taken the helm of one of the service's most active combat regions.

Air Force Osprey makes precautionary landing at Japanese air base A U.S. Air Force tiltrotor aircraft assigned to Yokota Air Base made a precautionary landing at a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base.

A U.S. Air Force Osprey assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron made a precautionary landing at a Japanese military base last week in response to an inflight warning indicator, according to officials. (from @brianmcelhiney.bsky.social & @keishirkoja.bsky.social)

Gulf War illness has received a formal recognition as a legitimate illness after more than three decades of reports by veterans about unexplained symptoms they developed during active duty in the Persian Gulf.

www.stripes.com/veterans/202...

Development of Harrier ‘jump jet’ ends with final flight at China Lake The ceremony at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake signaled the end of flight development of the famous Marine “jump jet” after more than 40 years.

A fire truck spraying a rainbow-making flume of water marked one of the final steps toward retirement of a storied Marine Corps attack jet.

Trump tells sailors not to ‘worry about’ paychecks as shutdown continues All troops will miss a paycheck if Congress does not agree on a deal to reopen the government before Oct. 15, the next pay date for the military.

President Trump told sailors not to worry about their paychecks amid the government shutdown, saying he'll “always stand for” service members, and pay is “coming.”

But all troops will miss a paycheck if Congress doesn't agree on a deal to reopen the government before Oct. 15.