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President Donald J. Trump delivers the first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, March 4, 2025. Photo by White House
PENTAGON, (March 5, 2025): During his first address to a joint session of Congress, March 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump said that the changes he's made since his inauguration in January have enhanced recruiting within the U.S. military in ways that haven't been seen in years.
On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government. Less than a week later, newly sworn-in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drafted a message to the force that mirrored the president's words, saying he would rebuild the U.S. military with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.
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Arlington, Virginia. (February 13, 2025): Thanks to today’s cutting-edge forensics, a Sailor who lost his life at Pearl Harbor can finally return home. In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser, Sailors render military honors for Seaman 1st Class Aaron L. McMurtrey in Section 69 of Arlington National Cemetery. McMurtrey was assigned to the USS California on December 7, 1941, when the battleship was struck by multiple torpedoes and aerial bombs. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crew members including McMurtrey. Originally from Durant, Oklahoma, McMurtrey joined the Navy months before being assigned to the ill-fated California. He was officially accounted for in 2024 after his remains were identified using modern, highly sophisticated forensic tools.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) employed two primary analytical methods to identify Seaman McMurtrey were Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and analysis of the Y chromosome (Y-STR).
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A view of the bombardment of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, by the British fleet, taken from the observatory under the command of Admirals Cochrane and Cockburn on the morning of Sept. 13, 1814, painted by John Bower in 1819. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
PENTAGON, (March 3, 2025): This week, Americans honor the enduring spirit of patriotism embodied in National Anthem Day, celebrated March 3.
The annual recognition allows Americans to commemorate the valor of Francis Scott Key, whose words — scribed amid the chaos of the Battle of Fort McHenry — gave rise to "The Star-Spangled Banner," a song that has served as the national anthem of the United States since 1931.
Key, a Maryland lawyer, witnessed the resilience of American warfighters during the War of 1812, a conflict that tested the mettle of a young nation determined to assert its sovereignty against British might.
Read more: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT RECALLS FORT MCHENRY'S TRIUMPH ON NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY
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Monterey, California. (February 22, 2025): There is a special place where the U.S. Navy sends its brightest minds, and the things they come up with are mind boggling. In this photo by Javier Chagoya, three of these advanced thinkers (from left to right) Dr. Leonardo Herrera, Dr. Jae Jun Kim, and Dr. Brij Agrawal show off their latest effort to develop lasers that use artificial intelligence to track and target unmanned aerial vehicles.
Why lasers?
Most sci-fi enthusiasts think lasers destroy a target using short blasts of energy lasting only milliseconds. The reality is the ability of a laser to destroy a target is driven by how powerful it is and how long it is focused on a target. This latest project attempts to use artificial intelligence to improve the tracking and targeting of multiple drones simultaneously, quicker, and more accurately than a human operator. The study involved creating accurate simulations of drones in flight taken from thousands of images collected by the team. These photos were used to create a targeting model with AI assistance which was then laboratory tested.
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Hohenfels, Germany. (February 21, 2025): In World War II, GIs had a saying “grenades are great if you can get close enough. The trouble is getting close enough.” In the old days, infantrymen had to creep within throwing range and there was always the danger the enemy would throw them back. How things have changed. In this photo by Staff Sergeant Tristan Peete, Specialist Zachery Curtiss fires an M-19 automatic grenade launcher, a devastating weapon that earlier warriors could only dream of.
The M-19’s roots date to Vietnam when the Navy employed them on riverine craft patrolling the Mekong Delta. A handheld version, the M-209, was widely employed by infantry platoons and was the frontrunner to today’s fully automatic belt-fed launchers.
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Parris Island, South Carolina. (February 14, 2025): For junior enlisted troops, there is a big difference between being “in” a formation and standing in front of one. When you are in front of the formation, there is no place to hide. In this photo by Lance Corporal Ayden Cassano, Corporal Ava Alegria aims a rifle during a Corporals Course culminating event. The course is designed as a transition between the junior enlisted ranks and leadership positions.
Corporal is the first rung of the non-commissioned officers’ ladder and represents Marine leadership at the most basic level. The Corporal’s Course is a three-week program that teaches basic requirements while allowing for additional curricula tailored to meet the needs of individual units. Passing the course is a requirement for promotion to sergeant.