Rod's US Military Blog

Smoke ’em if you got ’em, but don’t do it anywhere near an Air Force hospital or clinic. In fact, don’t bother lighting up in an installation parking lot, near a sidewalk or your kid’s favorite base playground either, according to an Air Force Times article.

An updated Air Force Instruction on tobacco use in the service says those places are now off-limits to smokers, tobacco chewers, dippers and sniffers. And don’t think you’re safe smoking electronic — or e-cigarettes — or any kind of pipe or hookah.

The Army has a rigid process for notifying a soldier’s loved ones he or she has died, one that is widely regarded as solemn, sensitive and not to be circumvented, according to an Army Times article.

Since 1966, soldiers have been dispatched to break this news in person on behalf of the U.S. military with the utmost care, face to face.

The death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of Navy commandos a year ago was a setback to al-Qaida, but the Islamic terror organization remains a potent threat around the world, intelligence experts say, according to an Army Times story.

“It’s on the defensive, but it’s far from defeated,” said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the Brookings Institution, a think tank.

What is the DEP?
In these times, one cannot simply walk into a recruiter's office, sign some papers and ship off to basic training immediately. In general, the recruiting commands must reserve a "slot" for the recruit at basic training. Usually, such slots are booked up months in advance. It seems that everyone who e-mails me who has signed up for the Guard or Reserves thinks they are in the Delayed Enlistment Program (DEP). Truth be told, there is NO DEP for the Guard or Reserves. Once you sign the contract, you are IN! For more information, see my article entitled, " The Delayed Enlistment Program (DEP)."

The Navy ratchets up its war on drugs May 1, with screening of urinalysis samples for two families of drugs — benzodiazepines and hydrocodones — that include commonly abused prescription medicines such as Valium, Xanax and Vicodin according to a Navy Times asrticle.

Navy officials announced the changes Friday in NavAdmin message 130/12.

Senior leaders are putting the final touches on 17 grooming regulation changes that cover everything from tattoos and makeup to cellphones and civilian attire, according to an Army Times report. And soldiers will likely face punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice if they fail to get squared away.

Hours after a failed rocket launch criticized abroad as a covert test of missile technology, North Korea’s new leader underlined the country’s “military first” policy with a budget that allocates a sizable chunk of funding to defense spending, according to an article in Navy Times.

North Korea’s legislature also rubber-stamped Kim Jong Un’s leadership of the country and promoted a host of relatively younger military officials to the powerful National Defense Commission, state-run media reported Saturday, in a strong indication that will have an overarching role in policy, just as it did under his father, late leader Kim Jong Il.

The last thing returning soldiers want to do when they arrive home after a deployment, sometimes late at night, is make their beds, not to mention purchase towels or midnight snacks, according to an Army Times story.

Cyndi Raugh, Family Readiness Group leader for the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, was helping a group of volunteers recently prepare single soldiers’ barracks for their arrival. She hoped to recreate some of the creature comforts that soldiers remember from home.

A Marine sergeant who started a Facebook group that is openly critical of President Barack Obama and posted comments saying he will not follow the unlawful orders of the commander in chief is facing possible dismissal from the Corps, accding to a Military.com news report..

The Marines on Wednesday told Sgt. Gary Stein - a Camp Pendleton Marine who started the Facebook page called Armed Forces Tea Party - that he is in violation of Pentagon policy barring troops from political activities.

The top enlisted sailor at a Williamsburg-based Navy unit has been relieved of duty for fraternization and other misconduct, accding to a Military.com news report.

Sott Splitgerber, the command master chief of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 4, was relieved by Capt. Charles Rink, the unit's commodore, according to a news release.