Military & Defense

More than 70 cadets training at the U.S. Military Academy to be Army officers have been accused of cheating on a math exam taken online when they were studying remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After months of negotiations, Congress has passed a massive spending package Monday evening, which includes $900 billion in COVID-19 relief and $1.4 trillion to avoid a government shutdown. The bill includes roughly $696 billion in funding for the Pentagon for fiscal year 2021, according to a summary of appropriations. 

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the move establishes a new process to "assist exporters in screening their customers for military end users.”

"Like any pilot, Artuμ (even the real R2-D2) has strengths and weaknesses," Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper tweeted Wednesday. "Understanding them to prep both humans and AI for a new era of algorithmic warfare is our next imperative step. We either become sci-fi or become history."

The Army currently leads as the branch with the highest total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 34,089, followed by the Navy at 19,773, the Air Force at 17,682, and the Marines at 11,380. 

The Female Body Armor Modernization Act would direct the Pentagon to coordinate their efforts with other government agencies to equip women with body armor and other personal protective equipment in order to reduce injuries related to ill-fitting gear.

According to a report by Defense News, sources from Congress, industry and the defense community have consistently identified two individuals as likely deputy secretary contender: Frank Kendall III, a former undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, and Kathleen Hicks, a former Obama-era undersecretary of defense for policy and the current leader of Biden's Department of Defense review team.

It has been almost a year since global health officials heard word that a new coronavirus, officially termed COVID-19, had emanated from the Chinese city of Wuhan. And while much of the world is grappling with crippled economies and the second wave of infections and deaths, analysts and economists project that Beijing is already standing to gain from the devastation long before the dust has settled.

If Austin is confirmed by the Senate, his appointment would continue a pattern among both Democratic and Republican presidents of choosing Cabinet members from the highest echelons of Corporate America.

How much have American taxpayers thrown into corruption, failed projects and flagrant misspending? On average, each U.S. taxpayer has forked out $3,000 for the Afghan war effort, with a total price tag exceeding $1 trillion.